Forum Discussion

DashielQuinn's avatar
DashielQuinn
Iron Contributor
Apr 16, 2026

After the update, Windows 11 has no sound and the audio isn't working

My Windows 11 laptop has no sound at all after a recent update. Speakers and headphones both dead. Volume is up, but nothing plays.

 

4 Replies

  • Try this:

     

    Open Device Manager, and make sure you've audio drivers installed and properly working.

     

    If no audio driver is listed, you can visit your device manufacturer's website to download and install audio drivers for your system model.

     

    If audio driver is present, you can try updating audio drivers to latest version.

     

    Or if you've already updated them, try to roll back previous version to see if that works.

     

    Also, run Playing Audio troubleshooter from Settings app > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. Let us know what it reports back.

  • Izannki's avatar
    Izannki
    Brass Contributor

    This is a known issue with recent Windows 11 updates, particularly version 24H2, where a one-time driver installation error can cause audio to stop working entirely. The good news is that it's almost always fixable.

  • Caspians's avatar
    Caspians
    Brass Contributor

    Windows Update sometimes pushes a generic or corrupted audio driver that doesn't play nice with your laptop's actual hardware. The fix usually involves either rolling back that driver or reinstalling the correct one from your laptop manufacturer.