Sound is distorted on laptop when streaming videos with music

Question

For awhile I've been having issues with streaming videos that feature music. It happens on Netflix, Youtube, Disney Plus etc. The sound has this strange distorted drone, and it is present whether I use headphones or not. I tried following advice for updating drivers and such but it made the problem worse. It's really frustrating as I don't have a TV so this is my only way to stream.

Answer 1

Welcome Remi,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.  

I know how frustrating it can be with the sound is distorted on your laptop when streaming videos. 

Before proceeding, please make sure you already tried Independent Advisor steps provided earlier in the thread. In addition, please try the following. 

To narrow this down a bit: 

• Does the distortion happen only in web browsers, or also in other apps like Movies & TV or Media Player? 
• Are you using built‑in laptop speakers or an external audio device when the issue occurs? 

In the meantime, you can try these steps: 

Option 1: Check audio enhancements 

• Go to Settings > System > Sound > Select your output device > open Advanced sound options > turn off audio enhancements and test again  

Option 2: Verify audio format settings 

• Go to Settings > System > Sound > select the active output device > open Additional device properties  
• Under Advanced, set the default format to 16 bit, 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz 

Option 3: Update the audio driver 

• Open Device Manager by searching on Start menu > expand Sound, video and game controllers > right‑click the audio device and select Update driver > choose Search automatically for drivers 

Option 4: Roll back the audio driver if the issue started recently 

• Open Device Manager by searching on Start menu > expand Sound, video and game controllers > Find your audio device > right-click your main audio device > Properties > Driver tab> click Roll Back Driver if available 

Option 5: Test with hardware acceleration disabled in the browser 

• Click three-dot at the top-right > select Settings > System and performance > System > turn off "Use graphic acceleration when available"
• Restart the browser and test playback  

I really hope that the information I gave above was helpful to you. Please feel free to reply below and let me know if you have further concern on this matter.    

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Answer 2

Hi! Let me help you with this issue.

Please follow the steps below to resolve this issue.

Please hover your mouse over the sound icon at the lower right-hand corner, then right-click it and click Troubleshoot Sound. Let the troubleshooter finish its task, then this should either resolve the problem or display an error message.

If that doesn't work, we need to remove the Audio driver from the Device Manager and restart the PC to reinstall it.

Here are the steps to completely remove a Device from your computer.

Step 1. Use shortcut keys Windows key + X.

Step 2. Select Device Manager.

Step 3. Expand the entry Sound, Video, and Game Controllers. Right-click the problematic device, which is either Realtek Audio, or AMD High-definition Audio, or High-Definition Audio, depending on the audio device installed in your PC, and select Uninstall device.

Step 4. You need to check the option Delete the driver software for this device and then click the Uninstall button.

Step 5. Reboot the computer.

After the reboot, please see if the problem is fixed.

If that still does not work, please visit the support website of your laptop or desktop and then download and install the latest Audio driver, then restart the PC.