Sound cutting out? Not getting any audio at all? Your sound card handles all the sounds coming out of your PC, but your sound card driver is a tiny bit of software that governs how it works. Outdated sound drivers can cause all sorts of problems — learn how to update your audio driver here, or do it automatically with AVG Driver Updater. If you already know that your sound driver needs to be updated, jump down to our section on automatically updating your audio driver.
Open the Windows menu and enter the search phrase device manager. Open the Device Manager from the list of results. You can also type device manager into the Cortana search bar. Click Sound, video and game controllers , then right-click your sound card and click Properties. If not, you should update your audio driver ASAP.
The good news is that updating audio drivers is as easy as clicking a button. Keep reading to learn how. Ready to automatically update all your drivers with a single click? Then you should use a specially designed tool that makes driver updates super easy and convenient.
After a quick scan of your entire PC, AVG Driver Updater will identify any outdated or malfunctioning drivers sound drivers, graphics drivers, and any others , automatically find updates, and quickly install them for you.
Try a free scan now to see if any of your drivers need an update. After the scan is finished, AVG Driver Updater will show you a list of all the drivers that can be updated, including an audio driver update. Click Update Selected to update all of them at the same time. But keeping up with all these updates can be a herculean task. You can also work within Windows to update your drivers by yourself. Windows Update is a built-in service that maintains your operating system OS and a number of Microsoft programs, but it can source driver updates as well.
For a more direct manual process, you can update individual drivers within the Device Manager. With Device Manager, you can update your audio drivers individually, without affecting any of the other software on your PC. The process here is the same for Windows 10 and Windows 7.
Open the Windows menu, type device manager , and select Device Manager from the results. If you prefer, you can type device manager directly into the Cortana search bar.
Click Search automatically for drivers to have Windows find the audio driver updates for you. Choose Windows Update from the left-side menu, and then click Check for Updates. If Windows Update finds any software updates for your PC, you can install them here. Open the Start menu, enter windows update , and then select Windows Update from the list of results. If Windows Update finds any updates, install them.
Outdated drivers are the source of many common computer issues , sound problems included. As sound card manufacturers update their software, they add new features and controls that let you customize your sound card to suit your preferred audio setup and style. With an updated sound driver, you can control the number of audio channels, the sample rate, and adjust the volume of individual speakers in your home or studio speaker system.
Recording artists and studio professionals can benefit from additional controls over audio input feeds, letting them fine-tune their sound output to fully exploit their specialized audio hardware. Outdated or faulty drivers are a common cause for sound problems. Even Microsoft themselves want you to keep your drivers current — in fact, updating your drivers is solution 6 in their official Windows audio troubleshooting guide , right after making sure everything is plugged in properly.
Much like sound drivers can fix sound problems, updating your graphics driver can address a range of graphics-related issues, including program crashes. Having current drivers is rarely a bad idea.
To enjoy a considerable boost in your computer's speed and reliability, pair your updated drivers with a performance optimizer like AVG TuneUp. Enjoy optimal PC performance. Privacy Report vulnerability Contact security License agreements Modern Slavery Statement Cookies Accessibility Statement Do not sell my info All third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Navigate to the Driver tab. Automatically update your audio driver Ready to automatically update all your drivers with a single click? Download free trial. More helpful tips Free install.