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USB-C wired earphone is not detected on my Windows 11 Laptop but works with a wired earphone that's using a 3.5 mm headphone jack

Anonymous
2023-07-25T12:12:21+00:00

2 days ago i used my usc-c wired earphones to talk and hear audio. Howver today when I want to use it, it's not detected.I already:

  • Restart my laptop
  • Checked Windows update (Up to date).
  • Checked audio inputs & outputs in device management, all audio drivers say the best driver is already installed.
  • Checked sound, video and game controllers in device management, same message as above.
  • Unplugging and replugging the cable
  • Flipping the cable upside down (It's USB-C so it can be plugged in), Can't read it either.
  • Plugging the USB-C earphone into my phone, It works.

Surprisingly, using my other wired earphones, this time it's using a 3.5 mm headphone jack with a white ring, it works. Windows detected it and audio came out, microphone still using the built-in one but I still prefer the USB-C one.

Laptop used: Lenovo Yoga 7 14ITL5

Operating System: Windows 11 22H2 (OS Build 22621.1992)

Phone used: Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

Operating System: Android 12 & One UI 4.1

UPDATE:

it somehow works now I don't know why

I just opened the command prompt and run 3 - 4 commands on it, the commands are:

  • sfc /scannow
  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /restorehealth
  • sfc /scannow (again)

I just found it on a yt tutorial and I think the 3rd command found the integrity violation and then I run the 4th command. it sometimes gets stuck or very slow thankfully I was able to fix it by pressing ctrl + c 2-3x and then running it again.

BTW when I opened the settings > sound > more sound settings. it actually registers the USB-C earphone as a new headset instead of the headphones in my previous reply. Thank you for the help :)

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

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  1. JosephT71 9,210 Reputation points
    2023-07-27T16:38:01+00:00

    USB-C audio depends on whether it has a DAC inside.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly-bSBHOSIo

    Headset has mic.

    Headphones don't have mic.

    When you plug in a single 3.5mm audio jack headset into a single 3.5mm combo audio jack, the computer will ask you "which device did you plug in?". Select "headset" and that's it. If not prompted, then you have to go to realtek audio console or whatever audio configuration app your laptop comes with and select "headset".

    Lightly tap your headset mic, if ANY mic meter jumps, then your headset mic works.

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-07-26T08:18:41+00:00

    Dear Vincent Christopher

    Welcome to Microsoft Community.

    I understand that your usb-c headset is not currently recognised by your computer. The headset works fine on your mobile phone and the other day you were able to use the headset on your computer just as fine.

    I can understand that the problem is causing you trouble, and I will do my best to provide you with advice and assistance. However, as the cause of the problem is complex, we may not be able to solve the problem with one attempt. If the current reply fails to resolve your issue, you can share the latest progress with me.Through your sharing, we can further identify the problem so that we can take further options.

    Do you see the headset in the device manager? It might appear under Universal Serial Bus Controllers or Sound, Video and Game Controllers.

    If you can see the headset in the device manager, but can not use it. Can you see the headset in Settings-System-Sound? Open Settings - System - Sound - More Sound Settings and see if the headset is disabled.

    If you can't see the headset in the Device Manager, it means that the headset is not detected by the computer. Usually there are two possibilities, the headset is not connected to the computer or there is no corresponding driver to recognise it. However, the fact that you were able to use the headset normally two days ago means that there should be a driver in the system that can recognise the headset.

    • What actions have you performed on your computer in the last two days? For example, installing certain apps, performing Windows Updates? If you have recently installed a Windows update, uninstall it in Settings-Windows Update-Update History.
    • Uninstall the update driver. Find the sound card driver in Device Manager, right-click and select Uninstall. Restart your computer to see how the problem is.
    • Uninstall all devices in Device Manager - Universal Serial Bus Controller, switch off the computer and remove the power from the laptop. Turn it back on after thirty seconds. See how the problem looks like.
    • If the above methods still cannot fix your problem. It could be a corrupted system file that prevents usb-c from being recognised, or it could be a corrupted hardware related to usb-c. You can try to override the system installation first. If the problem persists after overriding the system installation, then we recommend that you take your laptop to a repair shop for testing. You may in-place upgrade the system by the steps below.

    Please rest assured that the in-place upgrade the system will theoretically not affect your data and applications (you need to choose to keep files and applications in the next steps), just update all the system files are the latest.

    If you have important data, you may make additional backups to prevent accidental loss of your data. Also make sure there is enough free space in the system partition, at least 40GB.

