5 best ways to reinstall the sound driver in Win10

[admin]

Windows 10 is known for encountering one or more problems, and sound/audio problems are the most prominent. Some common sound problems reported by Windows 10 users include sound loss after Windows update, lack of audio management applications, and audio imbalance.
Interestingly, most of these Windows 10 sound problems are caused by damaged or missing audio/sound drivers. If there is no working audio/sound driver, the computer may make poor or zero sound. If there is no item (read: driver) in the "Sound, Video and Game Controllers" section of the PC's Device Manager, then your audio/sound driver has been lost, deleted, or uninstalled.

In the following paragraphs, we list five (5) different methods to reinstall the Windows PC, sound driver.


Method 1: Use Device Manager

The drivers responsible for the normal operation of computer hardware are listed in the device manager. In addition to organizing PC drivers, the Device Manager also fixes any problems that drivers may face. Follow the steps below to learn how to use the Device Manager to reinstall your computer's sound driver.

Step 1: Press the Windows logo + I button on the keyboard to launch the "Quick Access" menu.

Step 2: Click Device Manager.

Step 3: On the menu bar, click Action.

Step 4: Now click "Scan for hardware changes."
Alternatively, you can click the dedicated "Scan for hardware changes" button.
This will refresh your device manager for about 1-5 seconds, and then you will see a yellow exclamation mark icon, indicating new hardware that is not recognized. Normally, all missing drivers will be automatically reinstalled to your PC. An active Internet connection should help to obtain the latest version of the driver.

After scanning for hardware changes, you should see the newly (re)installed sound driver in the "Sound, Video and Game Controllers" section of the Device Manager. Just click the drop-down menu to expand the section.

Method 2: Use Windows to troubleshoot

Another effective way to make the computer automatically reinstall its sound driver is to use the Windows troubleshooter. This is the solution.

Step 1: Click the speaker icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar.

Step 2: Select "Troubleshoot sound problems."

This will open the Windows troubleshooter, which will detect PC sound issues. If the audio or sound driver is missing, the troubleshooter will automatically help you reinstall and update it. If the troubleshooter recognizes that the audio/sound driver is missing, it will prompt you to restart your PC so that it can reinstall the appropriate driver.

Step 3: Click "Apply this fix" to restart the computer.

After restarting, the sound driver should have been reinstalled.



Method 3: Use a third-party application

If Windows Device Manager and troubleshooters cannot get the sound driver back to the PC, you can use a third-party application to get the job done. These applications, commonly known as "driver updates," will automatically install new or missing drivers, update outdated drivers, and fix any driver issues that your PC may encounter. If you cannot find the sound driver for your computer, you can use these applications to reinstall it.


The best thing about using such software is that they can solve driver problems with the click of a button, eliminating the pressure of doing this manually.


Method 4: Windows Update

Running Windows Update can also help you scan, find, and reinstall the missing drivers needed for your PC's normal operation.

Step 1: Type Windows Update in the PC's search box, and then click "Check for Updates" from the results.


Step 2: On the Windows Update page, click the "Check for Updates" button.

If the update scan results indicate that your PC has audio/sound driver updates available, please continue to download them. Otherwise, please try the next step below.


Method 5: Manufacturer's website

Another way to reinstall the sound driver on the PC is to manually download the driver from the PC manufacturer’s website and install it on the device. For example, if you use a Lenovo computer, visit the official Lenovo support website and navigate the "Resources/Downloads" section.