We cannot do without sound even when using laptop computers: the capabilities of modern technology allow us to play games and watch movies not only on laptops, but even on tablets and smartphones. But how to turn on the sound on the laptop, if suddenly your favorite TV series or game "shut up"? We provide a list of common problems with sound and how to solve them.
Turn on and adjust the sound should be able to every PC user
Software sound adjustment
In most cases, if the sound on the laptop unexpectedly disappeared, we first look at the volume indicator in the lower right corner of the screen. If it is crossed with a cross, the sound is muted or removed to the minimum. In this case, it can be turned on using the "Fn" + "volume up" or "on / off" key combination. You can also click on the icon itself and adjust the volume through it.
But there are nuances. If you click on the icon with the mouse, the volume control will open. Bring it to the level you want, and then tap Mixer. In the window that opens, you will see several sections:
- "Device" - adjusts the overall volume on the laptop;
- “Applications” - contains the “System Sounds” tabs and volume settings for individual applications. Check the level on the tab that corresponds to your browser: it’s possible that the sound was turned off on it, and then that’s the reason for the lack of sound when launching browser games or watching online movies on a laptop.
In addition, do not forget to turn on the sound in the settings of the game itself and / or the player through which you watch the movie.
Sound card driver
If there is no icon that allows you to adjust audio, you probably have a problem with the sound card driver. For example, if you recently reinstalled the operating system on a laptop by installing a third-party build (especially if it is an earlier version of the build), the sound driver may not be installed automatically.
To check this, you need to go to the “Control Panel”, find the “Device Manager” and, in the list that opens, find the item “Sound, video and gaming devices” (the name may differ depending on the OS version, but it should mean sound).
Expand the list item with the arrow to the left of the name and find the device responsible for playing and recording audio. If there is an icon, but is marked with a cross or a down arrow, the sound card on the laptop is disabled in the system. You can enable it by clicking on it with the right mouse button and selecting “Enable”.
If among these devices there is nothing that speaks about audio, look for your card at the very end of the list, in the item “Other devices”. It will be there under the guise of an unknown device - this means that the driver is not installed, and the system does not recognize it. In this case, you will need to find the driver on the Internet or on the corresponding disk with the laptop software, then right-click on the “Unknown Device”, select “Update Driver” and then follow the prompts of the installer.
Upon successful installation, a volume control icon will appear in the system tray - this will mean that the sound card is working correctly. Sometimes this may require restarting the computer.
Windows Audio Service
Another possible reason for the lack of sound on a laptop can be a malfunction of the relevant system service. To check this and, if necessary, turn it on, you need to go back to the “Control Panel”, section “Administration”. In the list that appears, open the "Services" item. Among the working services, find the one that is responsible for the sound - “Windows Audio” - and check its status. If there is no “Running” mark in front of it, right-click the service name and select “Run”. Then double-click on the properties of the service and select “Automatic” in the “Startup type” list. Thus, in the future, this service will be launched every time the system starts.
Disable sound card in BIOS
There are also cases when the network card on your laptop for some reason (intentionally or accidentally) is disabled at the very core of the system - the BIOS (main input / output system). To check and fix this, you will need to get into the BIOS settings:
- At the very beginning of the computer boot, press the key responsible for entering the BIOS. Usually the prompt is on the screen during the period when this action is available. If not, look in the instructions for the laptop, how to do it, because on different models, the entrance to the BIOS is performed by different keys or their combinations.
- In the BIOS main menu, find the item responsible for the equipment (Chipset, Advanced Features, etc.). Most likely, you will have to look through a few points before you find the one you need. Then you will need to select “Enabled” next to the name of your audio device. After that, you can press the "Esc" key, then "Y" - as agreed to exit the settings, saving the changes.
- Now the computer will restart and, after the usual system boot procedure, the sound should appear on the laptop.
Conclusion
The sound on the laptop can disappear for various reasons, it is almost always unexpected and unpleasant, but it is usually not very difficult to turn it on again. Try to find and fix this problem according to our instructions. If necessary, ask questions in the comments.