How to Fix “ No Audio Output Device Is Installed ” in Windows 10

Do you see a volume icon with a red X-shaped icon in the Windows 10 system tray? When you hover over it, you should also see the error message ” No Audio Output Device Is Installed “

This usually occurs when your computer does not recognize an audio device due to corrupted, outdated, or incompatible audio drivers. To make matters worse, you won’t hear any sound until you correct the problem.
If restarting your computer does nothing, the following troubleshooting tips should help you resolve “No Audio Output Device Is Installed” in Windows 10.

Run Audio Troubleshooter

Windows 10 has a built-in audio troubleshooter that can automatically detect and fix audio problems on your computer. It’s best to do this first before looking for the rest of the fixes.

1. Open the Start menu and select Settings.

2. Select Update & Security.

3. Switch to the Troubleshoot side-tab.

4. Select Additional troubleshooters.

5. Select Playing Audio. Then, select the Run the troubleshooter button.

Follow the onscreen instructions to troubleshoot audio devices on your computer. If the troubleshooter asks you to choose between multiple audio devices, do it repeatedly for each of them.

Disconnect and Reconnect External Audio Output Device

Do you have an external audio device (such as headphones) physically connected to your computer? Try to remove it. Then restart your computer and reconnect it. If that didn’t help, continue with the rest of the fixes.

Uninstall and Reinstall Audio Device

Uninstalling and reinstalling the audio device / sound card on your computer is an effective solution that can help you resolve the “No Audio Output Device Is Installed” error. The Device Manager applet in Windows 10 should help you with this.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.

2. Expand the Sound, video and game controllers section.

3. Right-click your computer’s audio device and select Uninstall Device.

4. Check the box next to Delete the driver software for this device (if available) and select OK to uninstall the device.

5. Expand the Audio inputs and outputs section and repeat steps 3–4.

6. Restart your computer. That should prompt your computer to reinstall the audio device.

7. Open Device Manager again. The newly installed audio device should appear in the Sound, video and game controllers and Audio inputs and outputs sections. Otherwise, right-click an empty area and select Scan for hardware changes.

If reinstalling the audio device solved the problem, you should see a fully functional volume icon in the system tray.

Update Audio Drivers

Try updating the audio drivers on your computer. Go to the device manufacturer’s website, provide the correct make and model of your sound card, and download the latest drivers. Then install it yourself or let Windows 10 do it for you via Device Manager. If you prefer the second method, follow the steps below.

1. Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.

2. Expand the Sound, video and game controllers section.

3. Right-click the audio driver and select Update driver.

4. Select Browse my computer for drivers.

5. Use the Browse button to locate the folder containing the downloaded drivers.

6. Select Next and follow the remaining prompts to install the new audio drivers.

Alternatively, you can use a driver update utility to automatically download and install the correct audio drivers for your computer.

Update Windows 10

Sometimes Windows 10 update can corrupt the audio device drivers on your computer. The best way to solve this problem is to install subsequent incremental updates.

For example, in 2018, the error “No audio output device installed” was displayed on computers with Intel-based audio chipsets due to a faulty driver that was moved by Windows Update. Microsoft quickly fixed this with another small update.

1. Open the Start menu and select Settings.

2. Select Update & Security.

3. Select Check for updates.

4. Select Download & install to update Windows 10.

5. Select View optional updates (if visible on the same screen). Then, check the boxes next to any audio device-related updates and select Download and install.

Install Audio Device as Legacy Hardware

If the driver for your audio device doesn’t appear in Device Manager, you can try setting it up as a legacy device. You can also do this if you get the “No audio output device installed” error even after the above corrections have been made.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.

2. Select any item within the Device Manager. Then, open the Action menu and select Add legacy hardware.

3. Select Next on the Welcome to the Add Hardware Wizard screen.

4. Pick the Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced) option and select Next.

5. Pick Sound, video and game controllers as the hardware type and select Next.

6. Select your audio manufacturer from the list on the left of the screen. Then select the model on the right. If you have a hard drive that contains the drivers for your audio device, select Have a floppy disk and specify the location of the hard drive. Select “Next” to continue.

7. Select Next again to install the audio device.

8. Select Finish to complete the installation process.

9. Restart your computer.

Did that help? If not, let’s check out what you can do next.

Reset Windows 10

If none of the fixes above worked, try a factory reset of Windows 10. You may be dealing with a deep-seated audio problem that only a new set of Windows settings can fix. You can choose to keep your data intact, but it’s best to back up your computer before proceeding.

1. Open the Start menu and select Settings.

2. Select Update & Security.

3. Switch to the Recovery tab. Under the Reset this PC section, select the Get started button to initiate the reset procedure.

If resetting Windows 10 didn’t help resolve the “No audio output device installed” error, the problem is likely device specific. Contact the manufacturer of the audio device for further assistance.