7 Ways to Reset Sound Settings on Windows 11

While Windows is capable of managing sound on your computer, you may still want to intervene and reset your sound settings in case you experience audio problems or glitches.

However, with the aesthetic changes Microsoft has made in Windows 11, zeroing in on these settings has become more difficult. So, let’s dive into how to find and manage these settings on Windows 11 or reset them in case any issues arise.

How to reset sound settings in Windows 11 in 7 easy ways

Here are seven ways to reset sound settings in Windows 11, depending on the issue you are facing. let's start.

Method 1: Reset app sound and volume settings

Press the button on your keyboard to open the Settings app. Now click on "Sound" on the right. Windows i

Scroll down and click Volume Mixer.

Now click "Reset" at the bottom.

#This option will reset all settings for third-party applications and pre-installed programs to their default values.

If you are experiencing audio input or output issues when using any of these apps, they should be fixed on your PC now.

Related: How to Search in Windows 11 [4 Ways Explained]

Method 2: Troubleshooting Audio Drivers (2 Ways)

If you can't fix your system's audio, it may be time to reset your audio drivers. To do this, you can reinstall the latest version or roll back to a previously known version that used to work in your system. Please follow any of the following guides to help you through the process.

2.1 – Reset Audio Driver

Press the button on your keyboard and select “Device Manager”. Windows x

Now double-click on "Sound, Video, and Game Controllers" at the bottom to expand it.

Double-click the audio adapter you are having trouble with.

Click and switch to the Drivers tab at the top of the screen.

Now click on “Uninstall Device”.

Check the "Try to remove the driver for this device" box.

When finished, click Uninstall.

Now, we recommend that you reboot your system. This will force Windows to resort to the default OEM driver on startup, if one is present. This will help reset the audio and fix the problem on most systems, but if you need to manually reinstall the driver, open Device Manager again and click Scan for Hardware Changes at the top.

Your audio adapter should now be automatically recognized and added to your Device Manager.

2.2 – Rolling Back the Audio Driver

When rolling back the driver to a previous version, you can follow the guide above until you get to the Sound Adapter in Windows’ Device Manager "Drivers" tab. Once there, click "Roll Back Driver."

Select the reason you want to roll back and click Yes. If the system prompts you to restart your computer now, it is recommended that you restart your computer as soon as possible. After restarting, your computer should use the old driver for the sound adapter.

Related: How to ungroup icons on the Windows 11 taskbar

Method 3: Restart the Windows Audio Service

Windows services are used to manage long-running processes in your computer, such as network connections, sound, accounts, security, power, Bluetooth, and more. These services run in the background and start when the computer starts.

Windows services related to sound on your system include:

• Windows Audio
• Windows Audio Endpoint Generator
• Remote Procedure Call ( RPC)

Let’s see how to restart these services on Windows 11.

Press the keys on your keyboard to open the start menu. Windows

In the Start menu, search for "Services" and click on the same service from the search results.

In Services, scroll down and find the Windows Audio service.

Right-click the same and click Restart.

If you see a prompt similar to the one below, click Yes.

Now, repeat the above steps to restart the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and Remote Procedure Call (RPC) services.

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Method 4: Use the Windows Troubleshooter

The Windows Troubleshooter is a repair tool that can help you detect and resolve PC problems. Let’s see how you can use this tool to detect and fix issues specific to audio on your PC.

Press the keys on your keyboard to open the start menu. Windows

In the Start menu, search for "Troubleshooting Settings" and click on the same setting from the search results.

In the troubleshooting settings, click "Additional troubleshooters."

In other troubleshooters, click the Run option next to Play Audio.

Select the audio device you want to troubleshoot and click Next. The troubleshooter will now check if there is a problem with this audio device.

Select the repairs you want to apply and click Next.

Now, follow the on-screen instructions to fix the detected issues.

Method 5: Reset system sounds to default sounds

System sounds are the sounds that apply to events in Windows and programs. Windows uses these sounds when triggering basic actions such as critical stops, notifications, device connections, low-battery alerts, and more.

Windows 11 allows you to modify the default settings for system sounds and create custom sound schemes. However, if any issues arise and you want to restore the default sound scheme, follow the steps below.

Press the keys on your keyboard to open the start menu. Windows

In the Start menu, search for "Change system sounds" and click on the same sound from the search results.

In the Sound window, click the down arrow in the Sound Scheme option, and then select Windows Default.

Click Apply to save your changes.

Finally, click OK to exit the Sound window.

Method 6: Restore the sound device to default

If the problem you are experiencing occurred after adding a speaker or Bluetooth device, then reset Setting up the sound and drivers will be useless. In this case, you have to reset the sound device itself.

Here's how to set your system's sound device to default:

Press to open Settings. Then click on the sound on the right . Win I

Now scroll down and click on More Sound Settings.

This will open a new Sound window. Then right-click on the sound device and select "Properties".

Click on the "Advanced" tab and switch to it.

Click Restore Defaults at the bottom.

Your sound device will now be reset.

If you also see the Spatial Sound tab, click on it.

Then click Restore default values ​​Same here.

