Technology

How to fix computer not recognizing headphones? Discover the 8 most detailed solutions

There may be several reasons why your computer does not recognize headphones. When encountering this issue, you should check some settings in the computer's audio system as well as the device's connectivity. Additionally, in some cases, the inability to connect may be due to a faulty device.

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23 December, 2023

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Having your computer not recognize your headphones is a fairly common issue during device usage. So how do you deal with this situation? Below, FPT Shop will suggest 8 ways for you to troubleshoot the problem of your computer not recognizing headphones. By doing so, you can apply these methods to avoid interruptions in your work and study.

Check if your headphones are faulty

The first way to fix this problem is to check if the device has any issues. You can use a different pair of headphones and plug it into the computer. If the sound still comes out normally, it is very likely that your headphones are broken.

Check the functionality of the headphones when connecting to the computer

Restart your computer

To fix the situation where the computer does not recognize the headphones, you should restart the device. Because there is a possibility that the problem lies in the conflict between software, resulting in signal disruption. When you restart the computer, the operating system will shut down all programs, meaning that the conflict will disappear, and the audio processing will return to normal.

Restart to resolve the issue of the computer not recognizing headphones

Check the sound settings

The issue of headphones not connecting can often originate from sound problems. So, to fix the problem of the computer not recognizing headphones, you should check the Volume Mixer and Device Usage as follows:

Check Volume Mixer

Volume Mixer is a program that controls the audio intensity of the computer. The lack of sound from the headphones may be due to the volume being turned off or accidentally set to a low level on the Mixer. You can check it with the following steps:

Step 1: Right-click on the speaker icon on the Taskbar and select Open Volume Mixer.

Select Open Volume Mixer to check headphone connection issues

Step 2: Check the sound status in the Device and Applications sections, ensuring that all speaker icons are turned on and the volume is increased.

Enable sound mode after determining Device and Applications

Check Device Usage

Device Usage is a program that manages devices connected for common use with the computer. The issue of the computer not recognizing headphones can occur because the system has not granted permission for the headphones to work. You should access this program to allow the device to be used:

Step 1: Right-click on the speaker icon on the Taskbar and select Sounds.

Select Sound in the speaker icon on the Taskbar

Step 2: Choose Playback > click on Speaker/Headphones > Properties.

Go to Properties in Playback to adjust sound

Step 3: In Device usage > click on the Use this device (enable) option > select Ok.

Grant permission for the headphone device to operate on the system

Use integrated sound troubleshooting

Sometimes the computer will encounter integrated issues, leading to a loss of sound. To fix this problem, you need to take the following steps:

Step 1: Search for and select Troubleshoot Settings in the Windows window.

Search for Troubleshoot on Windows and select Troubleshoot settings

Step 2: When you open the Troubleshoot interface, select Additional troubleshooters > Playing audio > Select Run the troubleshooter.

Adjust sound errors with Additional Troubleshooters

Step 3: Select Headphone (your username) > click Next.

Step 4: A notification window will appear, select No, Do not open Audio Enhancements.

Select No, Do not open Audio Enhancements when the information window appears

Step 5: When a notification window appears, continue by selecting Play test sounds.

Select Play test sounds to handle the issue of the computer not recognizing headphones

Reinstall audio driver for the computer

If the computer does not recognize the headphones, it is likely that the driver for the speaker or sound card has encountered an error. To fix this issue, follow these steps:

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys > enter devmgmt.msc > Ok.

Enter devmgmt.msc after opening the Windows + R command

Step 2: Double-click on the Sound, video and game controllers section in the Device Manager.icon Here, select the RealTek (R) Audio option > click on Uninstall Device.

Select RealTek (R) Audio, then click Uninstall Device

Step 3: Continue clicking on the Sound, video and game controllers section and select Scan for hardware changes.

Click on Scan for hardware changes in Sound, video and game controllers

Check and update the audio driver

Another way to troubleshoot the situation where the computer does not recognize headphones is to update the audio driver version on the system. You can do the following:

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys, then enter devmgmt.msc and select Ok.

Enter devmgmt.msc after opening Windows + R

Step 2: In Device Manager, select Sound, video and game controllers. Then, select RealTek (R) Audio > select Update driver > automatic or available driver update mode.

Click on Update driver in the RealTek (R) Audio section

Check the connection port

The situation of the computer not recognizing headphones may be due to issues with the connection port. To solve this problem, you should clean the device, especially the connection port, and then plug in the headphones as usual. In addition, you should also observe whether there is any damage at this location by direct observation. Or if you do not know how to check, you can take it to repair shops for evaluation.

Check the laptop when it does not recognize Bluetooth headphones

If you are using Bluetooth headphones and find that the computer does not recognize them, you need to check if you have enabled the connection on the device. After that, also check if the headphone battery is low, if so, charge it before using it as normal. Besides, make sure that the headphones are not connected to any other device via Bluetooth.

Laptop not recognizing Bluetooth headphones, check if the connection is enabled

Answers to some related questions

Along with troubleshooting when the computer does not recognize headphones, users also have many questions during usage. Below, we will answer some common questions to provide you with more useful knowledge:

Why do I have to restart my computer every time I plug in headphones?

This error can be simply understood as a software system failure, so it cannot recognize headphones immediately after connecting them without restarting. To fix this, you can open Windows Settings and select Update & Security, then click Troubleshoot > Playing Audio, and finally select Run the troubleshooter to deal with it.

Select Playing Audio > Run the troubleshooter to fix the issue of having to restart the computer before recognizing headphones

How do I adjust the volume using the buttons on the headphones?

Most headphones have control buttons on the body of the device. You need to determine which button increases or decreases the volume before making any adjustments. However, for devices without adjustment buttons, you can adjust the volume through the volume bar on the computer.

The computer has lost sound from both the headphones and external speakers?

If both the headphones and speakers do not have sound, you should check if the sound volume on the computer is turned off and also check if the website/video you are using has any sound or copyright issues.

Check the volume or sound copyright of the website/video if the headphones and speakers have no sound

How do I connect Bluetooth headphones to a computer?

First, you need to turn on the headphones, then enable Bluetooth on the computer, and finally connect your laptop/PC to the name of the listening device. Make sure the headphones are not connected to any other device before use.

The laptop plays sound from both headphones and external speakers?

There are many reasons why both the external speaker and headphones play sound at the same time. To fix this, you can check the plug jack, the laptop’s sound settings, software conflicts, driver errors on the computer, etc. Depending on the cause, there will be an appropriate solution.

Conclusion

We have shared all the ways to troubleshoot when the computer does not recognize headphones through the above content. We hope you have gained more useful knowledge to handle any problems that may arise when using the device.