Sometimes, you may notice a red X appearing on the sound icon on the Windows taskbar. If you hover your mouse over it, it gives an error that no speakers or headphones are plugged in. This error can be caused by a problem with the Windows sound driver or sound service.
Here are some steps to help you fix the “No Speaker or Headphones are Plugged In” error on Windows.
1. Run the Windows sound troubleshooter
To run the troubleshooter, do the following:
1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. In the System tab, scroll down and click Troubleshoot.
3. Next, click Other troubleshooters.
4. Click the Run button for Playing Audio. It will check the audio service status and prompt you to select your audio device.
5. Select your device speakers and click Next.
6. Click NO , Do not open Audio Enhancements in the Turn off Sound Effects and Enhancements dialog box.
7. Apply any suggested fixes and check the results.
2. Perform an audio device driver restore
You will probably find your audio driver in the Sound, video, and game controllers section of Device Manager.
3. Add Network Service and Local Service to Local Administrator Group
To add Network Service and Local Service to Local Administrator Group using Local Users and Groups:
1. Press Win + X to open the WinX menu.
2. Click Computer Management.
3. In Computer Management, click Local User and Groups.
4. In the right pane, double-click Groups to see all local accounts.
5. Select and right-click the Administrators account and select Properties.
6. Click the Add button in the Administrator Properties dialog box.
7. Next, enter network service and click Check Names. It will change the object name to NETWORK SERVICE.
8. Click OK to add the network service to the local user group.
9. In the Administrator Properties dialog box, you will see NT Authority\Network Service added as the member.
10. Click the Add button again and repeat the steps to add Local Services to the group.
11. Once done, click Apply > OK to save the changes.
If you use the Windows Home edition, you can use the Command Prompt to add Local Network and Local Service to the local administrators group.
Here’s how to do it.
1. Press the Win key and type cmd.
2. Open Command Prompt with admin rights.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following to add “local service” to the Local Group Administrator:
net localgroup Administrators /add localservice
4. Next, type the following command to add “network service” to the Local Group Administrator account:
net localgroup Administrators /add networkservice
5. If both commands are executed successfully, type exit and press Enter to close Command Prompt.
6. Restart the PC and check if the error is fixed.
4. Uninstall drivers and audio devices
To uninstall an audio device:
1. Press Win + X to open the WinX menu.
2. Click Device Manager from the context menu.
3. In Device Manager, expand Sound, video, and game controllers section.
4. Right click on your audio device, such as Realtek Audio.
5. Select the Attempt to remove the driver for this device option in the Uninstall Device dialog box.
6. Click Uninstall to remove the device.
7. After uninstalling, restart the PC. Windows will automatically install the necessary drivers for your audio device.
If the problem persists, manually reinstall the audio device driver from the manufacturer.
5. Manually reinstall the audio device driver
On a laptop, go to your computer manufacturer’s website and download the latest audio driver from there.
On a desktop computer, you can download the latest driver for your sound card from the manufacturer’s website.
If the problem persists, change the device settings and then reinstall the driver.
To change device settings:
- Press the Win key and enter device installation settings.
- Next, click Change device installation settings from the search results.
- Select the No (your device might not work as expected) option in the Device installation settings dialog box.
- Click Save Changes. Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control.
With automatic driver download disabled, reinstall an existing driver to fix the no sound problem.
