Audio is not coming through my monitor & device is not showing

Hi,

If possible, could you access msinfo32.exe in the search bar, take a screenshot, and post it here so I can see the desktop configuration?

If you have a GPU, could you tell me the model?

Thanks

On a new Windows 10 PC where the monitor speakers over HDMI do not appear at all and the volume icon is disabled, the issue is usually either:

• No working audio driver, or
• The wrong output device (e.g., a non‑audio monitor) is set or the device is disabled.

Follow these steps in order:

1. Confirm the audio device is not muted/disabled
2. Right‑click the speaker icon on the taskbar and select Open Volume mixer.
3. Make sure no device is muted (no red circle with a line through it). If muted, click to unmute.
4. Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
5. Under Output, select the device and click Device properties.
6. Ensure the Disable checkbox is cleared for both output and input devices.

If the volume icon is disabled and no device is listed, continue.

2. Set the correct default audio device (HDMI monitor vs others)
3. In the taskbar search box, type control panel and open it.
4. Select Hardware and Sound > Sound.
5. On the Playback tab:
   • If the HDMI monitor is listed, right‑click it and select Set as Default Device, then OK.
   • If an external monitor without speakers is set as default, change the default to a device that actually has speakers.

If the HDMI monitor does not appear at all, continue.

3. Check that an audio driver is installed and working
4. In the taskbar search box, type device manager and open it.
5. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   • If there is no audio device listed, or it shows a warning icon, the driver is missing or faulty.
6. Right‑click the sound card or audio device (e.g., Realtek, High Definition Audio Device, etc.) and select Update driver.
7. Select Search automatically for updated driver software and complete the wizard.
   • If no newer driver is found, download the correct audio driver from the motherboard or PC manufacturer’s website and install it.

If updating does not help, reinstall the driver.

4. Reinstall the audio driver
5. In Device Manager, under Sound, video and game controllers, right‑click the audio device and select Uninstall device.
6. Check Delete the driver software for this device, then select Uninstall.
7. Restart the PC (Start > Power > Restart). Windows will attempt to reinstall the audio driver automatically.
8. After restart, check Sound settings and Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound again for an output device.
9. Try the generic Windows audio driver If the vendor driver still fails or the device is not usable:
10. Open Device Manager again and expand Sound, video and game controllers.
11. Right‑click the sound card/audio device and select Update driver.
12. Choose Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
13. Select High Definition Audio Device, then Next and complete installation.
14. Reboot if prompted, then re‑check the Playback tab and set the HDMI monitor as default if it appears.
15. If audio broke after a Windows Update If audio worked before an update and stopped afterwards:
16. In Device Manager, right‑click the audio device and select Properties.
17. Go to the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver.
18. Follow the prompts and select Yes.
19. Test audio again.

If rollback is not available or does not help, restoring from a system restore point created before the problem started is another option (see “Restore from a system restore point” in Recovery options in Windows).

7. Additional checks

• If there is an IDT High Definition Audio CODEC under Sound, video and game controllers, right‑click it, choose Update driver > Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer, then select High Definition Audio Device and Next.
• In Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound, right‑click the default playback device, choose Properties > Advanced, and try different values under Default Format, testing audio after each change.
• Ensure the following services are running and restart them if needed:
  1. Press Start and type services, open Services.
  2. Find Windows Audio, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, and Remote Procedure Call (RPC).
  3. Right‑click each and select Restart; ensure their startup type is not disabled.

If, after these steps, no device appears under Playback and Device Manager shows no audio controller at all, the issue is likely hardware (motherboard audio or monitor) and requires checking with the PC/motherboard vendor.

References:

• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows
• NO SOUND DEVICE INSTALLED - Microsoft Q&A
• How to fix this. no audio device is installed - Microsoft Q&A
• cannot increase volume even if trouble shooter updates it - Microsoft Q&A
• My audio inputs and outputs suddenly disappeared, how do i fix this? - Microsoft Q&A