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No Sound from Laptop Headphone Jack

Latest update on by Elena Keracheva .

Have you ever encountered the following problem: you plug your headphones into your laptop but no sound comes out ? If this issue persists after restarting your laptop and disconnecting the speakers, then you are at the right place. This article discusses what worked for our users, so keep reading.

Beforehand

Before trying our solutions, make sure your headphones work. To do so, you can plug them into another device (mobile phone, or another computer, for example). Another thing you can do is to try other headphones on your computer and see if you have the same result. If this is your case, then you should consider the options in this article.

RealTek HD Audio Manager

The most common solution to this problem seems to be related to the RealTek HD Audio Manager. Here is what you need to do:

  • Go to the Control panel.
  • Click “Hardware and Sound”.
  • Scroll to the bottom and click ”RealTek HD Audio Manager”.
  • Click “Device advanced settings”. It is in the top right corner and it’s written in blue.
  • Select “Multi-stream mode”.
  • Then click “Okay”.

Your problem should be fixed !

But if this solution doesn’t work for you, we recommend you to try the other options in this article.

Headphone jack problems

One audio issue commonly experienced with Windows laptop users is a discord between a computer's audio (headphone) jack and its sound system. This issue can be due to one of several factors, including missing drivers, a broken audio jack, or — very simply — a change in your system's sound settings.

Static charges

If your headphone jack isn’t working, the issue may be related to static charges. In order to remove them, try the following:

  • Take out the battery.
  • Press the power button 5 times. This will turn off your computer.
  • Turn back on your computer and test the jack with your headphones.

Approved audio devices

You want to check the approved audio devices to see if your headphones are being rejected by your system.

  • Head to your Control Panel.
  • Click “Hardware and Sound” and then select “Sound”.
  • Next, click Manage Audio Devices.

If the headphones icon is shown, simply set the option as your default sound option. If the icon is missing, it may be a sign that your computer is missing drivers (or that your headphones are out of order - but you already checked that!).

If it's simply an issue of missing drivers, you can try to rectify this by updating your operating system. This will help identify any missing drivers that need installation.

Audio Drivers

Even if they aren’t missing, make sure to update the latest audio drivers from the support site. You can find them on your laptop manufacturer’s website.

Software issue

Note: please consider that the following solution is only helpful in certain cases.

Sometimes, the problem might be due to a software issue. In this case, you might need to uninstall your audio drivers and load generic drivers. Here is how to do so for Windows 8:

  • Press the Windows Key and X at once, from the Start screen.
  • Click "Device Manager".
  • Expand "Sound, video and game controllers".
  • Right click the listed device.
  • Click "Uninstall".
  • Restart the computer to load generic drivers for Windows 8.
  • Check if the audio jack is working.

We hope you find our solutions helpful and that your problem is now fixed !

Image: © gstockstudio - 123rf.com

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This document, titled « No Sound from Laptop Headphone Jack », is available under the Creative Commons license. Any copy, reuse, or modification of the content should be sufficiently credited to CCM (ccm.net).
3 vote - 4.7/5 2 Comments
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Perfect for my pixel buds which have a USB-C connector to my mac laptop. Thanks!
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Unfortunately, this did not solve my issue. They worked ten minutes ago and still work with my phone. I have no idea how to update my operating system but I'll Google it.

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