RealTek Audio drivers after Windows 11 update

The Microsoft Patch Day in January 2025 was not only a cause for joy among Windows users. The update KB5050009 for Windows 11 24H2 that was released at the time caused problems again (read more about this in January patch for Windows 11 24H2 turns off sound and camera for users).

Some Windows 11 users lost sound output. The reason: The USB DAC ports no longer work, making it impossible to use USB headphones. But that's not all, because the sound output via Bluetooth headphones can also be damaged by the update.

Since KB5050009 is a security-relevant update, it was installed automatically on Windows 11 computers. The affected users therefore initially had no way of preventing the installation of this update and have been faced with the audio problems described above since it was installed.

Patch KB5050094

Microsoft now wants to fix these audio problems with the patch KB5050094. However, this is a pre-release version of this update, i.e. a preview. Microsoft describes this patch in this online document.

Similar problems are happening with Windows Insider builds as well. I run Canary builds on my system and have had audio and Bluetooth problems as of the last three releases. I've posted about this in the Feedback Hub, which seems to be all but useless, as well as in the Insider threads on Bluesky and have yet to receive any response. My only solution to the audio problem that continues to work is what I posted earlier, which is to uninstall my Realtek audio device along with the driver and then to do a search for new hardware upon which my audio device is reinstalled and starts working again. At least it works until I reboot whereupon the problematic driver is installed again which causes me to do it all over again. As a result, I fix the problem and do not reboot unless absolutely necessary, and I leave my desktop running 24/7. Hopefully someone at Microsoft takes notice and corrects this problem, but I will not hold my breath for that to happen. Like similar bugs in the past, I expect this to simply be corrected down the line with no notice given or responsibility for the problem taken.

Hello Sophie Delsordo

thanks for your Feedback.

I updatet the following Drivers:

-Intel(R) Smart Sound Technologie-Audiocontroller

-Realtek USB Audio

and monitored for a while

Run all optional updates

Today, no more BSOD/no more errors have occurred since then.

I'm not sure what really helped - no matter :-)

Thanks a lot

Yes, it happened to me too: This update has not fixed my audio problems at all.