Your laptop speakers aren’t working? Try these 7 go-to fixes

1. Check that the sound isn’t muted

Laptops quite often have mute keys or a mute shortcut that you might have unintentionally activated. Or you may have muted by accidentally clicking the speaker icon in the system tray.

To make sure your laptop speakers aren’t muted left click the speaker icon in the system tray. If the icon has an X next to it, click or tap it to unmute. You can also try using the physical mute button or the function key shortcut if it has one.

2. Perform a headphone check

Plug in a pair of headphones or earbuds and check for sound. Laptops are designed to automatically switch from the speakers to the headphones when they are plugged in. If you hear sound from your headphones, this could indicate a problem with the software or driver responsible for switching outputs, or there is a physical problem with your laptop speakers.  

3. Make sure the audio sensor isn’t stuck

Laptops use an audio sensor to tell if headphones are plugged into the audio jack. If the computer thinks you have headphones plugged in, even when they aren’t, it won’t send sound to the speakers.

To test whether or not this could be the case, plug in a pair of headphones or a headset and listen for sound. If you hear sound, the sensor could be stuck. Try plugging and unplugging your headphones and twisting the jack as you insert it.

You might also be able to carefully trigger the sensor with a toothpick. Just be aware that physically breaking anything off in the jack may void your warranty.

If the problem is your audio input sensor, you will have to take your laptop in for servicing.

4. Check the playback device

When you use different devices with your laptop, like your wireless headset, your laptop remembers those devices for future use. If one of those devices is set as your playback device instead of your speakers, you won’t hear any sound from your speakers. In fact, you won’t hear any sound at all if that device isn’t connected.

To set your laptop speakers as the playback device, left click the speaker icon then select the sound-output icon to the right of the volume slider. Make sure it shows the output device as your speakers. If the device showing isn’t your speakers, click the name of the current device and then select your laptop speakers from the menu.

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5. Run the sound troubleshooter

Windows has a built-in sound troubleshooter that checks for problems and fixes issues automatically. It takes a while to run, so you may have to let it run for a while before you check your speakers again. To run the sound troubleshooter right click the speaker icon in the system tray and select troubleshoot sound problems. Then you just need to follow the on-screen prompts to guide you through the process.

6. Try disabling audio enhancements

This is an unlikely cause of the speaker problems, but it’s still worth a try. To turn off audio enhancements navigate to Control panel > Sound. Now click on your speakers and select Properties. Click on the Advanced tab and untick Enable audio enhancements.

If that fixes the problem, then leave the enhancements off. Upgrading your audio drivers may fix the problem and allow you to enable enhancements again but you should be prepared to switch it off again in case it doesn’t.

7. Check for audio driver updates

If your audio driver is out of date it may prevent your speakers from working properly. That may also be the case if your audio driver is corrupted for any reason. If it’s due to a corrupted driver simply deleting the driver and running a search for new hardware will fix the problem.

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