Something that many of the users do every day every time they sit in front of the computer is to connect their headphones to the PC and play their favorite music. This way they can enjoy it without disturbing anyone around them. However, one day out of the blue, we may find that Windows 10 and 11 does not recognize your headphones , if so, then we are going to show how we can solve the problem.
The problem may be related to Windows, it may be Bluetooth if they are this type of headset, or it may even be that they have been damaged or do not work. We will discuss the different ways to solve this problem. If you have already tried several times, you have even restarted the computer to see if it works that way and all this has been in vain, we will tell you about the steps you must take now.
Solve Windows 10 and 11 does not detect the headphones and cannot hear
The truth is if Windows 10 does not recognize your headphones it can be for several reasons. The first thing is to make sure that the problem is not with our headphones , since they could have been damaged and this is the reason why Windows 10 does not detect them. To do this, simply connect them to another PC or sound system and check if they work correctly.
Check connection and update drivers
If this is so, then we must check the cable connections , but if everything is correct, then we can proceed to update the drivers of our sound card , since the problem may therefore be on the computer side. To do this, simply go to Device Manager, find our audio card and by right-clicking on it, select the Update driver option.
We can also do it manually by downloading them from the manufacturer’s website, we just have to identify the model and go to it. When updating, it will ask us if we want to use one that we already have on our computer or that it detects it automatically. If there is a newer one it will be installed on the system. Sometimes nothing appears and you have to install it or it will suggest if you want to search Windows Update. One of the main reasons that the headphones do not work are the drivers, so it is worth checking.
Audio Troubleshooter
If the problem still continues and Windows 10 does not recognize your headphones, then we can use the Windows 10 audio troubleshooter . Remember that Microsoft has included a series of troubleshooters on the system configuration page that can help us solve all kinds of problems automatically.
So, we go to Settings > Update & security > Troubleshoot and launch the audio playback troubleshooter to see if it is able to solve our problem. Even if you think that on many occasions this method has not worked for you, you might be surprised.
Change sound format
Another thing that can help us in the event that Windows 10 does not detect your headphones is to change the default sound format . To do this, we right-click on the speaker icon on the taskbar to enter Sounds and then right-click on the device to access its Properties.
If when you want to do this you cannot find your device, this is the problem, which is probably not detected and it is due to the connection. So while you’re here you can try this check and reconnect your headphones if so.
This will open a new window in which we have to go to the advanced options tab. There we will find the Default format, which allows us to modify the sample rate and depth. We set the highest value, save the changes, and try again to see if our Windows 10 not recognizing your headphones issue has been fixed.
Restart the audio service
Another alternative to be able to solve the problems with our headphones in Windows 10 is to restart the system audio service. For it:
- We open a Windows Run window, Win + R.
- We write services.msc and press Enter or Accept.
- We look for the service called Windows Audio.
- We click on it with the right mouse button and select the Restart option.
Now we can test again if the system recognizes our headphones and if the sound is heard correctly through them. In many cases, the problem is solved with this simple check.
Check sound output settings
If nothing is heard through the headphones that we have connected to the computer, the system’s audio output may not be configured correctly. Therefore, we must:
- Right-click on the speaker icon displayed on the taskbar.
- We choose the Open Sound Settings option.
- In the Output section of the Configuration page we verify the output device.
- If they are not our headphones, we display the list and select them.
- We can also click on the Manage sound devices option and select the input that corresponds to our headphones and verify that they are heard correctly by clicking on the Test button.
You can also get there from Windows Settings, from start and the gear icon or with the shortcut Windows + I. Then give System and Sound.
Bluetooth Troubleshooter
For this type of error and others that we can find with Bluetooth in Windows 10, we recommend you follow these steps where we explain how to activate and deactivate Bluetooth, steps to follow to add new devices and how to solve the most common problems with Bluetooth in Windows 10 and 11.
If you have a Bluetooth headset with problems in Windows, it is recommended to try to disconnect and connect them again . It is surprising how many problems are solved with this simple gesture.
However, you may have to unpair and pair them again for them to work. To do this, we will open the Windows Configuration menu or press the Win + I key combination. There we will look for the Bluetooth and other devices section. We will click on the device and mark “Remove device”. Next, we will turn the Bluetooth off and on so that it begins to search for the headphones (in some cases it is necessary to press a button on them).
The next thing we can try is the Bluetooth troubleshooter that is built into the operating system itself. To do this, we will open the Windows Configuration menu again or press the Win + I key combination. Now we will have to search for and click on the “Update and security” section.
In the left column we must navigate to “Troubleshoot” and there it will be enough to search for “Additional troubleshooters”. That will open a new window in which we will have Bluetooth as one of the options. The system makes it clear to us that it is used to Find and correct problems with Bluetooth devices , so we do not lose anything by trying it. We will only have to click on “Run the troubleshooter” and wait patiently to see if the thing is resolved.
There are many who do not have much faith in Windows solvers, but the truth is that they can surprise us at times. In this case, we lose nothing by trying, as long as we have exhausted all the steps that we have explained to you previously.
If none of the above works, it may be a hardware issue . If the helmets are under warranty, try to process it by talking to the establishment where you purchased them, if they are not under warranty, you may have to go through the checkout to get new ones.