If your Windows 10 or 11 computer has no sound after a Realtek driver update or installation, you'll need to work your way through quite a long list of different fixes to solve the problem. However, if you are lucky, you might be able to solve it using the first fix in this guide. That seems to be the most effective one for the average user.

Takeaways:

  1. I've lost all sound on Windows since updating my sound drivers. What's the solution?
  2. Fixing no sound on Windows 11 because of a Realtek Driver update.

How to Fix No Sound After Installing or Updating the Realtek Driver

Sometimes, the default playback device may change after a driver update or even a Windows Update sometimes.

  • Open Control Panel and search for Sound.
  • Select Sound from the results.
  • In the Playback tab, ensure your Realtek audio device is set as the default device (it will have a green checkmark).
  • If it’s not the default, right-click your device and select Set as Default Device.
  • Click Apply and OK.

Run the Audio Troubleshooter

Windows has a built-in troubleshooter that can automatically detect and fix audio problems, but it's honestly pretty useless, though we've listed it here anyway, as I'm sure it works for at least 1% of people.

  • Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
  • Find and run the Audio troubleshooter.

Alternatively, use the Get Help app:

  • Open Get Help, type "no sound," and follow the on-screen prompts to run diagnostics.

Verify Required Services Are Running

Two important Windows services must be active for sound to work:

  • Windows Audio
  • Windows Audio Endpoint Builder
  • Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
  • Locate both services and ensure their status is Running.
  • If stopped, right-click each service and select Start.
  • If disabled, double-click the service, set Startup type to Automatic, then click Start, Apply, and OK.

Roll Back the Realtek Driver

If the issue began after updating the driver, rolling back to the previous version may help:

  • Open Device Manager (Win + X > Device Manager).
  • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
  • Right-click Realtek Audio and select Properties.
  • Go to the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver.
  • Follow the instructions to revert to the previous version.

Note: If the Roll Back option is greyed out, proceed to the next step.

Uninstall and Reinstall the Realtek Driver

If rolling back isn’t possible or effective, a clean reinstall might fix the problem:

  • Download the latest Realtek audio driver from your PC manufacturer’s official website.
  • Open Device Manager, right-click Realtek Audio, and select Uninstall device.
  • Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device, then click Uninstall.
  • Restart your PC.
  • Run the downloaded installer to reinstall the Realtek driver.

Use System Restore

If none of the above works, restoring your system to a previous state when the sound was working can help provided you have restore points created:

  • Search for Create a restore point in the Start menu.
  • Click System Restore and follow the wizard to pick a restore point before the driver update.