How to restart audio drivers

What this fix does

Restarting audio drivers reloads the software that lets your computer talk to speakers, headphones, and microphones. Use this when a device that previously worked has gone silent, a video-call app cannot find the mic or speakers, or sound drops after sleep, an update, or plugging in a headset.

On a typical home computer there is no single button labelled restart audio drivers. You disable and re-enable the audio device, restart the operating system’s audio service, or restart the computer so those same drivers load again. The path depends on whether you use Windows or a Mac, and on whether playback, recording, or both have failed. Browser microphone permission, virtual call backgrounds, and edited photo backgrounds are separate settings; change those in the app or editor if you still need them after sound returns.

What to have in place first

Decide whether the problem is playback (speakers or headphones), recording (microphone), or both. That choice tells you which device to reset and which success check to use. An audio driver is the software that translates between the operating system and the hardware. An audio service is the background process that keeps those drivers running.

• Connect the headset, speakers, or USB microphone and power it on if it has its own switch or charging cable.
• Close video-call, recording, and music apps so they release the device and can see it again after the reload.
• On Windows, use an administrator account if Device Manager or Services asks for permission.
• Keep a second way to hear the computer if you can, such as built-in speakers while you reset a headset, so you can confirm playback.

Windows: disable and re-enable the audio device

This is the usual first step. It unloads the driver for that device and loads it again without restarting the whole PC.

• Close video-call, recording, and music apps.
• Right-click the Start button and open Device Manager.
• Expand Sound, video and game controllers. On recent Windows versions, also open Audio inputs and outputs.
• Right-click the speakers, headset, or microphone that failed and choose Disable device. Confirm if Windows asks.
• When the device shows as disabled, right-click it again and choose Enable device.
• Open Settings, then System, then Sound, and confirm the device appears in the output list, the input list, or both.
• For a microphone, select it and speak; watch the input meter. For speakers or headphones, play a test sound and listen.

Windows: restart the audio service

If the device is enabled and still silent, restart the Windows Audio service. That service is the background process that runs the audio stack for every playback and recording device.

• Press the Windows key, type services, and open the Services app.
• Find Windows Audio in the list.
• Right-click it and choose Restart. If Restart is greyed out, choose Start.
• If playback or recording devices are still missing, restart Windows Audio Endpoint Builder the same way, then restart Windows Audio again.
• Return to Settings, System, Sound and repeat the meter or test-sound check.

Mac: reload Core Audio

macOS handles sound through Core Audio, the system audio service. Reloading it is the Mac equivalent of restarting audio drivers. Menu names can vary slightly by macOS version.

• Close video-call and recording apps.
• Open System Settings, then Sound, and note which output and input devices are selected.
• Open Terminal.
• Enter the command below, press Return, and type your password if asked. The Mac stops Core Audio and starts it again straight away.
• Return to Sound settings and select your speakers or microphone if the selection changed.
• Speak to confirm the input meter moves, or play a system sound to confirm playback.

sudo killall coreaudiod

Restart the computer or reseat a USB device

A full restart reloads every audio driver and service at once. Use it when disable/enable or the audio service did not stick, or after an update. For a USB headset or USB microphone, unplug it, wait a few seconds, and plug it back into the same port. That can reload the device’s driver on its own. Then open Sound settings again and repeat the checks below.

How you know it worked

A driver restart is successful when the operating system lists the device again and you can see or hear a live signal. That is separate from whether a browser has permission to use the mic, and separate from whether someone on a call can understand you. No specific input-level target or decibel figure is required for this fix; a moving input meter while you speak is the check for microphone activity.

Check	What it shows
The device appears in Sound settings and is enabled in Device Manager or Mac Sound settings	The system has detected the hardware again
The input meter moves when you speak	The microphone is sending a signal (input activity)
You hear a test tone or a system sound	Playback is reaching the speakers or headphones
A call app lists the same device	The app can see the device; intelligible sound on a live call still depends on app permission, the network, and the other person’s setup

If the device is still silent

• Confirm the correct input and output are selected in system Sound settings and again inside the call app. Apps can keep their own device choice after a driver reload.
• Allow microphone access in the operating system privacy settings, then in the browser or call app if a permission prompt appears. Permission is a separate step from driver status.
• Check physical mute switches, headset inline mute, and the on-screen volume and mic mute controls.
• Try a different cable or port, or the computer’s built-in mic and speakers, to see whether the fault follows the accessory.
• Update or reinstall the device’s driver from Device Manager only if the device shows a warning icon or remains missing after a restart. Use the hardware maker’s instructions for that model.

Restarting drivers restores the software path to the hardware. It leaves camera access, video picture quality, virtual backgrounds, and network call quality unchanged. If the meter stays still after a restart and a known-good built-in microphone also stays still, the next action is an operating-system sound troubleshooting pass or the device maker’s support path for that headset or interface.