Sound is an important part of our PC, without it, the PC feels incomplete. And when you see a red cross on the sound icon in the taskbar, then it means that there is No Audio Output Device is Installed and you won’t be able to play any audio.

When a user hovers his mouse pointer on the sound icon, he sees a message stating No Audio Output Device Is Installed and the audio feature of the computer doesn’t work. This error occurs regardless of the version of Windows you are using.

How to Fix No Audio Output Device is Installed Error in Windows 10

This error is usually caused when Windows has disabled the audio device on your machine, or your PC doesn’t have the latest audio drivers. Also, it can be a hardware problem where the computer’s sound jack has some issue. As there’s no way to identify the fault, it is hard to solve the issue. But if it’s software related, we have some methods for you that will definitely solve the issue for you.

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How To Fix No Audio Output Device Is Installed In Windows

Here are the methods that have been tried and tested by us, and we ensure you that one of them will solve the problem for you.

Solution 1 ⇒ Reboot Your PC

This may not sound like a solution, but rebooting the PC solves many problems. And it is the most simple solution which might work for you. Sometimes the hardware configurations of the PC change while Windows is booting up, which causes the issue.

Rebooting the PC changes the configurations back to default, and you will notice that the sound issue will no longer be there on your machine. Also, remove any external hardware which may be connected to the PC as it might cause interference. Connect them back when the PC has turned ON.

Solution 2 ⇒ Reinstall The Device Driver

Re-installing the Audio driver will most probably resolve the issue as it will remove any complications and will freshly install the latest version of the driver. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1 ⇒ Go to Start.

Step 2 ⇒ Search for Device Manager and open it.

Step 3 ⇒ Now expand the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers list by expanding it with the help of the small arrow.

Step 4 ⇒ Right-Click on the driver.

Step 5 ⇒ Now click on Uninstall Driver.

Step 6 ⇒ Restart your PC.

Step 7 ⇒ Open the Device Manager again.

Step 8 ⇒ Right-click in an empty space, and click on Scan For Hardware Changes.

Step 9 ⇒ If there are any drivers available, right-click on them and then click on Install.

Step 10 ⇒ If no drivers are available, then download the driver from the manufacturer’s website and then install them.

Step 11 ⇒ Check if the issue is still present. If yes, then try out our other methods below.

Solution 3 ⇒ Re-enable The Audio Device

The audio device might be disabled, which is causing the issue. Follow the steps below to re-enable it.

Step 1 ⇒ Go to Start.

Step 2 ⇒ Search for Device Manager and open it.

Step 3 ⇒ Now expand the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers list by expanding it with the help of the small arrow.

Step 4 ⇒ Right-Click on the driver.

Step 5 ⇒ Click on Enable Driver.

Step 6 ⇒ Check if it got solved.

Solution 4 ⇒ Use Scannow To Fix The Driver

Scannow can fix many issues in the PC, and users have reported that it solved this issue also. So we will try to fix the issue with Scannow in this method. Follow the steps below:

Step 1 ⇒ Go to Start.

Step 2 ⇒ In the search bar, type cmd

Step 3 ⇒ Run the command prompt application As Administrator.

Step 4 ⇒ Click Yes if any prompt appears.

Step 5 ⇒ Now type sfc/scannow and hit Enter.

Step 6 ⇒ Now it will start scanning for any issues with the PC and will solve the automatically. Afterward, check if the issue disappeared.

Solution 5 ⇒ Update Outdated Audio Device Drivers

Outdated audio drivers can also cause this issue to occur. Update them using the device manager. Follow the steps below:

Step 1 ⇒ Go to Start.

Step 2 ⇒ Search for Device Manager and open it.

Step 3 ⇒ Now expand the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers list by expanding it with the help of the small arrow.

Step 4 ⇒ Right-Click on the driver.

Step 5 ⇒ Click on Update Driver.

Step 6 ⇒ Now Windows will automatically find the latest version of the driver (if there’s any available) and will install it automatically.

Step 7 ⇒ The issue should have been gone. Try playing any audio.

Solution 6 ⇒ Change Your Sound Card

This may not be a software problem but a hardware one. For this method, you need a computer professional so that he can pluck out the old Sound Card and can install a new one.

We won’t recommend you doing this on your own as you might damage your PC permanently. Also, you can visit a service centre, and they will install a new Sound Card for you which will solve the issue.

Solution 7 ⇒ Repair Your Windows Corrupted Registry Database

You should not fiddle around with Windows Registries as even the slightest wrong move can corrupt the software. You can go for third-party tools like Registry Cleaner which will solve any Corrupted registries and will bring back the sound in your PC.

These corruptions occur because of the virus so you must also perform a full scan of your PC to prevent any further errors or damages.

Solution 8 ⇒ Add A New Audio Device

If you are not able to find any Audio drivers in the device manager, then you might have to add an audio device. Follow the steps below to do the same:

Step 1 ⇒ Go to Start.

Step 2 ⇒ Search for Device Manager and open it.

Step 3 ⇒ Click on the Action button on the top.

Step 4 ⇒ Now click on Add Legacy Hardware option.

Step 5 ⇒ Now, click on Next in the window that pops up and then select the option stating Search automatically for updated driver software.

Step 6 ⇒ Now the wizard will help you in adding a new audio device.

Step 7 ⇒ Now select Sound, Video, and Game Controllers option and again click on the Next button.

Step 8: Now the new device will be added and click on Next to finish the process. Now play some audio and check.

Solution 9 ⇒ Use The Audio Troubleshooter

The Audio Troubleshooter works like magic and will automatically solve the issue for you. Follow the steps below to run the Audio Troubleshooter:

Step 1 ⇒ Right-Click on the sound icon located in the taskbar.

Step 2 ⇒ Click on Troubleshoot Sound Problems.

Step 3 ⇒ Sit back and relax as the process will take some time while the troubleshooter scans for the issues.

Step 4 ⇒ Now when it shows you the changes, it made to solve the issue.

Step 5 ⇒ Check if the issue is still present. If it is, then you can try Exploring more options in Troubleshooter box, which might solve the issue.

Solution 10 ⇒ Have A look At Windows Audio Services

There might be an issue with the audio services in your computer, which may be causing the issue. So let’s take a look at how to check it:

Step 1 ⇒ Go to Start.

Step 2 ⇒ In the Search, type services.

Step 3 ⇒ Right-Click on the Services application and then click on Run As Administrator.

Step 4 ⇒ Now in the Services window, you have to look for two particular services which are Windows Audio, and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder. (These names may be different for other versions of Windows).

Step 5 ⇒ Ensure that the status for both these services is Running, and the startup type is set to Automatic.

Step 6 ⇒ If they are working perfectly fine, then I am afraid you would have to try some other method amongst the ones mentioned in the article.

Solution 11 ⇒ Use Microsoft System Restore Feature

To fix this issue, Microsoft System Restore Feature is the best method to solve it. It will restore the PC to a date when the sound was working fine without any issues. To use this feature, follow the steps below:

Step 1 ⇒ Go to Start, search for System Restore, and open the first search result.

Step 2 ⇒ Now, if you are asked for any Passwords, put them in.

Step 3 ⇒ Then Choose a Restore Point.

Step 4 ⇒ Restore your system.

Step 5 ⇒ Restart your PC and check if the error still persists.

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Conclusion

That’s it, these were the 11 methods which we had for you for the No Audio Output Device Installed issue. We hope that one of them worked for you and you were able to solve the issue.

If you weren’t able to, then it is most likely a hardware issue in which case you will have to take it to the service centre. If you have any other issues or facing any errors, do reach out to us!