Why do I lose sound after Windows 11 update?

Audio loss after a Windows 11 update is typically caused by audio drivers becoming incompatible, corrupted, or replaced by a different driver during the update.

To reduce or eliminate the problem instead of uninstalling updates each time, use these steps:

1. Confirm the correct output device
   1. Select Start > Settings > System > Sound.
   2. Under Output, select the speakers/headphones actually in use. This also sets them as the default device.
2. Check volume and app levels
   1. In Settings > System > Sound, select Volume mixer.
   2. Make sure System and the affected apps are not muted and their sliders are turned up.
3. Update the audio driver
   1. Select Start, type Device Manager, and open it.
   2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   3. Right‑click the audio device (for example, Realtek or High Definition Audio) and select Update driver.
   4. Select Search automatically for drivers and complete the wizard.
   5. Restart the PC.
4. Reinstall the audio driver If updating does not help or sound is still lost after an update:
   1. In Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   2. Right‑click the audio device and select Uninstall device.
   3. If available, check Attempt to remove the driver for this device, then select Uninstall.
   4. Restart the PC. Windows will reinstall the driver automatically.
   5. If sound is still missing, download and install the latest audio driver from the PC or motherboard manufacturer’s support site, then restart.
5. Use the generic Windows audio driver If the manufacturer driver keeps breaking after updates:
   1. In Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   2. Right‑click the audio device and select Update driver.
   3. Select Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
   4. Choose the generic High Definition Audio Device (or similar) and finish the wizard.
6. Roll back the audio driver when an update breaks sound If audio works before a Windows Update and fails immediately after:
   1. Open Device Manager and expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   2. Right‑click the sound card/audio device and select Properties.
   3. On the Driver tab, select Roll Back Driver.
   4. Follow the prompts and select Yes to revert to the previous driver.
7. If needed, restore from a system restore point When updates are installed, Windows often creates a restore point:
   1. Use the instructions in Recovery options in Windows (see linked article in the reference) to restore the PC to a point before the problematic update.
8. Keep audio drivers current via Windows Update
   1. Select Start > Settings > Windows Update.
   2. Select Check for updates and install any audio‑related or optional driver updates.
   3. Restart the PC.

If the same driver version repeatedly breaks audio after each Windows update, installing the latest driver from the device manufacturer and/or switching to the generic High Definition Audio driver can provide a more stable configuration so that future updates do not remove sound.

References:

• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows
• Fix low or quiet sound in Windows
• Update Audio drivers in Windows
• No audio with Windows 11 - Microsoft Q&A
• How to fix this. no audio device is installed - Microsoft Q&A