Windows is incredibly improved over the last couple of years. It now supports a vast amount of technologies and features, however, those also bring some instabilities. Although audio is not a part of Windows that is vastly improved over the years, our habits changed after the pandemic and some other factors. We use speakers and microphones, and connect our PCs to TVs to get HDMI audio, as well as headphones for our multiplayer gaming sessions and Zoom calls. We have to switch our audio devices many times every day, and this sometimes causes some problems.
In this article, we are going to explain how you can reset all audio settings in Windows 11.
Reset audio settings in Windows 11
Step 1: Open Settings interface
You can simply click the Start button and type “Settings” in the search bar to access the settings.
Step 2: Go to Sound
In settings, click “System”, and then “Sound” to access the main Sound Settings menu.
Step 3: Click the volume mixer menu
In sound settings, you will see the Advanced section below your input and output device sections. Click the volume mixer item in the Advanced section in sound settings.
Step 4: Reset settings
In the volume mixer menu, you will find a Reset button with a “Reset sound devices and volumes for all apps to the recommended defaults” explanation. Click Reset to change all the settings to default.
Additional options
Reinstall your audio software
While the Reset button does its intended job, you still might need to take additional steps to fix your issue. Your problem might require a driver-level reset, which means uninstalling and reinstalling your audio device’s software might be the solution. For most PCs, you should be looking for Realtek drivers. For headphones, you should check the manufacturer, and look for the driver that is crafted for your specific hardware.
Reset your codec settings
If your problem with the audio is related to video playback or streaming, it might as well be caused by a codec problem. Codec settings require advanced knowledge; so the best option is installing/reinstalling your codecs with an automated installer. Klite Codec Pack does a great job for this specific task, so reinstall if you already have it, or install it if you don’t.
Use Windows audio troubleshooter
Windows troubleshooters mostly don’t solve the problems, however, in some cases, they can. Actually, Windows troubleshooters are doing a better job in solving the issues in the last couple of years.
For audio, there are two troubleshooters in Windows 11; one for output devices, and one for input devices. You can find the troubleshooters in the main Sound settings menu, in the Advanced section.