“No Audio Output Device is Installed” Error Windows 10
Switched on your computer today to find that you have no sound? Don’t worry you’re not alone, as a lot of people have experienced this issue and they are seeing the following in the right bottom corner of their computer.
Nothing is more frustrating when your computer doesn’t work as you’d like it to. The main reason you are seeing the “No Audio Output Device is installed” error in Windows 10 and having a sound issue is due to outdated, corrupt, broken (that could have been caused by a Windows update) or missing sound drivers.
The “No Audio Output Device is Installed” error in Windows 10 occurs when Windows cannot find any audio output devices that are installed on your computer. This can happen for a number of reasons, including:
- Outdated or corrupted audio drivers
- A faulty audio cable
- A problem with your audio hardware
- A setting in Windows that is preventing audio from playing
So what now? You can choose from the follow 3 options to fix the “No Audio Output Device Installed” error;
- Automatically update your audio device drivers
- Manually uninstall device driver & Manually reinstall the drivers
- Re-enable the device
Automatically Update Your Audio Device Drivers
For a hassle free solution to solve your driver issue, you can just download Driver Support which will scan your computer to detect any problem drivers in your computer.
There’s no need for you to know what operating system your computer is running on.
The Realtek Sound Drivers can automatically be updated with the Premium version of Driver Support.
Manually Uninstall & Reinstall The Device Driver
Want to try the manual options? Follow these steps;
Step 1: First make your way to your Device Manager, you can navigate there by going to your windows search.
Step 2: Scroll down to find the category “Sound, video and game controllers“, expand it to locate your audio device, right-click on your audio device, and click Uninstall to uninstall the driver.
Step 3: Restart your PC. After restarting, Windows should automatically re-install the sound driver. Assuming it installs the latest correct driver, this may resolve the problem.
Re-Install The Device
Try this to fix your audio problem, follow these steps (The specific steps in different system versions may be different.)
1.) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to launch a Run command. Type devmgmt.msc in the run box and click on OK button.
2.) Locate the Sound, video and game controllers category in the list.
If you don’t see this category in your list, continue with the step below. Or skip to Option 3.
Step 2A: Click the Action menu and select Add Legacy hardware (if you see only the Help in this menu, click somewhere in the white space around the list (i.e. make sure nothing in the tree (list) is selected), then click the Action menu again)
Step 2B: Then click Next to start the Add Hardware wizard. (If the Add Hardware wizard doesn’t display at all, you can try Option 3.)
Step 2C: Select Search for and install hardware automatically (Recommended).
Step 2D: If the wizard tells you it can’t find any new hardware, click Next.
Step 2E: You should now see a list of hardware types. Scroll down until you see Sound, video and game controllers. Select it and click Next.
Step 2F: Select the manufacturer and model of your sound card, then click Next. (If you’re not sure what manufacturer and model to select, you can try Option 3.)
Click Next to install the device, then when the installation is complete, click Finish.
Re-enable The Device
In Device Manager, expand the Sound, video and game controllers category, and right-click on your audio device. Click Enable in the pop up menu.
(If the device is already enabled, you can try Option 2.)
When you have tried option 2 & 3 and it didn’t solve your issue, consider Downloading Driver Support for hassle free driver updates?