Have a laptop whose main speakers suddenly died? No need to freak out, we have compiled all the possibilities for laptop speakers not working and ways to get them working again. So, let’s get to it.
Selecting laptop’s default speaker
A reason for speakers not working can be the default audio output device might have changed from the laptop speakers. To resolve this problem, first disconnect all the external speakers or headphone from the laptop. Open Control Panel, select Sound, then in the Playback tab select your laptop’s speakers and set it as default by selecting ‘Set Default’.
Then, select Properties. In the General tab, make sure the Device Usage is set at ‘Use this Device’. Next, in the Levels tab, check whether volume is set at audible levels.
Click Okay and then click Configure in the previous window. Next, click Test. If you still don’t hear a sound, go back to the previous window and select Properties again. Open the Advanced tab, under the Default Format, reduce the audio quality to CD quality and click Test. If you hear a sound, increase
Reinstalling the laptop’s audio driver
Open the device manager. Locate and expand ‘Sound, video and game controllers’. Right click on ‘Realtek High Definition Audio’ and select Update Driver Software.
Then, click on ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’. Restart the laptop after that and see if you get audio through the speakers.
Method 2: Download and Install the Latest Driver from Manufacturer
Download the latest official audio driver from the Realtek website
Click ‘High Definition Audio Codecs’. Accept the disclaimer on the next page and click Next.
From the list find a compatible audio driver for your system.
Simply double click on the downloaded file and the installation will start. Restart your laptop after installation completes.
Performing a PSA test on laptop
If your laptop speakers are not working still, time to dig deeper. This solution is more specific for Dell laptops. Move to the next step if you have a different brand of laptop.
This diagnostic tool tests whether or not the laptop’s speakers are dead using the BIOS chip on the motherboard. Here’s the steps required for performing a PSA test:
Re-start the laptop and press the F12 button as soon as if starts to boot-up. A set of options will be displayed.
Select Diagnostics using the keyboard. Now the PSA / ePSA test will open up.
At the end of the page that opened up, press ‘Perform Quick Audio Check’ and now you should hear a ‘beep’ sound from the speakers (if they are working).
If you do not have the ‘Perform Quick Audio Check’ option then start the PSA test. When the test performs a colour test, it will prompt you to ask whether you see colour bars on the screen. Select ‘No’. The PSA test will now emit ‘beeps’.
If you didn’t hear any ‘beep’ sounds that means either the speakers are dead or there’s a loose connection.
If you did hear the ‘beep’ sounds that means the speaker are working fine. The problem lies in the headphone jack. More precisely the sensing circuitry of the headphone jack. This makes the laptop think that a headphone is still connected to the laptop (even when there’s nothing connected) and sends the audio signal to the headphone port. Replacing the headphone circuitry will do the trick here.
If you find this troubleshooting a hassle, just book a case with us for Computer Repair and we’ll look into why your laptop audio is not working. Cheers!