On a Windows computer, you can reset all audio settings to restore them to the factory default settings. This is often required when experiencing issues with your audio settings, like incorrect audio output device, no or low volume, incorrect balance, and so on. If you cannot fix any audio-related issue or cannot find its respective setting, the best way to go about it is to reset all the audio settings. Here you’ll find all the possible methods to reset your audio settings to factory default settings.
Why Reset Audio Settings
Audio setting reset brings all your configurations to factory-default settings. This means that all changes made to the audio settings will be reverted to the way they were at the very beginning. Resetting all audio settings is a convenient way to fix audio issues that you do not understand, or cannot fix from the audio settings. If any issues are present because of any prior configurations, an audio reset will undo them. Let us now continue to see the multiple ways to reset all audio settings.
Reset All Audio Settings in Windows
Reset Audio Settings from Sound Settings
The following steps are the easiest way to reset volume levels across all devices using the Settings app: Clicking “Reset” will instantly reset all audio settings, including the audio volumes, and restore all settings to their default values.
Reset Individual Device Audio Setting
You can also reset per-device audio settings from advanced audio controls. Here is how: If you have multiple audio devices connected to your PC, repeat these steps for all of them to reset their audio settings.
Restart the Audio Driver
You can also rest the audio driver which will in turn reset all audio settings. Here is how:
Restart Windows Audio Service
Another way to reset your audio settings is by restarting the Windows Audio service. Here is how:
Reset System Sounds
System sounds are the ones specific to the computer’s actions. For example, the notification sounds, the double-clicking sound, or the device connection and disconnection sound. Use the following steps to reset the system sounds to the Windows default sounds: If you had previously set any custom system sounds, it would now be reverted to the default Windows sounds.
Closing Thoughts
Resetting the audio settings usually solves any software issues you may be experiencing relating to the system audio. This article lists several methods to reset the different audio settings on a Windows computer. Note that resetting any audio settings only changes its settings back to the factory defaults, and is completely harmless. Moreover, no drivers are lost or corrupted during the process.
