How to get Teams secondary ringer on speakers but everything else through headset?

Question

How to get Teams secondary ringer on speakers but everything else through headset?

Jon B 0

I have been unable to get the sound working as I want with Teams and Windows 11.

I want the Teams secondary ringer to go to speakers, and everything else (including system sounds, playback of recorded meetings etc.) to go to the headset.

Is this possible?

Jon B 0 Reputation points

2026-04-28T08:47:35.37+00:00

The AI response simply does not work. The secondary ringer is set to speakers, but they do not ring.
Davy Aerts 161 Reputation points

2026-04-28T09:05:32.9333333+00:00
I'm sure you've already checked these but just making sure:

Did you restart Teams completely (right‑click → Quit)?

In your Windows settings: Are your speakers set to default device and the headset as default communications device?

Did you check for per-app overrides?

Are you using a Bluetooth headset? If so, is it in Hands-Free mode?
Jon B 0 Reputation points

2026-04-28T12:52:50.83+00:00
Hi Davy,

Yes

Yes

They look ok to me!

No, USB.

One thing I'm wondering about is Windows identifies my headset (V7 HU311) as "speakers", as well as the built-in laptop Audio & speakers (Realtek).

1 answer

Your answer

Jon B 0 Reputation points

2026-04-28T08:47:35.37+00:00

The AI response simply does not work. The secondary ringer is set to speakers, but they do not ring.
Davy Aerts 161 Reputation points

2026-04-28T09:05:32.9333333+00:00

I'm sure you've already checked these but just making sure:

Did you restart Teams completely (right‑click → Quit)?

In your Windows settings: Are your speakers set to default device and the headset as default communications device?

Did you check for per-app overrides?

Are you using a Bluetooth headset? If so, is it in Hands-Free mode?
Jon B 0 Reputation points

2026-04-28T12:52:50.83+00:00

Hi Davy,

Yes

Yes

They look ok to me!

No, USB.

One thing I'm wondering about is Windows identifies my headset (V7 HU311) as "speakers", as well as the built-in laptop Audio & speakers (Realtek).

Answer 1

Henry-N 12,550 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Jon B,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

If you’d like Microsoft Teams’ secondary ringer to play through your speakers, while all other audio (calls, recordings, system sounds) goes through your headset, you can configure this using Windows sound settings. Please follow the steps below:

Steps to configure audio devices

Go to Settings > System > Sound.
Scroll down and select More sound settings.
In the Playback tab:
- Right‑click your speakers and select "Set as Default Device. "
- Right‑click your headset and select "Set as Default Communication Device."

Incoming Teams calls will ring on both your speakers and headset (secondary ringer behavior).

Once you answer the call, audio and microphone input will be handled exclusively by your headset.
Other sounds, such as meeting recordings and system audio, will continue to use the headset.

This setup allows you to clearly hear incoming calls even if you’re away from your desk, while still ensuring conversations happen through your headset.

Thank you again for your time and understanding. While my initial response may not resolve the issue immediately, I’d like to gather more details about your situation so I can assist you more effectively.     

I really appreciate your patience, and I’m here to help. Looking forward to your response!          

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".     

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread  

Jon B 0 Reputation points

2026-04-28T12:56:08.35+00:00

Still no ringing from the speakers I'm afraid.
Henry-N 12,550 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-29T14:45:12+00:00
Hi @Jon B,

Thank you for taking the time to get back to me. I appreciate the update.

I’ve tested this behavior on my side and confirmed that the secondary ringer plays through both the speakers and the headset as expected. Since it’s not working the same way on your setup, I might need to narrow down whether this is device specific or configuration related.

To help with further troubleshooting, could you please try the following:

Test on a different device (if available) using the same Teams account to see whether the issue persists.

On the same computer, try switching to a different headset or communication device and check whether the secondary ringer starts playing through the speakers.

I understand that this is a few things to test, and I apologize for the multiple questions. Gathering this information will help us better identify the root cause and provide the most accurate guidance.

Thank you very much for your patience and understanding. I look forward to your update and am happy to continue helping.
Jon B 0 Reputation points

2026-05-01T10:45:10.0566667+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions. In the end I asked my employer's IT team to look at it and they had me update the audio drivers for my HP laptop. It works now.

Another thing I learned (and it took me a while to realize) was the Teams "Make a test call" feature does not activate the secondary ringer. So the only way to test different settings was to have someone call me or call myself from my phone.
Henry-N 12,550 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-01T14:12:45.4533333+00:00

Hi @Jon B,

I’m really glad to hear the issue is resolved, and thank you for sharing the outcome. Updating the audio drivers was a great catch by your IT team this information will definitely help others who may run into the same behavior on similar devices.

You’re also absolutely right about Teams’ “Make a test call” feature. This is by design the test call is intended only to validate your microphone, speaker/headset output, and camera. It does not trigger an incoming call experience, so the secondary ringer is not activated. As you discovered, the only reliable way to test secondary ringer behavior is to receive a real incoming call (for example, from another user or from your phone).

Thank you again for your patience and for taking the time to follow up with these helpful details. If you need any further assistance, feel free to reach out I’m always happy to help.

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How to get Teams secondary ringer on speakers but everything else through headset?

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