system speaker and system microphone stopped functioning

DrGoms Soms 0 Reputation points
2026-09-13T06:23:03.1866667+00:00

Normally I used to have the system speaker and microphone as default configured sound output and sound input devices , they are missing and I am unable to have the sound recorded as well as played back in system

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-13T06:23:20.27+00:00

    Try this Windows 11 path first:

    1. Check whether the built-in devices are detected.
      • Select Start, type Device Manager, and open it.
      • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
      • If the audio device appears, right-click it and select Enable device if that option is available.
      • If it does not appear, select View > Show hidden devices, then Action > Scan for hardware changes.
    2. Verify the correct output device is selected.
      • Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
      • In Output, select the device to use for playback. Selecting it also sets it as the default output device.
    3. Verify the correct input device is selected and test it.
      • In Start > Settings > System > Sound, under Input, select the microphone to use.
      • Use Start test, speak normally, then Stop test and Play to check the recording.
      • Adjust the Input volume slider if needed.
    4. Make sure devices are not muted or disabled.
      • Right-click the Speakers icon on the taskbar and open Volume mixer.
      • Confirm nothing is muted.
      • In Settings > System > Sound, open the device properties for both input and output devices and make sure they are not disabled.
    5. Restart the PC.
      • Select Start > Power > Restart.
      • After restart, check whether the speaker and microphone reappear.
    6. If the devices are still missing, reinstall the audio drivers.
      • In Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers.
      • Right-click each audio device and select Uninstall device.
      • If prompted, select the option to remove or delete the driver for that device.
      • Restart the computer.
      • If Windows does not reinstall the devices automatically, return to Device Manager, right-click Sound, video and game controllers, and select Scan for hardware changes.
      • Then right-click the audio driver and select Update driver.
    7. Install updates.
      • Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
      • Install available updates, then restart.

    If this is a Surface device, also check the Surface app under Help & support and install available driver or firmware updates. If built-in audio or microphone still fails on Surface, manually reinstall the Surface drivers and firmware package for that model.

    References:

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  2. DaveM121 929.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-13T06:54:30.3033333+00:00

    1

    Right click your Start Button and open Device Manager.

    Expand the 'Sound, Video and Game Controllers' section.

    Please provide a screenshot of that full Device Manager window.

    2

    Click your Start Button, then just type msinfo and press Enter, please provide a screenshot of the resulting System Information window.

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