Spatial sound stopped working

It looks like the above solution is a different problem from the one you are experiencing.

First, make sure the video source you are using is a video source for spatial sound. You can try changing the driver to see if this solves the problem:

1. Press "win + R" at the same time, enter "devmgmt.msc" in the text box that appears, and then click "OK". You will open the Device Manager.
2. Find the target device, right-click it and select "Properties".
3. Select "Drivers" in the new window, find "Update Driver" and click it.
4. Click "Look for a driver on my computer", then click "Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer"
5. Select the driver that does not have "Realtek" in its name and install it.
6. Restart your computer and see if the problem is solved.

If the problem persists. There are some newer Realtek high-quality audio drivers that are not compatible with spatial sound. You can try downloading an older version of the Realtek high-quality audio driver. You can visit your laptop manufacturer to download an older version of this driver, which should be on the official website's support page.

Best Regards,

Raylan-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

In addition to spatial audio not working outside of games, what other problems did you encounter? What problems did trying to change the driver solve? I hope you can be more specific about your current situation.

In addition to the driver, this may also be caused by incompatibility of the playback software you are using. If you are playing local videos, try some more professional third-party video players as an alternative. If you are playing online videos, try using another browser (such as Chrome) instead. See if the replacement software helps the current situation.

Best Regards,

Raylan-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

It still didn't work, but I spotted a weird interaction when I tried to reinstall or modify ANY sound drivers, the problem will disappear(still doesn't work for anything else but games), but as soon as I change the sound volume, it's broken again.

It still didn't work after trying all the solutions listed.

Hi TriFCA.

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

Your spatial sound has stopped working recently. Based on your description, I think your problem is that the spatial sound can be turned on but has no effect, not that it cannot be turned on. If my understanding is wrong, please correct me in the reply.

Note that because your spatial sound effect can be turned on in the game, please make sure whether the video you are playing supports spatial sound effect. If the video you are playing does not support spatial sound effect, then it is normal that there is no effect. If you are sure that the video supports spatial sound effect, you can try the following methods:

First, make sure that the mono function is not turned on, which will destroy the spatial sound effect:

1. Press "Win + i" to open the settings.
2. Select "Accessibility", scroll down on the home page and select "Audio".
3. Turn off the "Mono Audio" option.

If it still doesn't work, try adjusting the audio device settings:

1. Right-click the sound icon on the taskbar and select "Sound Settings"
2. Move to the bottom and click "More Sound Settings"
3. Select the available spatial sound effects in the Spatial Sound Effects tab
4. Go to the "Advanced" tab, set the default format to "24-bit 192000Hz", check "Run the application to control this device exclusively" and "Give priority to exclusive mode applications"

Now check if the spatial sound effect works.

If it still doesn't work, it may be that the loaded service is affecting the spatial sound effect. You can try a clean boot as follows to eliminate the interference of services/startup items:

(Disclaimer: A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background service is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem. These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by step so that it will help you get back on track.)

1. Press Win+R, then type "msconfig" and click "OK".
2. Click "Services" above, and then check the "Hide all Microsoft services" checkbox below. Be sure to check this checkbox, otherwise disabling some Microsoft services may cause serious problems.
3. Use "Disable all" to disable all "services" and click "OK".
4. Click "Start" above, and then click "Open Task Manager".
5. Disable each startup item. Try to remember the startup items you disabled. You can take a photo to save the information.
6. Go back to "Configuration Information" and click "OK" or "Apply".
7. Shut down the computer and restart it. See if the problem still exists.

Best Regards,

Raylan-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist