How to reinstall audio drivers

What reinstalling audio drivers does

Reinstalling audio drivers means removing the software that lets your operating system talk to a sound device, then putting a fresh copy in place. That device may be built-in speakers, a headset, a USB microphone, or a separate HDMI or DisplayPort audio output. The usual goal is to restore a missing, silent, or unstable playback or recording device after an update, a crash, or a failed install.

This is mainly a Windows procedure. Windows treats each sound device as hardware with its own driver. macOS and typical Linux setups handle built-in audio inside the system, so the parallel step is resetting the audio service or checking the selected input and output, not uninstalling a vendor driver. If you use a third-party USB or Thunderbolt interface, that maker may still ship its own software on any of those systems.

Playback and capture can share one driver or use two separate devices. HDMI television audio is not the same device as a laptop microphone. Reinstalling the wrong entry will not fix the one that failed. A working driver also does not prove a video-call app will sound good: the app can still pick the wrong microphone, stay muted, or lack microphone permission.

Before you start

You need an administrator account on Windows. Close meeting apps, browsers that are using the microphone, and recording software so they are not holding the device. Note which hardware is failing: built-in speakers, a 3.5 mm headset, USB, Bluetooth, or the display’s HDMI audio. Also note the symptom: no device listed, a device that appears but stays silent, or a microphone that is listed while the input meter never moves.

• Leave the USB or headset cable plugged in so Windows can find the device again after removal.
• If the problem started right after a Windows or driver update, consider rolling the driver back before a full reinstall.
• Have another way to get sound, such as on-screen captions, if this machine is your only audio path.
• Do not confuse a camera problem with an audio-driver problem. Video capture uses a different device and driver.

Reinstall the driver on Windows

Device Manager is the place Windows uses to remove and rediscover sound hardware. “Sound, video and game controllers” holds the main audio adapter. “Audio inputs and outputs” lists the playback and recording endpoints that adapter creates. Uninstall the adapter when the whole device is missing or erroring; if only one endpoint is wrong, still start with that adapter rather than deleting a single speaker or microphone line on its own.

• Press Windows+X and open Device Manager.
• Expand Sound, video and game controllers. Identify the adapter that matches the failing hardware. HDMI, USB, Bluetooth, and built-in Realtek- or Intel-style devices often appear as separate entries.
• Right-click that adapter and choose Uninstall device. If Windows offers “Attempt to remove the driver for this device,” turn that option on when you want a true reinstall rather than a brief unplug of the device node. Confirm the uninstall.
• Use Action, then Scan for hardware changes. If the device does not return, restart the PC.
• When the adapter reappears, open Settings, System, Sound. Set the correct output and input as defaults. For a USB or 3.5 mm headset, select that headset for both playback and recording if that is the device you will use on calls.
• Optional: in Device Manager, right-click the adapter, choose Properties, then the Driver tab. “Update driver” asks Windows to search again. “Roll Back Driver” is available only if a previous driver is still stored. Use rollback when a new driver broke sound and you want the last known working version.

After a clean removal, Windows often installs a generic in-box driver. That is enough for many built-in codecs and simple USB headsets. If the device still shows an error, has no input or output endpoints, or loses features such as a hardware mute LED, install the package that came with the PC or the audio interface. Get that package from the computer or device maker’s support files for your exact model. This guide does not assume any on-page installer can do that for you.

Bluetooth and USB extras

A Bluetooth headset may also appear under Bluetooth devices. If sound is gone only on that headset, remove the headset from Bluetooth settings, reinstall or reset the Bluetooth adapter if it is erroring, then pair again. Hands-free and stereo profiles can register as two different audio devices; the call app must use the one that carries the microphone.

For USB microphones and headsets, try another port after the reinstall, preferably a port on the computer itself rather than an unpowered hub. Uninstalling the driver does not repair a damaged cable.

How to tell it worked

Check the operating system first, then the app you will actually use. A green status in Device Manager is not the same as audible playback, and a moving microphone meter is not the same as speech other people can understand. No input-level target in decibels is supplied here; use the on-screen meter and a short spoken test instead of chasing a number.

• In Device Manager, the audio adapter should be present with no warning icon. This shows Windows loaded a driver. It does not prove speakers or a microphone work.
• In Settings, System, Sound, play the output test on the device you intend to use. Hearing that tone shows playback through that endpoint. It does not test the microphone or a meeting app.
• Speak while watching the input meter for the chosen microphone. Motion on the meter shows the OS is receiving input activity. It does not show that the signal is free of noise or that a browser has permission to use the mic.
• Make a short local recording or use the call app’s own mic test and play it back. Clear words in that playback show intelligible sound on that path. It still leaves the live meeting untested if the app can switch devices when you join.
• Join a test call or use the app’s preview and confirm the same input and output names you set in Windows. This is the check that matters for a meeting. It does not test camera video or virtual backgrounds.

Keep these failures distinct. A microphone that never appears is a detection problem. A meter that stays flat is an input-activity problem (mute, gain, wrong default, or a still-broken driver). A meter that moves while listeners hear silence or distortion is an app-selection, permission, or quality problem, and reinstalling the driver again is unlikely to be the next useful step.

If it still does not work

A driver reinstall will not fix a muted control on the headset, a volume slider at zero, or a call app that is pointed at the wrong device. Browser and operating-system microphone permission is separate from the driver: the device can work in Sound settings and still be blocked in the browser. Camera access is also separate; granting video does not grant audio.

• Confirm the physical mute switch, keyboard mic key, and in-app mute are off.
• In the call app, choose the same input and output you tested in Windows Sound settings.
• If only one app fails, check that app’s permission to use the microphone. The driver is already working if other apps record cleanly.
• Run Windows Troubleshoot for playing audio or recording audio if the adapter still errors after rediscovery.
• If every reinstall ends with a code in Device Manager, or the device never returns, treat it as hardware, firmware, or an unsupported adapter rather than a missing driver file.

macOS and Linux

On macOS, built-in speakers and the built-in microphone do not have a user-removable driver in the Windows sense. Open System Settings, then Sound, and select the correct input and output. For a stuck audio service, an administrator can restart Core Audio in Terminal, then test again in Sound settings:

sudo killall coreaudiod

That command restarts the system audio process. It does not reinstall a vendor driver. USB and Thunderbolt interfaces still need their maker’s macOS software if the generic path does not expose the device. Apple Silicon Macs do not use the older Intel SMC reset as an audio-driver stand-in.

On Linux, audio usually runs through the kernel driver plus a user session (PipeWire or PulseAudio). Reloading the relevant kernel module or restarting the user audio service is the analogue of a Windows reinstall. Exact package and module names depend on the distribution and the chipset; do not assume a generic command will match your machine. After a reload, confirm the device appears in the sound settings, that a playback test is audible, and that the input meter moves when you speak, then verify the same devices inside the call app.