Windows 11 keeps changing audio output.

Anonymous
2022-04-11T11:41:43+00:00

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?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

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.

0 comments No comments

121 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. Anonymous
    2022-07-19T15:40:07+00:00

    PS. If you're not disconnecting and reconnecting monitors, some times just turning them off / standby / switching input is enough for the device to "disappear" from windows and that causes the whole "Oohhh! Shiny new audio device I should switch to!" issue to occur.

    Was this answer helpful?

    8 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2022-12-28T20:13:18+00:00

    The so-called "developers" or "customer service assistants" that reply to these forum posts are not actual microsoft developers that do the code and everything. They're simply 3rd world paid slaves that know nothing about anything other than looking up "keywords" in their system to attempt to identify issues as per the "book" and provide neutral answers nothing more than akin to googling the question itself. Consumers come here to register their complaint as I am that every time I turn my pc back on after powering down it registers my monitor as a new audio output and switches over to it. Win 11 pro bla bla bla. All the specs don't matter. It's the OS doing it. But to expect an actual coder or developer to bonified read these posts is a far cry from wishing money wasn't the source of all evil.

    Was this answer helpful?

    7 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  3. Anonymous
    2022-04-11T12:52:01+00:00

    Hi Carlo, thanks for your reply!

    I've already attempted the fixes above. I forgot to mention I went through all the common fixes before making this thread. Sorry!

    I already tried updating the audio drivers as well as my graphics card driver since it handles the audio over DP.

    Here's the relevant information. The mobo is a B550-A-PRO.

    Was this answer helpful?

    6 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  4. Anonymous
    2022-07-15T15:39:46+00:00

    Absolutely. I've also resorted to uninstall and disconnect any other sound devices somehow capable of routing sound, but it keeps changing devices. Thankfully Discord and Teamspeak have an option to clamp down audio settings... why doesn't Windows have that?

    Was this answer helpful?

    5 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  5. Anonymous
    2022-06-06T14:36:31+00:00

    I disabled the monitor's sound in Device Manager too. This resolved the issue. My laptop's audio is way better than the monitor's speakers anyway.

    Was this answer helpful?

    5 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments