my audio is not working, cracking sound is coming

Question

hi

my audio is not working, cracking sound is coming

Answer 1

Hi Rohan Verma,

Thank you for reaching out regarding the crackling sound issue you’re experiencing on your Windows device.

Distorted or crackling audio in Windows may occur when certain sound settings, unsupported audio formats, audio enhancements, or audio drivers are not working optimally with the current system configuration. This can affect sound playback across speakers or headphones.

In addition to the suggestions from Q&A Assist, you may consider trying these extra checking steps:

1, Turn Off Audio Enhancements

• Press Windows + R, type mmsys.cpl
• Under Playback, select your active audio device > Properties.
• Go to Enhancements tab and check Disable all enhancements.
• Click Apply

2, Change Default Audio Format

• In the same device properties, go to Advanced tab.
• Under Default format, select: 16 bit, 44100 Hz (CD Quality)
• Click Apply > OK

3, Restart Windows Audio Services

• Press Windows + R, type services.msc
• Restart the following services:
  • Windows Audio
  • Windows Audio Endpoint Builder

4, Reinstall Audio Driver

• Right-click Start > Device Manager
• Expand Sound, video and game controllers
• Right-click your audio device.
• Select Uninstall device, check Attempt to remove driver for this device
• Restart the device to allow Windows to reinstall the driver automatically.

If the issue began after a recent update, you may also consider rolling back the audio driver from the Driver tab in Device Manager (if available).

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Answer 2

Disable all audio enhancements in the audio output settings, if that does not resolve the problem, the best option is to go to the support page for your PC on the manufacturers website, then from there, download and reinstall (not update) the version of HD Audio drivers and Graphics drivers. If you have any difficulty locating that support page, click your Start Button, then just type msinfo and press Enter, please provide a screenshot of the resulting System Information window.

Answer 3

Follow these steps to fix distorted or crackling audio in Windows:

1. Turn off audio enhancements
   • Windows 11: Select Start > Settings > System > Sound.
     • Under Output, select the audio device in use.
     • Select Audio enhancements and turn them Off.
   • Windows 10: Right‑click the Volume icon on the taskbar > Sounds.
     • On the Playback tab, select the audio device > Properties.
     • Open the Enhancements tab and select Disable all enhancements > OK.
   • Test the sound.
2. Change the default audio format
   • Windows 11: Start > Settings > System > Sound.
     • Under Output, select the audio device > Advanced.
     • Under Default format, choose a different format and test audio.
   • Windows 10: Right‑click Volume icon > Sounds.
     • Playback tab > select device > Properties.
     • Advanced tab > change Default format > OK, then test.
3. Update or reinstall the audio driver
   • Select Start, search for Device Manager, and open it.
   • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   • Right‑click the audio device and select Update driver.
   • Restart the PC and test.
   • If crackling continues, right‑click the device again in Device Manager, choose Uninstall device, then restart so Windows reinstalls the driver. For best results, install the latest audio driver from the PC or device manufacturer’s support site.
4. Restart Windows audio services
   • Select Start, type services.msc, and press Enter.
   • Right‑click Windows Audio > Restart.
   • Right‑click Windows Audio Endpoint Builder > Restart.
   • Test the audio again.

If the issue started after a Windows Update and persists, also ensure all pending updates are installed and restart the device to apply them.

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References:

• Fix distorted or crackling audio in Windows
• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows