How to reset all audio settings in Windows 11

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Hannah Stryker / Instructional Geek

To reset all audio devices and volume levels in Windows 11, open Settings and go to System > Sound > Volume Mixer. Find “Reset sound devices and volumes for all apps to recommended defaults” and click the “Reset” button.

If your PC’s audio isn’t working, or you want to reset your sound settings to default so you can customize them again, it’s easy to reset all sorts of audio settings on a Windows 11 computer. We’ll show you how to do just that.

Why reset Windows 11 audio settings?

The most common reason to reset audio settings is to fix sound playback issues. Your PC may not be playing sounds correctly or you may not be hearing anything, which often happens due to misconfigured audio options.

Another reason to reset your settings is that you no longer want to use your custom sound settings. You may have made a few tweaks here and there with your audio options, but you want to go back to the defaults. Regardless of the reason, sound settings resets are easy.

How to reset your audio devices and volume levels for all your apps

If you want to reset your audio devices or bring the volume level of all your installed apps back to default, follow the steps below.

Note: If you follow these steps, it will discover your hidden audio devices, so you will have to disable them again after the reboot.

Start by opening Settings using Windows+i. In the left sidebar, select “System”. In the right panel, choose “Sound”.

Choose

Scroll down a bit and select “Volume Mixer”.

Choose

Next to “Reset sound devices and volumes for all apps to recommended defaults,” click “Reset.”

Select

How to restore default settings for audio equipment

If you’re having trouble with a particular audio device on your PC, or if you want to reset a specific sound device to its default settings, the following steps will help you do so.

Open Settings by pressing Windows+i. Then, go to the menu System > Sound > More sound settings.

In the opened window, select your audio device and choose “Properties”.

Select the audio device, then

Go to the “Advanced” tab and at the bottom, click “Restore Defaults”.

Note: If the “Restore Defaults” button is disabled, then your audio device is already using the default settings.

Choose

And you have successfully reset your sound equipment.

How to reset Windows system sounds

Windows system sounds are what you hear when you receive a notification, an error occurs, or other similar action occurs on your PC. If you’ve customized these sounds and want to go back to the defaults, it’s easy to do.

Open the “Start” menu and search for “Change system sounds.” Select the item with that name.

In the “Sound” window, click the “Sound Scheme” drop-down menu and choose “Windows Default”. Then at the bottom select “Apply” followed by “OK.”

Restore Windows system sounds.

Windows system sounds are now reset.

Are you still having audio problems? Try this

If you’re resetting your audio settings in Windows 11 to fix a specific problem, and none of the changes above fixed your problem, there are a few more things you can try to fix the problem.

Use the Windows Audio Troubleshooter

One way to fix sound problems on your PC is to use the built-in Windows audio troubleshooter. When you run this tool, it automatically finds and fixes problems with your audio settings, allowing you to enjoy your music on your computer.

To open the troubleshooter, launch the Windows 11 Settings app by pressing Windows+i. Then in the left sidebar, click on “System”. In the right pane, choose “Troubleshoot”.

Select

Select “Other troubleshooters”.

Choose

Next to “Play Audio,” click “Run.”

Choose

Let the troubleshooter find your PC sound problems and offer the appropriate solutions.

Windows Audio Troubleshooter.

RELATED: How to make Windows troubleshoot your PC for you

Restart Windows Sound Services

Windows runs various sound services in the background so your apps can produce music. When you have problems with your PC audio, it is worth restarting these services to solve your problem. Doing so can fix minor issues with services, which may be causing your sound issues.

Initiate the service restart process by opening the “Run” dialog with Windows+R. Then type the following in the box and press Enter:

services.msc

Scribe

In the “Services” window, in the right pane, you will see various Windows services. Here, find the item called “Windows Audio”, right-click it and choose “Restart”.

Select

Similarly, find the service called “Windows Audio Endpoint Builder”, right-click it and select “Restart”.

Uninstall and reinstall your audio drivers

If your audio problems persist, your PC’s sound drivers may be to blame. In this case, remove the installed drivers and let Windows install the latest drivers for you.

To do that, first, open Device Manager by right-clicking on the “Start” menu icon and selecting “Device Manager”.

Choose

In Device Manager, expand the “Sound, video and game controllers” option. Find your audio device in the expanded menu, right-click and choose “Uninstall Device”.

In the opened box, enable the “Attempt to remove the driver for this device” option, then select “Uninstall”.

Check the check box and select

When you have uninstalled your audio device, restart your PC. Do this by opening the “Start” menu, clicking the “Power” icon, and choosing “Restart.”

Select

When your PC turns back on, it will automatically install the drivers for your audio device.


If after all those steps your audio problems still persist, you may have a problem with your computer’s audio hardware. If it is still under warranty, you should contact your PC manufacturer to have it repaired or replaced. In the meantime, you can learn how to improve laptop audio with a few hardware upgrades,

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