Audio popping sound on Windows 11

Question

I bought a new desktop PC with Windows 11 in December 2025, and about a month later, in January 2026, I started experiencing a pretty annoying issue. Whenever there is a brief audio interruption, like closing a Windows notification right as the sound starts, pausing or skipping a video, adjusting volume, or pausing in games, I hear a noticeable popping sound.

I have tried pretty much everything, both on my own and by following guides online. I changed the audio sample rate, tested both the front and rear audio jacks, used a USB DAC, switched headphones, tried speakers, routed audio through my second monitor, ran LatencyMon, disabled Windows audio enhancements, tested both Realtek drivers and the default Windows High Definition Audio drivers, reinstalling drivers, run windows troubleshooting, tweaked power saving settings especially CPU and PCIe, changed some BIOS settings like Cool and Quiet, and even edited audio related registry settings. etc etc. but nothing worked. Also it's not a grounding problem because i'm the only one that is experiencing this problem in my household

after 7 months i'm still experiencing this problem; I've listened to the experiences of many other users who have the same problem, and it really seems that Windows is the cause.

It's about time you started listening to us instead of repeating the same old "update your drivers" or "try this or that" response, and escalated the issue to the appropriate team so it can finally be fixed.

Answer 1

Hi Emanuele Greco,

Thanks for taking the time to explain everything you've already tried. It sounds like you've been very thorough with your troubleshooting and I can understand why it's frustrating to still be dealing with the issue after several months.

Since you've already tested different audio devices, output ports, Realtek and Microsoft audio drivers, power settings, BIOS options and even a USB DAC, I'd rather not send you back through the same troubleshooting you've already done.

To help narrow things down further, could you let me know your Windows version and build number (Win + R > winver) and your motherboard or PC model?

I'd also suggest trying two tests that can help determine whether something in Windows is contributing to the behavior.

First, test in a Clean Boot environment:

1. Press Windows + R, type msconfig and press Enter.
2. Open the Services tab then check Hide all Microsoft services.
3. Click Disable all.
4. Open the Startup tab and select Open Task Manager.
5. Disable all startup items then restart the PC.

*Disclaimer: A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background service is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem. 

These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step so that it will help you get back on track. 

Once Windows starts back up, try the actions that normally trigger the popping sound, such as pausing a video, changing the volume, dismissing notifications or pausing audio in a game.

I'd also recommend testing with a new local user profile:

1. Open Settings > Accounts > Other users and select Add account.
2. Choose I don't have this person's sign-in information > Add a user without a Microsoft account.
3. Create a temporary local account.
4. Sign out and sign in to the new account.
5. Test the same audio scenarios before changing any settings.

If the popping disappears during either test, that will point to a software, service or profile-related cause. If it still happens in both cases, that helps narrow the scope further.

While that wouldn't automatically confirm a hardware problem, it may suggest the behavior is related to the motherboard's audio implementation, firmware, chipset or another hardware-specific interaction. In that situation, it may also be worth checking with your PC or motherboard manufacturer to see whether there are any newer BIOS, chipset or audio-related updates, or whether they've received similar reports for your model.

Let me know the results of these checks and your winver information, I'll be happy to take a closer look.

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