Headphones Aren’t Working in Windows 10?

Just when you were about to play your favorite music, you’ve realized your headphones are not working. If you’re having trouble with getting them to work, keep reading this article, and you’ll find out the possible solutions for why headphones aren’t working in Windows 10.

Headphones Aren’t Working in Windows 10?

There are various possible reasons why your headphones aren’t working in Windows 10. You can always try troubleshooting to determine the cause of your problem.

HD Audio Over AC97

HD Audio and AC97 represent two Intel audio standards on many computers. HD Audio was in fact manufactured to replace AC97, and it has improved specifications. Even though they might look identical, they are not interchangeable.

For example, if you plug an AC97 connecter into an HDA motherboard, there will be no sound output, therefore your headphones will not work. Since they are not interchangeable, some motherboard manufacturers allow choosing between the two.

How do you know which one to use? This depends on your case. First of all, the right connector should be labeled. If it’s not, try the HD audio connector first, since this is probably the cause of your headphones not working.

Assuming everything is okay with your hardware, here are the steps you should follow in order to choose HD audio over AC97 in your Windows 10:

1. Open the Start Menu
2. Find “Realtek HD Audio Manager” (you should have it installed by default on your Windows 10. If you don’t, make sure you install it)
3. Open “Settings”
4. Make sure “HD Audio” is selected under “Connector Settings”

Change the Default Sound Format

One of the ways how you can try to get your headphones to work is by changing the default sound format in Windows 10. Here is how you can do that:

1. Open the Start Menu
   
2. Start typing “Control Panel” and open it
   
3. Tap “Hardware and sound”
   
4. Tap “Sound”
   
5. Tap “Headphones”
   
6. Tap the “Advanced” tab
   
7. Here, you will see the default format and a number of other options for you to choose from.

Tip: Each time you change the format, click the “Test” button. By doing this, you will check if your headphones work with another format.

Update Audio Drivers

If your audio drivers aren’t updated, they will most likely be the cause of your headphones not working. You can update them by following the next steps:

1. Open the Start menu
   
2. Start typing “Device Manager” and open it
   
3. Double click on “Sound, video and game controllers”
   
4. Right-click on the audio driver that you would like to update (most likely it will be Realtek)
   
5. Tap “Update driver”
   
6. Tap “Search automatically for drivers”
   

Done! You’ve successfully updated your audio drivers. If this was the cause of your headphones not working, they should work now.

Disabling Front Panel Jack Detection

There are several ways in which you can disable the front panel audio jack. In this guide, you will learn how to disable it using sound settings, and using Realtek HD Audio Manager.

If you want to disable front panel jack detection using sound settings, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu
   
2. Start typing “Settings” and open it
   
3. Tap “System”
   
4. Tap “Sound”
   
5. Tap “Device properties”
   
6. Tap “Disable”
   

If you want to disable front panel jack detection through Realtek HD Audio Manager, follow these steps:

1. First, make sure you have the app installed on your Windows 10
2. Open the app
3. Tap the wrench icon at the bottom right corner (“Connector Settings”)
4. You will see a “Disable front panel jack detection” slider. Click on it

If you want to play music on your speakers while having the headphones plugged in, or your computer got stuck in headphone mode, you can simply disable detection by following the steps above.

Plug Headphones In and Restart

Sometimes in Windows 10, plugged-in headphones will only work after you restart your computer. There are several potential causes of this problem, but the most frequent one is that your speakers are set as your default device instead of your headphones.

Here is how you can fix this:

1. Plug in your headphones
2. Open the Start menu
   
3. Start typing “Control panel”
4. Tap “Hardware and sound”
   
5. Tap “Sound”
   
6. Tap your headphone device and click “Set Default”
7. Unplug your headphones
8. Tap speakers and click “Set Default”

You should now be able to plug in your headphones and use them without having to restart your computer every time.

Enable Headphones & Set as Default Device

One of the potential causes of your headphones not working is that they are not enabled and/or set as a default device on your computer.

