how do I get sound?

Question

How come the speakers on my HP desktop won't make any sound?

Answer 1

1

Right click your Start Button and open Device Manager.

Expand the 'Sound, Video and Game Controllers' section.

Please provide a screenshot of that full Device Manager window.

2

Click your Start Button, then just type msinfo and press Enter, please provide a screenshot of the resulting System Information window.

Answer 2

Try these checks in order on the HP desktop running Windows 11:

1. Confirm Windows is using the right speakers
   1. Select the Speakers icon on the taskbar (use Show hidden icons if it’s not visible).
   2. Select the arrow next to the volume slider to open the list of audio devices.
   3. Choose the device that matches the HP desktop’s speakers (for example, “Speakers (Realtek(R) Audio)”).
2. Check physical connections and volume
   1. Make sure the speakers’ power is on.
   2. Verify all audio cables are firmly plugged in and in the correct jack (typically the green output jack on the PC; pink is usually microphone input).
   3. If the speakers are USB, try a different USB port.
   4. Unplug any headphones and test again.
   5. Turn up the volume on both the speakers and in Windows.
3. Make sure nothing is muted or disabled
   1. Right‑click the Speakers icon on the taskbar and select Open Volume mixer.
   2. Ensure none of the sliders show a red muted icon; if they do, select them to unmute.
   3. Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
   4. Under Output, select the HP speakers, then Device properties.
   5. Make sure the Disable checkbox is not selected.
4. Set the correct default device (if using HDMI/USB/monitor audio)
   1. In the taskbar search box, type control panel and open it.
   2. Select Hardware and Sound > Sound.
   3. On the Playback tab, right‑click the HP speakers and select Set as Default Device, then OK.
5. Update or reinstall the audio driver
   1. In the taskbar search box, type device manager and open it.
   2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   3. Right‑click the HP audio device (for example, Realtek) and select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers and follow the prompts.
   4. If sound still does not work, in Device Manager right‑click the same device, select Uninstall device, check Attempt to remove the driver for this device, then Uninstall.
   5. Restart the PC; Windows will reinstall the audio driver automatically.
   6. If needed, repeat and then choose Update driver > Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer to use the generic Windows audio driver.

If after these steps there is still no sound, run the built‑in Playing Audio troubleshooter from Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and follow its recommendations.

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References:

• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows
• cannot increase volume even if trouble shooter updates it - Microsoft Q&A
• How to fix this. no audio device is installed - Microsoft Q&A