How to unmute my speakers?

Michael Jones 0

My speakers on my Windows 11 desktop keep muting themselves. How do I unmute them?

John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-24T20:30:13.4633333+00:00
Hi, @Michael Jones

To unmute the speakers, click the speaker icon on the taskbar, then click the muted speaker icon to turn the sound back on. You can also go to Settings > System > Sound and make sure the correct output device is selected and the volume is turned up.

Since it keeps muting itself, I’d like to narrow down what is causing it:

Does it mute randomly, or only when opening a certain app or restarting the PC?

Are you using built-in speakers, external speakers, or a monitor/TV for sound?

Did this start recently, such as after a Windows update or driver update?

1 answer

AI answer

2026-08-24T19:44:27.1+00:00
Try these Windows 11 steps in order:

Select the Speakers icon on the taskbar.

Select the arrow to the right of the volume slider to open the list of audio devices.

Make sure the correct output device is selected.

If the speaker shows an x or the device is muted, select the volume control or Unmute speakers.

If it keeps muting:

Open Start > Settings > System > Sound.

Select Volume mixer.

Make sure System and the affected app are not muted, and turn their sliders up.

Under Output, select the speaker device being used.

Scroll to Advanced settings and set Audio enhancements to Off.

Also check that the speaker device is enabled:

Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.

Under Advanced, select More sound settings.

On the Playback tab, select the speaker device and choose Properties.

Next to Device usage, make sure Use this device (enable) is selected.

If the issue still continues, run the audio troubleshooter:

Go to Start > Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.

In the Audio section, select Run.

References

Fix sound or audio problems in Windows

Fix low or quiet sound in Windows

Fix audio issues when no sound plays from speakers or headphones in Windows

Fix sound or audio problems in Windows
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