In order to enable your headphones, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu
2. Start typing “Manage sound devices”
   
3. Here, you will find a list of disabled devices. If your headphones are disabled, click on “Enable”
   

If you want to set your headphones as a default device, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu
2. Start typing “Sound settings”
   
3. In “Choose your output device” select your headphones
   

Check if the Issue Is Software or Hardware Related

To determine the cause of your faulty headphones, it’s best to start by confirming if the issues are software or hardware related. There are several ways in which you can check this. First of all, make sure your headphones are functioning properly. Try it out by plugging them into another computer or a phone. If they’re still not working, it means the problem is not with the computer.

Also, make sure you check the port. You can do this by plugging the headphones into another port on the same computer. If they work, it means one of your ports isn’t functioning properly.

After you’ve confirmed the issue is not hardware-related, you can be sure something on your computer is causing the problem.

Additional FAQs

Why Is Bluetooth Not Showing Up on My Windows 10 Computer?

When Bluetooth is activated on your Windows 10, a small icon will show up in your system tray. Even though it’s very easy to accidentally remove this icon, getting it back is not that easy.

If you want to add the Bluetooth icon back to your system tray, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu

2. Start typing “Settings

3. Tap “Bluetooth and other devices”

4. Tap “More Bluetooth options”

5. Make sure there’s a checkmark next to “Show the Bluetooth icon in the notification area”

Why Is Bluetooth Not Working in Windows 10?

There could be several possible reasons for Bluetooth not working on your computer. First of all, make sure your Bluetooth is on. You can do so by following these steps:

1. Open the Start menu

2. Start typing “Settings” and open it

3. Tap “Bluetooth and other devices settings”

4. Turn your Bluetooth on

There are also several things to check in order to make sure Bluetooth is functioning properly.

Turn off airplane mode on your computer:

1. Open the Start menu

2. Start typing “Settings”

3. Tap “Network & Internet”

4. Turn off airplane mode

You can also try to remove the added Bluetooth device and add it again:

1. Open the Start menu

2. Start typing “Settings”

3. Tap “Bluetooth and other devices settings”

4. Select the device you would like to remove

Why Are My Speakers Not Working in Windows 10?

Several things can cause your speakers to not work.

First of all, make sure your speakers are on and properly plugged in. If your speakers are not working, it might be a hardware issue, so make sure you check all the cables.

Then, make sure to check volume levels. Here is how you can do this:

1. Right-click on the Speaker icon in the taskbar (bottom right corner)

2. Tap “Open Volume mixer”

3. Make sure the volume is turned up

If your speakers aren’t working, make sure you check if they have been disabled. This is how you can do it:

1. Open the Start menu

2. Start typing “Control panel” and open it

3. Tap “Hardware and sound”

4. Tap “Sound”

5. Right-click on the empty area to make sure you have checkmarks next to “Show disabled devices” and “Show disconnected devices” – your speakers will show up on the list if they were disabled

6. Tap “Enable”

If you’ve recently updated your system, you might need to update the audio driver:

1. Open the Start menu

2. Start typing “Device Manager” and open it

3. Double click on “Sound, video and game controllers”

4. Right-click on the audio driver which you would like to update (most likely it will be Realtek)

5. Tap “Update driver”

6. Tap “Search automatically for drivers”

If you have both your headphones and speakers connected to your computer, your headphones might be selected as the output device, thus causing your speakers to not work.

Make sure your speakers are set as your output device, here is how you can do that:

1. Right-click on the Speaker icon in the taskbar (bottom right corner)

2. Tap “Open sound settings”

3. Under “Choose your output device” make sure you select “Speakers”

Let the Music Play!

Now you’ve learned more about different reasons why headphones are not working in Windows 10 and the possible solutions. We know how frustrating this can be. So, if you want to know how you can fix this problem, make sure you follow our step-by-step guide, and you will be back to listening to your favorite music in no time.

Have you ever had any problems of this sort in Windows 10? Tell us about it in the comment section below!