How to Fix “No Audio Output Device Is Installed” in Windows 10

Annoying when you’re trying to listen to music

Do you see a volume icon with a red x-shaped symbol on the system tray in Windows 10? If you place your cursor over it, you should also see a “No Audio Output Device is installed” error notification.

That typically happens when your computer fails to detect an audio device due to corrupt, outdated, or incompatible audio drivers. To make things worse, you will experience no sound at all until you resolve the issue.

If restarting your computer doesn’t do anything, then the troubleshooting tips that follow should help you fix “No Audio Output Device is installed” in Windows 10.

Run Audio Troubleshooter

Windows 10 comes with a built-in audio troubleshooter that can automatically detect andfix audio-related issues on your computer. It’s best to run that first before you dive into the rest of the fixes.

  1. Open theStartmenu and selectSettings.

  2. SelectUpdate & Security.

  3. Switch to theTroubleshootside-tab.

  4. SelectAdditional troubleshooters.

  5. SelectPlaying Audio. Then, select theRun the troubleshooterbutton.

Follow the onscreen instructions to fix problems with the audio device on your computer. If the troubleshooter asks you to pick between multiple audio devices, run it repeatedly for each one of them.

Disconnect and Reconnect External Audio Output Device

Do you have an external audio output device (such as a headphone) connected to your computer physically? Try removing it. Then, restart your computer and reconnect it. If that did not help, continue on with the rest of the fixes.

Uninstall and Reinstall Audio Device

Uninstalling and reinstalling the audio device/sound card on your computer is a potent fix that can help resolve the “No Audio Output Device is installed” error. The Device Manager applet in Windows 10 should help you with that.

  1. Right-click theStartbutton and selectDevice Manager.

  2. Expand theSound, video and game controllerssection.

  3. Right-click your computer’s audio device and selectUninstall Device.

  4. Check the box next toDelete the driver software for this device(if available) and selectOKto uninstall the device.

  5. Expand theAudio inputs and outputssection and repeat steps3–4.

  6. Restart your computer. That should prompt your computer to reinstall the audio device.

  7. Re-open the Device Manager. You should see the reinstalled audio device listed underneath theSound, video and game controllersandAudio inputs and outputssections. If not, right-click a vacant area and selectScan for hardware changes.

If reinstalling the audio device fixed the issue, you should see a fully functional volume icon on the system tray.

Update Audio Drivers

Try updating the audio drivers on your computer. Head over to the device manufacturer’s website, specify the correct make and model of the sound card, and download the latest drivers. Then, either install them yourself or have Windows 10 do that for you via the Device Manager. If you prefer the second method, go through the following steps.

  1. Right-click theStartmenu and selectDevice Manager.

  2. Expand theSound, video and game controllerssection.

  3. Right-click the audio driver and selectUpdate driver.

  4. SelectBrowse my computer for drivers.

  5. Use theBrowsebutton to locate the folder containing the downloaded drivers.

  6. SelectNextand follow the remaining prompts to install the new audio drivers.

Alternatively, you can use a driver updater utility to download and install the correct audio drivers for your computer automatically.

Update Windows 10

Sometimes, updating Windows 10 can break the audio device drivers on your computer. The best way to resolve that is to install any subsequent incremental updates.

Back in 2018, for example, the “No Audio Output Device is installed” error showed up on computers with Intel-based audio chipsets due to a faulty driver pushed out by Windows Update.Microsoft quickly fixed thatwith another minor update.

  1. Open theStartmenu and selectSettings.

  2. SelectUpdate & Security.

  3. SelectCheck for updates.

  4. SelectDownload & installto update Windows 10.

  5. SelectView optional updates(if visible on the same screen). Then, check the boxes next to any audio device-related updates and selectDownload and install.

Install Audio Device as Legacy Hardware

If you don’t see your audio device driver listed within the Device Manager, you can try setting it up as a legacy device. You can also do that if the “No Audio Output Device is installed” error still keeps showing up despite going through the fixes above.

  1. Right-click theStartbutton and selectDevice Manager.

  2. Select any item within theDevice Manager. Then, open theActionmenu and selectAdd legacy hardware.

  3. SelectNexton the Welcome to the Add Hardware Wizard screen.

  4. Pick theInstall the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced)option and selectNext.

  5. PickSound, video and game controllersas the hardware type and selectNext.

  6. Select the audio manufacturer from the list to the left of the screen. Then, select the model from the right side. If you have a disk that contains the drivers for the audio device, selectHave Diskand specify the disk’s location. SelectNextto continue.

  7. SelectNextagain to install the audio device.

  8. SelectFinishto complete the installation process.

  9. Restart your computer.

Did that help? If not, let’s check out what you can do next.

Reset Windows 10

If none of the fixes above helped, try resetting Windows 10 to its factory defaults. You may be dealing with a deep underlying audio-related issue that nothing but a fresh set of Windows settings can fix. You can choose to keep your data intact, but it’s best to create a backup of the computer before you go ahead.

  1. Open theStartmenu and selectSettings.

  2. SelectUpdate & Security.

  3. Switch to theRecoverytab. Under the Reset this PC section, select theGet startedbutton to initiate the reset procedure.

If resetting Windows 10 did not help fix the “No Audio Output Device is installed” error, you’re likely looking at a device-specific issue. Reach out to the audio device manufacturer for additional help.

Dilum Senevirathne is a freelance tech writer and blogger with three years of experience writing for online technology publications. He specializes in topics related to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Google web apps. When he isn’t hammering away at his Magic Keyboard, you can catch him binge-watching productivity hacks on YouTube.Read Dilum’s Full Bio

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