Click OK when finished.

Do this for all available sound devices.

Method 7: Last Resort: Perform a Factory Reset

Finally, resetting Windows to its default factory state is the last way to reset all settings in your Windows 11 PC, including sound set up. This will remove all customizations and modifications made to the sound settings in Windows.

Let’s take a look at how to do this on Windows 11.

Press the keys on your keyboard to open the start menu. Windows

In the Start menu, search for "Reset this PC" and click the same from the search results.

In recovery settings, click Reset this PC.

Select one of the options below and follow the on-screen instructions to reset your PC.

Configuring Audio on Windows 11 (3 Ways)

If you wish to configure your audio device, here’s how to do it on Windows 11 method. This can also help you troubleshoot audio issues while configuring the device in third-party applications.

1. Change audio output and input devices (2 ways)

If you wish to route input or output audio through another device, you can use one of the following guides.

1.1 – Change Output Device

Click the “Audio” icon located in the lower right corner of the taskbar.

Click the ">" icon next to the volume search bar.

#From the audio device list, click the audio device you want to use as the output device.

1.2 – Changing Input Devices

If you want to change the input devices on your PC, follow the steps below.

Press on your PC and click "Sound" on the right. Windows i

Scroll down and click to select your preferred input device under "Select a device for speaking or recording."

That's it! You will now change the default input device on your PC.

2. Configure sound settings (2 ways)

Here’s how to configure sound settings for output or input devices on Windows 11.

2.1 – For output devices

Click the “Audio” icon located in the lower right corner of the taskbar.

Click the ">" icon next to the volume search bar.

Click on the "More Volume Settings" option.

Now, click on "Choose where to play the sound" to see the list of output audio devices, and then click on the output device for which you want to change the sound settings.

#You can now view various sound settings for the selected output device in this window. Let's look at each sound setting one by one.

To stop using this device as an output audio device, click "Do not allow"

To change Audio format, click the Down Arrow icon.

From the list of audio formats, select the format that suits you.

To increase the volume, drag the volume search bar next to the Volume option to the right. To lower the volume, drag the search bar to the left.

Note: Changing this volume will also change the Left and Right volumes to the same level. Additionally, you can change the volume of an audio device even if the device is not currently in use.

You can also change the left and right channels independently. To do this, just drag the volume search bar corresponding to the channel you want to change.

#You can also use the Enhance Audio option to automatically improve the sound quality of your output device. These enhancements depend on the audio device you are using. However, some common enhancement parameters include loudness equalization, headphone virtualization, baas enhancement, etc.

To enable enhancements, click the Enhanced Audio toggle button.

When enabled, the toggle button will display an "on" state

Windows 11 also offers a more immersive An audio experience that uses 3D spatial sound effects to simulate a realistic environment.

To enable it, click the "Down" arrow next to the "Type" option located under the "Spatial Sounds" section.

Click on the "Windows Sonic for Headphone" option.

2.2 - For Input Devices

Press the keyboard and click "Sounds" on the right. Windows i

Now click on your preferred input device under "Select a device for speaking or recording" to view its properties.

You can now block devices by clicking "Don't Allow".

#Select the desired format for your input audio by clicking on the same drop-down menu.

You can also use the next slider to control the universal input volume.

If your adapter or microphone supports it, you will be able to see the "Audio Enhancement" section. Click the same drop-down menu and select your preferred enhancement option.

You may need a third-party application provided by the OEM to take advantage of its full potential.

This is how you can configure input devices on Windows 11.

3. Switch mono audio

Here’s how to switch mono and stereo audio on your device.

Mono sound is used to record and playback sounds in a single audio channel, while stereo sound can use two audio channels and create a sense of width and space in the listener feel. Let’s see how to switch between two playback modes on Windows 11.

Press the keys on your keyboard to open the start menu. Windows

In the Start menu, search for "mono" and click on the same sound from the search results.

Now, if you want to enable mono audio on your PC, click on the “Mono Audio” toggle button.

When enabled, the toggle button will display "On".

If you want to disable mono audio, click the Mono Audio toggle button.

When disabled, this toggle button will display "Off".

FAQ

In this section, we’ll answer some frequently asked questions about resetting sound settings on Windows 11.

How do I reset my volume mixer in Windows 11?

Resetting the volume mixer is a breeze. Simply go to the Sound page of the Settings app, select Volume Mixer, and click Reset. For a step-by-step demonstration, check out Method 1 in the guide above.

Is there a way to reset the sound settings?

Resetting your system's sound settings can be done from the Settings app's Sound page itself. However, there are other sound options and settings that are hidden and working in the background that you should consider resetting yourself. These include sound and audio services, system sounds and devices, etc. See the guide above to learn how to reset them.

How to fix sound Windows 11?

If you are experiencing sound issues on your Windows 11 computer, there are a few things you can try. Since the problem can have multiple causes, it's best to be thorough and cast as wide a net as possible in your repair. To do this, you should use the Windows Sound Troubleshooter and reset the sound settings, drivers, and devices. See the methodology given above for a detailed breakdown.

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