How to enable / disable Mono Audio on Windows 10

Typically, audio streams consist of left and right channels. Therefore, listeners receive a different sound stream from both channels with different tones. Unlike stereo, mono sound plays the same stream across both channels.

In Windows 10, you have a built-in option to enable mono audio output.

Enabling the Mono Audio feature is also useful when you're listening to only one channel audio, incorrectly encoded, or if the encoded channels are not compatible with your hardware setup, so there is only one. headphones or speakers that play the sound.

In Windows 10, the ability to enable Mono Audio is part of Ease of Access features. It can be enabled via Settings in Compatibility category or through Registry editing.

Enable Mono Audio in Windows 10 Settings

Step 1. Open Settings.

Step 2. Browse to Ease of Access> Hearing> Audio on the left side.

Step 3. On the right, turn on the Turn on mono audio option under Make your device easier to hear .

How to enable / disable Mono Audio on Windows 10 Picture 1

Step 4. Now, you can close Settings if you want.

Everything is completed. The Mono Audio feature is now enabled.

Turn on Mono Audio by tweaking the Registry

In addition to Settings, you can enable or disable Mono Audio by tweaking the Registry. This is useful when you need to apply this option to a group of computers. Let's see how to do that.

Step 1. Open the Registry Editor application.

Step 2. Go to the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftMultimediaAudio

Step 3. On the right side, create a new 32-bit DWORD value named AccessibilityMonoMixState.

How to enable / disable Mono Audio on Windows 10 Picture 2

Note : Even if you're running a 64-bit version of Windows, you still have to create a 32-bit DWORD value.

Step 4. Set its value data to 1 to enable Mono Audio. Value data 0 disables the feature.

Lesley Montoya

Update 15 September 2020