message saying: no audio device is installed ... when I select audio icon in the task bar

Question

I have an ASUS Zenbook laptop and require help to reinstall the sound driver. Everything else appears to be working fine other than I have no sound. It is important that I fix this problem now as I have important meetings today that require sound. Thank you for your kind cooperation and understanding. Brad

Answer 1

Hi Brad Milne,

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum. I understand you’re seeing a “No audio device is installed” message on your ASUS Zenbook, and sound is not available when selecting the audio icon on the taskbar.

Please make sure you already tried the Q&A Assist steps. In addition, please try the following.

Before we proceed, I need to narrow this down slightly to better target the cause:

1, Which Windows version are you currently using, Windows 10 or Windows 11?

2, In Device Manager, do you see any Unknown device or Other devices section with a warning icon?

In the meantime, you can try these steps:

1, Check Windows Audio services

• Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter
• Make sure Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder are both set to Running and Startup type is Automatic

2, Show hidden devices in Device Manager

• Open Device Manager
• Click View and select Show hidden devices
• Expand Sound, video and game controllers and also check System devices for any audio-related entries

3, Check BIOS audio settings

• Fully shut down the device
• Power it on and repeatedly press F2 to enter BIOS
• Look for Onboard Audio or Audio Controller and make sure it is Enabled
• Save changes and exit

4, Install optional Windows updates

• Open Settings
• Go to Windows Update
• Select Advanced options
• Open Optional updates and install any driver-related updates

5, Reset audio device configuration

• Open Settings
• Go to System then Sound
• Scroll down and select Volume mixer
• Use Reset under Reset sound devices and volumes for all apps

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Answer 2

Hello,

Try the following steps:

1. Shut down the PC while holding the Shift key, then turn the PC back on and check whether the issue is resolved.
2. Download and install the latest audio driver from your PC manufacturer’s website.
3. Right‑click the volume icon on the taskbar and run the sound troubleshooter.
4. Try performing a System Restore.

For the System Restore procedure, refer to the section “Apply a restore point from the Windows Recovery Environment (RE)” in the support article below.

System Restore

Answer 3

Follow these steps in order on the ASUS Zenbook to restore the audio device.

1. Check that audio isn’t muted or disabled

• Right-click the Speakers icon on the taskbar and select Open Volume mixer.
• Make sure none of the volume sliders are muted (no red circle with a line through it).
• Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
• Under both Output and Input, select the device and choose Device properties.
• Ensure the Disable checkbox is cleared for both output and input devices.

2. Set the correct default audio device

• In the search box on the taskbar, type control panel and open it.
• Select Hardware and Sound > Sound.
• On the Playback tab, right-click the correct speakers/headphones and select Set as Default Device, then select OK.

3. Reinstall or update the audio driver (most likely fix for “No audio device is installed”)

A. Update the driver automatically

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager and open it.
2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
3. Right-click the sound card or audio device (for example, Realtek, High Definition Audio Device, or ASUS audio), then select Update driver.
4. Select Search automatically for drivers (Windows 11) or Search automatically for updated driver software (Windows 10) and follow the prompts.

If Windows reports the best driver is already installed or finds nothing new, continue.

B. Uninstall and let Windows reinstall the driver

1. In Device Manager, under Sound, video and game controllers, right-click the audio device.
2. Select Uninstall device.
3. Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device (Windows 11) or Delete the driver software for this device (Windows 10), then select Uninstall.
4. Restart the PC (save all work first). On restart, Windows will automatically reinstall the audio driver.

C. Use the generic Windows audio driver (if vendor driver is faulty)

1. Open Device Manager again.
2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
3. Right-click the audio device and select Update driver.
4. Select Browse my computer for drivers.
5. Select Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
6. Choose High Definition Audio Device, then select Next and complete the installation.
7. If still no device: install ASUS driver or roll back

• If no audio device appears at all under Sound, video and game controllers, install the latest audio driver from the ASUS support page for the exact Zenbook model.
• If the problem started after a recent Windows or driver update and audio worked before:
  1. In Device Manager, right-click the audio device and select Properties.
  2. On the Driver tab, select Roll Back Driver and follow the instructions.
  3. If rollback is not available or doesn’t help, consider restoring from a system restore point created before the issue, using the guidance in Recovery options in Windows.

5. Run the built-in audio troubleshooter

• Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
• Run Playing Audio and apply any fixes it suggests.

If after these steps Device Manager still shows no audio device at all, the issue may be hardware-related and would require ASUS support or a repair technician.

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References:

• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows
• USB audio device not playing
• How to fix this. no audio device is installed - Microsoft Q&A
• My audio inputs and outputs suddenly disappeared, how do i fix this? - Microsoft Q&A