HP Notebook PCs - Advanced sound troubleshooting in Windows 10

If you have audio issues after installing updates or running Windows Update, try rolling back your audio driver.

1. Search Windows for Device Manager, and then select Device Manager in the list of results.

2. Select Sound, video and game controllers or expand the arrow next to it.

3. Right-click your sound card or audio device, and then select Properties.

4. Select the Driver tab, and then select Roll Back Driver.

   

5. Read and follow the instructions, and then select Yes to roll back your audio driver.

Select an audio playback device to use as a default.

How to set the default speakers in Windows 11

In this video, learn how to set the default speakers in Windows 11.

1. In Windows, search for and open Change system sounds.

2. Select the Playback tab, select your playback device, and then click Set Default. If only one playback device is listed, it is set to automatically default.

   Note:

   If you are having problems setting an HDMI audio device as the default playback device, see HP PCs - Troubleshooting HDMI display and sound issues (Windows 10) for more information.

   

3. With the default playback device selected, click Configure.

   

4. Select your speaker setup in Audio channels.

   Note:

   If you want to use HDMI output, select Digital Audio (HDMI). See HP PCs - Troubleshooting HDMI display and sound issues (Windows 10) for more information.

5. Select Test to send sound to each speaker, or select an individual speaker to send sound to that speaker.

   • If sound is heard correctly, you are done troubleshooting.

   • If there is no sound from one or more speakers or if the configuration type changed, click Next, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the speaker setup.

   

6. Test for sound. If the audio problem persists, go to Update the audio driver using Device Manager.

Enable the audio device, and then update the audio driver using Device Manager.

1. In Windows, search for and open Device Manager.

   

2. Double-click Audio inputs and outputs.

3. If a sound device is listed with a down arrow, the device is disabled. Right-click the sound device name, and then select Enable device.

   

4. With the sound device enabled, right-click the sound device, and then select Update driver.

   

5. Select Search automatically for updated driver software.

   

6. Wait while Windows checks for and installs any updated drivers. If prompted, restart the computer.

   • If Windows updated the audio driver, test for sound. If the audio problem persists after updating the driver, go to Perform a hard reset.

   • If the latest driver is already installed, continue with these steps.

   

7. In Windows, search for and open Device Manager.

   

8. Double-click Audio inputs and outputs.

9. Right-click the sound device, and then select Uninstall device.

   

10. When the Uninstall Device window opens, click Uninstall.

    

11. Restart the computer to reinstall the driver.

12. Test for sound. If the audio problem persists after reinstalling the driver, go to Perform a hard reset.

Corrupted or incorrect BIOS settings can cause audio issues. You can try to restore default BIOS values to resolve audio issues.

1. Turn off the computer.

2. Press the Power button, and then repeatedly press esc until the Startup Menu opens.

   Note:

   If you do not press the esc key at the proper time and the computer continues through the startup process, shut down the computer, and then try the procedure again.

   

3. On the Startup Menu, press f10 to access the BIOS Setup Utility, and then use the arrow keys to select the Exit tab.

4. Select Load Setup Defaults.

   

5. Select Exit Saving Changes, and then select Yes to save the changes.

   

6. Press esc, and then press enter to exit the BIOS.

7. Test for sound. If the audio issue persists, go to Run an audio hardware diagnostic test.

Use the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics Windows tool to perform an Audio Playback Test. This checks the functionality of the audio subsystem, including audio controllers and codecs.

1. Go to HP Hardware Diagnostics to install the latest version of HP PC Hardware Diagnostics Windows.

2. After the installation completes, search Windows for HP PC Hardware Diagnostics Windows, right-click the app in the results, and then select Run as administrator to open the tool.

   

3. Click Component Tests > Audio > Audio Playback Test.

   

4. Click Run once, and then select an audio output device to run the test.

   

   • If the audio test fails, write down the 24-digit failure ID code (also available in the Test Logs), and then contact HP Customer Support, or service the computer.

   • If the audio test passes but the issue persists, use Microsoft System Restore or HP System Recovery to fix the problem.

Contact HP Customer Support for further assistance if the issue persists.

1. Go to HP Customer Support - Contact.

2. Enter your product serial number to view warranty status and to change your location, if necessary.

3. Select a support option. Support options vary by country/region.