5 ways to quickly fix Windows 10 error of not recognizing headphones

Windows 10 not recognizing headphones is a situation that many users are facing. Not being able to connect to headphones comes from many different reasons, possibly because your headphones are broken, have software errors, etc. If you are experiencing this situation, let's try TipsMake through 5 ways. Please fix it below.

1. Check if the headset is damaged?

The first thing you need to do when Windows 10 doesn't recognize your headphones is to check to see if your headphones are damaged.

You can check by using the headset to plug into other devices to see if the headset still works, thereby determining the reason why the headset cannot be recognized.

If you use another headset to connect and the laptop still receives normally, it proves that your headset is broken. Now what you need to do is replace a new headset to use.

2. Restart the computer

The error of Windows 10 not recognizing headphones may occur during use, the computer may have a software conflict causing the audio transmission to be interrupted. Therefore, if your device and headset cannot connect to each other, try restarting the computer.

To restart your computer, just click on the Windows icon > Select Power > Select Restart .

After booting, plug the headset back in and check to see if you can hear sound.

3. Check the sound settings

In addition to the causes and ways to fix the error of Windows 10 not recognizing the new TipsMake headphones mentioned above, a common reason why you cannot hear sound from the headphones is because you have turned off the sound in the settings. Therefore, if you cannot connect the headset to your laptop, try checking the sound settings. 

In the sound settings, you need to check two sections: Device Usage and Volume Mixer to see if the sound items are turned off or not.

Check the Volume Mixer

To check the Volume Mixer you can follow these steps:

1. Step 1: First, right-click on the speaker icon on the Taskbar > Select Open Volume Mixer .
2. Step 2: Then, look at the Device and Applications sections to check if the device is in mute state or not. If so, click on the Speaker icon to adjust it to sound mode.

Check Device Usage

To check Device Usage, do the following:

1. Step 1: Right-click on the speaker icon on the Taskbar > Select Sound .
2. Step 2: Next, click Playback and right-click Headphones > Select Properties .
3. Step 3: Now, in the Device usage section > Select Use this device (enable) > Click OK .

So you have completed opening the Device Usage sound mode for your device. At that time, you can try plugging in the headset and check to see if you can hear the sound.

4. Use the built-in audio troubleshooting feature

1. Step 1: In the Windows window , type troubleshoot > Open Troubleshoot Settings .
2. Step 2: Then, click Additional troubleshooters .
3. Step 3: Select Playing audio > Select Run the troubleshooter .
4. Step 4: Tick select Headphones > Next .
5. Step 5: Select No, Do not open Audio Enhancements .
6. Step 6: Select Play test sounds .

After you perform the above steps, if you still cannot hear the sound coming from the headphones, select I didn't hear anything . After that, your computer will automatically find and fix the error.

5. Reinstall the sound driver for the device

If you still haven't succeeded in fixing the error of Windows 10 not recognizing headphones using the above 4 ways, try reinstalling the sound driver for your device. Driver is a software that helps users use peripheral devices such as mice, speakers, keyboards, etc. Software plays a very important role. Therefore, if you cannot connect your computer to the headset, it is likely because the sound driver on your laptop has a problem and needs to be reinstalled to continue using it.

To reinstall the Driver, just follow the steps below:

Step 1: First, press the Windows + R key combination > Enter devmgmt.msc > Click OK .

Step 2: At the Device Manager icon , continue to double-click on Sound, video and game controllers (or click on the arrow next to it).

Step 3: Next, right-click RealTek (R) Audio > Select Uninstall device .

Step 4: Finally, just right-click on Sound, video and game controllers > Select Scan for hardware changes . So you have finished reinstalling the Driver. Now you just need to connect the headphones and check to see if you can hear the sound.

Above, TipsMake has just shown you 5 ways to fix the problem of Windows 10 not recognizing headphones. Hopefully the above methods can help you fix your problem. If you find the article useful, please share it with everyone.

Jessica Tanner

Update 10 October 2023