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My line in option disappeared when I plug into my laptop since Realtek installed an update back in Feb., 2023 and now the line in option vanished from the sound tab.

Anonymous
2023-05-17T20:01:01+00:00

My line in, along with the headphones option, strangely disappeared when I plug in my stereo amp or headphones into the mic jack on my laptop. I use the amp in order to convert my albums, using Golden Records Vinyl, to digital. Realtek installed an update back in Feb., 2023 and now I can't get the line in option at all on the computer. I did a lot of converting of vinyl before that and haven't done any converting since before February, until now. I installed the high definition audio driver and got the headphones to show on the sound tab and they work, but still, the line in fails to show as an option as it did before. What did they do or I do to delete that option?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-06-08T14:45:01+00:00

    Cristiano Rocha1

    I have a similar problem on a new W11 computer (XPS 8950) in that "line-in" never showed up in my Sound/Playback tab and I just installed the latest driver and still the same issue. My W10 computer shows the line-in feature but not W11. Any ideas? Thank you.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-05-18T14:09:35+00:00

    Thanks again! But it won't let me roll back the driver, the roll back box isn't highlighted, therefore I can't click on it. This is weird, I know.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-05-17T23:14:25+00:00

    If the line in option still doesn't appear, it's possible that the Realtek update has caused a conflict or removed the option entirely. In this case, you can try rolling back the Realtek driver to the previous version. To do this:

    * Open the Device Manager by right-clicking on the Start button and selecting "Device Manager" from the menu.

    * Locate the "Sound, video and game controllers" section and expand it.

    * Right-click on the Realtek audio device and select "Properties."

    * In the Properties window, go to the "Driver" tab and click on the "Roll Back Driver" button. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-05-17T23:09:47+00:00

    Thanks for the info; I did install the latest driver upgrade which was the high definition audio driver. As far as right click on the sound icon on the taskbar, I've done that several times and found no playback tab or a recording tab. All I get is sound settings to click onto and from there it goes to a window that says "System>Sound" with input and output headings with limited devices and then more headings below that but nothing about "Line In." If it is being hid I can't for the life me no where.

    Again thanks!

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-05-17T22:45:32+00:00

    Hello! My name is Cristiano. I'm an Independent Advisor. I'm glad to help you.

    Let's try a few steps. Firstly, make sure you have the latest version of the Realtek audio driver installed. You can visit Realtek's website or your laptop manufacturer's support page to download and install the most up-to-date driver.

    There are more steps you can try:

    1. Right-click on the speaker icon in your taskbar and select "Sounds" from the context menu.
    2. In the "Playback" tab, check if the line in option is disabled or hidden. If it's disabled, right-click and select "Enable." If it's hidden, right-click in the empty space and make sure both "Show Disabled Devices" and "Show Disconnected Devices" are ticked.
    3. Now, navigate to the "Recording" tab and repeat the same steps to ensure the line in option is enabled and shown.

    Good luck!

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