I can't hear sound on my laptop without headphones plugged in

Question

I can hear sound on my laptop with headphones, but not without. So either listening to iPlayer for example or talking on Facebook Messenger, I can't hear anything without plugging in headphones. really annoying.

Answer 1

Dear Hilary Ougham, 

Thank you for your question and for sharing the details into Microsoft Q&A Forum. 

I understand how inconvenient it is when audio only works through headphones but not through your laptop speakers, especially during streaming or calls. At this point, I recommend that you review and try the steps provided in the Independent Advisor’s answer on your thread. That reply typically include the most relevant checks for this scenario. To help narrow down the cause and guide the right fix, could you please share a bit more information? 

• Which Windows version are you using (Windows 10 or Windows 11)? 
• When you unplug the headphones, what do you see selected under Settings > System > Sound > Output (e.g., Speakers, Headphones, Bluetooth, HDMI/Monitor)? 
• Does this happen with all audio, or only in certain apps? 
• If you go to Settings > System > Sound > Speakers > Test, do you hear the test sound without headphones? 

In the meantime, here are a few basic steps you can try: 

1. Confirm the correct audio output is selected  

• Unplug your headphones. 
• Click the speaker icon on the taskbar (bottom-right). 
• Select the audio output device (sometimes shown as a small arrow or device name). 
• Choose Speakers (Realtek/Intel/AMD) as the output device (not Headphones/Bluetooth/HDMI). 

2. Set Speakers as the default output device 

• Go to Settings > System > Sound. 
• Under Output, select Speakers > Set default (if available). 
• Then open More sound settings (or Sound Control Panel), go to the Playback tab > Speakers > Set Default 

3. Run the Playing Audio troubleshooter 

• Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. 
• Run Playing Audio. 

4. Restart Windows Audio services 

• Press Win + R, type services.msc, then press Enter. 
• Find Windows Audio > right-click > Restart. 
• Find Windows Audio Endpoint Builder > right-click > Restart. 
• After restarting services, test audio again without headphones. 

5. Check or refresh the audio driver 

• Right-click Start > Device Manager. 
• Expand Sound, video and game controllers. 
• Right-click your audio device (e.g., Realtek/Intel) > Update driver. 
• If the issue started recently after an update, try: Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver (if available), then reboot 
• Alternatively, you can Uninstall device (do not worry, Windows will reinstall on reboot) 
• Restart the laptop and retest speakers 

While my initial response may not fully resolve the issue, I truly appreciate your cooperation as we work together toward identifying the most effective solution. Thank you so much for your understanding. 

I hope the steps above help restore sound through your laptop speaker so you won’t need to keep headphones plugged in. Wishing you a smooth experience getting your audio output back to normal for streaming and calls on your Windows device. 

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Answer 2

Hello Hilary,

Thank you for reaching out. I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the sound on your laptop.

I just need to ask a couple of quick questions so I can understand the issue better. When you unplug the headphones, does the sound icon show that audio is playing but you still can’t hear anything? Also, when you check the sound settings in the bottom right and look at the output device with the headphones unplugged, does it show Speakers or something else?

I look forward to your reply.

Thanks,