I love listening to music on headphones while working on something because it stops the chatter in my head and helps me focus on the task at hand. It also gives me a relaxed mood, so I’m not worried about timing and timing, and generally improves my productivity
Few things are more annoying than when my headphones stop working in the middle of a song However, over time, I have learned to find some quick fixes and other advanced solutions to some of the problems I had with my pair.
This post lists some of the tried and tested things you can do when you find your headphones are not working on Windows.
Reasons why the Headset is not working in Windows
Some of the common problems you may encounter with headphones include a damaged cable, a broken headphone jack, Bluetooth connection issues, an inability to sync audio to video, or turn noise canceling on or off.
These are just a few issues, but they can vary depending on the number of headphone models available.
Some of the reasons the headphones don’t work on Windows may be an incompatible operating system and drivers, or after installing a Windows update, which could break the headphones and other components on your computer.
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Many users who upgraded their Windows 10 computers to the 1903 update reported that their computers didn’t recognize their headphones, so they couldn’t hear anything even though the speakers were working fine.
This is usually a system problem, but it could also indicate a problem with the headphones.
- Preliminary checks
- Use the Windows troubleshooter
- Use the sound troubleshooter
- Check your sound drivers.
- Update or rollback drivers
- Update or rollback Windows updates
- Perform a system restore
- Repair or replace
- Initial Checks
- Using the Windows Troubleshooter
- Using the Sound Troubleshooter
- Check audio drivers
- Update or roll back drivers
- Update or roll back Windows updates
- Perform a system restore
- Repair or replace
Fix Headphones Not Working in Windows
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- If you are using wired headphones, check the audio jack. Locate the audio-out port on the side or back of your computer, often with a headphone or speaker icon, and make sure the headphone jack is connected properly. You can also unplug and plug them back in to fully insert it while you feel it click.
- If your headphones are wireless, turn on Bluetooth in Windows and on the headphones and pair the two devices together.
- Make sure your headphones are connected or paired with another device via Bluetooth If so, turn it off, plug in your headphones and see if they work again.
- Clean the headphone jack on the computer. Dust, lint, and dirt can block the connection between the jack and the headphones. Check it out and clean the jack with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to remove lint and dust, or use a can of compressed air if you have one nearby. Reconnect the headphones and check if they work.
- Set your headphones as the default device. You may have connected headphones, but they are not recognized as the default audio device. In this case, set them as the default device by right-clicking the volume / sound icon in your computer’s taskbar and choosing “Open Sound Settings”.
Initial Checks
- If you use Wired headphones , check the audio jack. Find the audio output port on the side or the back of the computer, often with the headphones or a speaker icon, and make sure the headphone jack is properly connected. You can also disconnect it and plug it back in to push it completely until you click.
- If your headphones are wireless, Turn on Bluetooth in Windows as well as on headphones and pair the two devices together.
- Check if the headphones are connected to or paired with a different device via Bluetooth If so then turn it off, plug in your headphones and see if they work again.
- Clean the headphone jack of the computer . Dust, lint, and dirt can prevent contact between the jack and the headphones. Check this and clean the jack with a cotton swab soaked in some rubbing alcohol to remove lint and dust, or use a can of compressed air if you have one near you. Reconnect the headphones and check if they work.
- Set the headphones as the default. Headphones may have arrived but it is not recognized as the default audio device. In this case, set it as the default device by right-clicking the Volume / Volume icon in your computer’s system tray, and selecting Open Sound Settings .
- In the Sound section of the Output section, select headphones from the drop-down menu.
- Headphones may have built-in audio controls that operate independently of Windows audio controls. If so, make sure the volume is loud enough for you to hear.
You can also test your computer’s volume controls by right-clicking the Sound icon in the taskbar (speaker icon) and choosing Open Volume Mixer. Slide up to adjust the sound in the headphones so you can hear it.
- Check if the headphones are muted by the red circle with a slash in the Windows volume control. In this case, press the speaker below the mixer volume to turn it on.
- Adjust the headphone volume. To do this, go to Sound Settings> Sounds and click the Levels tab to check your headphone volume settings. Click “Balance” to adjust the balance levels.
- Try using an alternate set of headphones to see if the problem is with your headphones or your computer. If your headphones are okay, the problem might be with your drivers, operating system, or other settings on your computer.
- Check out the audio improvements. To do this, go to Sound Settings> Sounds> Enhancements tab and click Disable All Enhancements. Test your headphones by selecting Preview. Some sound cards may not work if enhancements are enabled.
Use the Windows Troubleshooter
To do this, right-click on the sound / speaker icon in the taskbar and select “Troubleshoot Sound Problems”.
Select your headphones and click Next.
If you are prompted to open audio enhancements, click No. Don’t open sound enhancements.
- To do this, open Windows Settings by clicking Start> Settings and then clicking Update & Security.
Use the Sound Troubleshooter
- To do this, open Windows Settings by clicking Start> Settings and then click Update & Security.
- Click Troubleshoot and select the Play Sound option.
- Click Run the troubleshooter and follow the instructions on the screen.
- Restart your computer. If you’ve checked your sound settings and other checks and they all work fine, try restarting your computer to fix any software glitches that might be causing your headphones to not work in Windows.
- To do this, right-click on Start> Device Manager.
Update sound card drivers
- To do this, right-click Start> Device Manager .
- In the Device Manager window, double-click the Sound, Video and Game Controllers category.
- Check if your sound card driver is up to date. If not, right-click it and select Update Driver. You can let the system automatically search for updated driver software or search for the software yourself from your computer.
- Alternatively, you can download drivers from the sound card developer or manufacturer’s website. Make sure you download the latest driver for the version of Windows you are using, and remember where you downloaded it in order to install it later.
Undo Software
Audio and / or Bluetooth drivers can be rolled back to an older version in the event that a Windows update caused a problem with your headphones. If there was no update, you need to update the drivers to the latest version available.
To roll back the driver, follow these steps:
- Right-click Start> Device Manager. Double-click the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers category, and then right-click the audio or Bluetooth driver.
- Select Properties.
- Click the Driver tab, then select the Rollback option.
Note. If there was no update, you need to update the drivers to the latest version available.
Install the latest Windows update s
If you find that your headphones are not working in Windows after installing Windows Update, uninstall the update and restart your computer.
- To do this, go to Settings> Update & Security, and then click Windows Update.
- In the “Installed Updates” section, remove the latest updates using the link provided there and hide them using the “Hide Updates” tool.
You can also get the fix by checking for new updates released by Microsoft.
Perform a System Restore
System Restore will take you back to where you were before the headphone problem occurred.
- You can do this by typing “System Restore” in the search bar and choosing “Create a restore point”.
- In the System Properties window, click System Restore
- When you see the Restore System Files and Settings window, click Next.
- Select the restore point you want to return to and click Next.
Repair or Replace
If none of the above fixes resolve the issue with your headphones not working on Windows, you can take your computer or headphones to a repairman if they are still under warranty Or replace them if the problem is with the headphones.
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