This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hello,
Windows 11 keeps swapping between audio output devices at random times. Even if I "don't allow" a device in the settings or disable it through 'more sound settings'. Sometimes it happens after a reboot, sometimes it just does it for no reason. Sometimes it goes well for a day, maybe two, and then it'll swap things around again.
Is there a way for me to 'lock' the output device? My default device is set as the default. Sometimes it changes volume to maximum after a swap which you can probably understand is very inconvenient.
Did I miss a setting somewhere?
I'm using my earbuds plugged in to one of my monitors and the monitor is connected through DP, so the audio controller is my graphics card (nvidia) rather than the on-board one.
Can anyone help me out?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
The attacks are childish and pointless, but I guess they are cathartic to the people who have banged their head against this for years. I disable devices, and then they are magically reenabled. I uninstall devices, and of course, they are reinstalled automagically. From what I see, it might as well be using rand() to pick my audio devices.
But yes- if you try to help and can't, I guess you get the wrath.
Ok- I like this idea, but am stuck... I have several audio devices that I don't want windows to keep reenabling and/or reinstalling. The challenge is that the Hardware Device ID is the same for all of this type of audio device. Do you nknow of a way to prevent the installation of a specific device? Which of course, is a silly thing to want to do, because nobody needs to stop a specific device from being installed, they likely want to stop a class/category of devices to be installed.
I guess I could stop installation of any new sound devices, and then allow it when I have a new advice. Maybe I'll remember I made this change and how I made it... :)
Thoughts of how to stop a particular device?
Right, but he is pointing out that the other answer is unhelpful and pointless.
The problem is that telling people- either his message or yours- that their post isn't helpful doesn't stop them from commenting on posts. Much like this post, as strangely meta as it is to say that.
This routinely happens to me in the middle of meetings. It is happening because windows randomly decides one of my monitors (which have no speakers) has audio output. I have repeatedly set the option to not allow the monitor to be used as an output and windows has repeatedly overwritten that setting.
So - my question:
Is there a way to go back to how windows 10 functioned where I didn't suddenly lose audio in the middle of meetings?
Sometimes multiple times a day. I have selected an audio device. I have disabled all devices other than that audio device. And for some reason windows has decided to completely ignore those settings I made. This was not an issue for me on windows 10.
Ok- I may have found a workaround. I disable the monitor audio in two places. One is in the Device Manager. But it keeps showing up, right?
So I disabled it also in Windows. There's an option to tell windows "don't use this device"- it seems to be separate from the Device Manager setting. Let me see if I can find it...
Ok, in W10, it's "Manage Sound Devices"
This worked to finally get windows to stop thinking the USB Hub built into my monitor was a preferred audio output device.