    Download Windows 11 ISO file

    Visit Download Windows 11 (microsoft.com) and click "Download Now" under “Create Windows 11 Installation Media” to download MCT (Media Creation Tool).

    Then run the program, select "Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD or ISO file) for another PC”, and then choose Language, Version, Architecture(if you are not sure about these, choose "Use the recommended options for this PC"), then select "ISO file" in the "Select Media to Use" interface, and then a windows ISO file will be downloaded to your disk (about 4-5GB in size, it is recommended that you choose a non-system disk).

    In-place upgrade the system

    After the download is completed, double-click the ISO file, double-click to run "setup.exe" in the open file explorer, and select "Change how Windows Installer downloads updates" > "Download updates, drivers and optional features", Select "Keep personal files and apps" after accepting the terms of the agreement, then click "Next" > "Install". Then the system will reboot a few times, and then enter the welcome screen.

    Hope it helps! If any update, welcome to share with us.

    Thanks for your patience and understanding!

    Best Regards,

    LucyW-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-07-29T01:55:22+00:00

    Hi Vincent Christopher

    Sorry I'm a little late with my reply.

    “Hello, after reading the reply I want to perform the Uninstall update driver step but after checking the sound, video, & game controllers section there are a lot of them and I don't know which one to uninstall, and afraid I will make things worst. I also fear the same thing on uninstalling all devices in the device manager universal serial bus. will it reinstall itself?”

    Usually, the basic driver will be automatically installed after reboot. Only two types of drivers can not be automatically installed: 1, notebook-specific drivers, such as camera drivers, etc., this kind of driver you can find in the computer's official website to download the corresponding driver connection. 2, some graphics cards, sound cards can use Windows self-installed drivers, but also can use their official website to provide the driver. If you use the driver provided by the official website, you need to reappear the download on the official website of the graphics card and sound card after uninstalling.

    You can open Device Manager, plug in the headset, and check whether there are new devices in "Sound" and "Universal Serial Bus Controller". If there is no new device, it means that your headset is not connected to the computer.

    In "Sound", find Realtek (R) Audio, right click to uninstall it and restart.

    “I have 191 GB available storage space. is the non-system disk the data (D:) drive? and will it keep my Windows activation key or not? because mine activated using a digital one”

    40G of storage space usually refers to the system disc C drive. However, this condition is usually not very precise, so you can try to override the installation first, and then clean up the disc space when it fails.

    Overwrite installation is the replacement of system files on top of the original system, and it will not affect your Windows activation status.

    “and yeah the earphones still don't work but I did found the Headphones Realtek (R) Audio option on Settings > Sound > more sound options. it says not plugged in even though the earphone is connected rn. Also, it's not disabled”

    The fact that you are showing unconnected here means that the headset is not connected to the computer.

    Let's summarise the current situation:

    You see in "More Sound Options" that the headset is not connected. If you look in the Device Manager, you see that the headset device does not appear when you plug it in. These two phenomena can be a good indication that your computer is not recognising the headset.

    There are two possibilities for your computer not recognising the headset: the lack of the underlying driver, or a hardware-level problem that prevents the computer from recognising the headset. So you can first try the above steps to override the installation, or if it does not work. We suspect that there is a problem at the hardware level, such as dust accumulation, poor wiring connections, or even hardware damage. We recommend that you visit an offline shop for testing.

    If my description does not match your reality or if you have questions please let me know in a reply.

    Best Regards,

    LucyW-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-07-28T10:33:08+00:00

    do you mean the 3.5 mm earphone? it doesn't have a mic. the USB-C one tho doesn't get recognised at all and that one has microphone

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-07-27T15:11:20+00:00

    Hello, after reading the reply I want to perform the Uninstall update driver step but after checking the sound, video, & game controllers section there are a lot of them and I don't know which one to uninstall, and afraid I will make things worst. I also fear the same thing on uninstalling all devices in the device manager universal serial bus. will it reinstall itself?

    I have 191 GB available storage space. is the non-system disk the data (D:) drive? and will it keep my Windows activation key or not? because mine activated using a digital one

    and yeah the earphones still don't work but I did found the Headphones Realtek (R) Audio option on Settings > Sound > more sound options. it says not plugged in even though the earphone is connected rn. Also, it's not disabled

    also on that day I just open ms edge, WhatsApp, & telegram while playing Roblox like usual. I did install a game made by my friend at that time (a Unity game uploaded on itch.io I think) and after trying it I uninstall it using the remove program thing on settings idk if it has anything with my earphones as the speakers work just fine

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