Sound will not change in settings to use the external insignia speakers or Screen speakers

Question

Sound always used to come out of the plug & play insignia speakers, all the sudden the sound changed & now comes out of the laptop itself. For a while the output was coming from the monitor I have linked to my dell computer-Windows 11. Not sure why I can get sound back on anything but the laptop only

Answer 1

Use Windows 11 sound settings to select and enable the correct output device and set it as default.

1. Check which output device is selected
   1. Select the Speakers icon on the taskbar.
   2. Select the arrow to the right of the volume slider (Select a sound output).
   3. In the list, choose the Insignia speakers or the monitor/screen speakers instead of the laptop speakers.
   4. Test audio.
2. Set the external device as default in Settings
   1. Select Start > Settings > System > Sound.
   2. Under Output, select the device to use (Insignia speakers or monitor speakers). Selecting it here also sets it as the default output device.
   3. Play sound again to confirm it now comes from the chosen device.
3. Make sure the device is not muted or disabled
   1. Right‑click the Speakers icon on the taskbar.
   2. Select the arrow next to the volume slider, then the settings icon (More mixer settings) to open Volume mixer.
   3. Ensure the chosen output device is not muted (no “x” on its volume control) and the volume is turned up.
   4. Go back to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
   5. Under Advanced, select More sound settings.
   6. On the Playback tab, select the Insignia or monitor device, choose Properties, and under Device usage make sure Use this device (enable) is selected.
4. If the monitor has no speakers If an external monitor without built‑in speakers is selected as default output, there will be no sound. In Settings > System > Sound, change Output back to the Insignia speakers or laptop speakers.

If none of these devices appear in the list, check the physical connections (USB/3.5mm/HDMI) and reconnect them, then repeat the steps above.

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References:

• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows