Windows 11 keeps changing audio output.

Good Day Bobbeloos,

My name is Carlo, I am also using Windows 11 pc and community member like you. Let us work together to sort this out.

Here's the steps you can try.

-Press Windows key + X

-Go to Settings

-Click Update and Security

-Click Troubleshooter then Additional troubleshooter.

-Look for Playing Audio and run the troubleshooter.

-Go to Device Manager

-Expand the Sound and Video Game Controllers

-Look for Audio driver that was installed

-Right click and Update

-Look for "Browse my computer for driver

-Let me pick drivers available drivers

-Choose an old driver and use it.

-Go to Control Panel

-In Control Panel, select Large icons from the View by drop down menu.

-Select Sound.

-Select the Playback tab

-Right click the Speakers and click Enable.

-Right-click it again and select Set as Default Device.

-Right click Speakers and click Properties.

-Click the Levels tab, then drag the volume slider towards the largest value.

-Click on Advance Tab

-Uncheck the box to "Allow Application to take exclusive controls on this device"

-Click OK.

Restart your computer and observe the audio.

If issue persist, let's download the updated driver

What is the exact model of your computer?

To check the system model proceed with these steps.

-Press Windows key + R

-Type msinfo32 and hit enter.

-Look for the System Model and manufacturer and post it here.

I hope the information above helps. Please let me know how it goes.

Have a wonderful day ahead and stay safe.

Sincerely,

Carlo T.

I am having the same issue - when my computer "sleeps" sounds switch from a monitor speaker to the laptop speaker (sound is 3x louder that the monitor speaker). It so frustrating that this cannot be resolved by MS. I have music play on the monitor speaker and notifications play on the laptop speaker. It was not easy finding the menu to set this up. BUT my greatest frustration right now is output being switched in sleep mode.

MS when are you going to fix this issue? This was never an issue with Windows 10.

Thanks for your reply!

I remember unchecking "Allow Application to take exclusive controls on this device" a bunch of times before because it keeps re-checking itself. I think it's because I run the troubleshooter in order to get my sound back and it probably resets these settings every time.

I have, of course, enabled my audio device...

I have now disabled the audio on one of my monitors in device manager and I hope it stays that way. I just want Windows to not randomly switch between these monitors is all. Is there no way to 'lock' or force the output device?

I would love for there to be a solution for this, unfortunately for that to happen, Microsoft will need to fire the team responsible for Audio and Hot Plug and start from scratch. The entire sound subsystem has been designed to be as obtuse as possible, and to frustrate users at every opportunity. It's simply not possible for a competent software engineer to create this mess unless it was by design. Microsoft does employ competent people, 1+1=2, it was deliberate.

You can't even disable these devices in Device Manager, because they come right back when the displays wake up after going into sleep mode (The monitors, not the computer.) Again, this is deliberate, you are not allowed to permanently disable a device.. The Don't Allow option in Sound has the same problem, the setting is reverted by Windows immediately. By design. It's caused by the how the hot-plug subsystem deletes those preferences when it detects the device being unplugged. When the device wakes up, it looks like it's been plugged in and Windows detects it as a Brand New Device rather than remembering it, and that that you had disabled it. Of course all these devices are serialized (hard coded unique ID) so no need to forget, but forget Microsoft does. Again, by design.

As Microsoft is perfect, the engineers incapable of making bad decisions, this will never EVER get fixed. I know this doesn't actually help other than letting you know you should not hold your breath for a solution, because it's not broken. It's by design.

I only have one audio device in my device manager left and that's the monitor that outputs sound (or should), I suppose.

Due to other cirumstances, I've swapped monitors around and I'm now using a HDMI connection for the main one, but unfortunately that didn't change anything.

I just want 'don't allow' in the sound settings to consistently 'not allow' a device to be used. However, everything just keeps changing and swapping and it's super frustrating.