Audio Input and Output device uninstalled upon restart in Windows 11/10

There are several complaints from readers who’ve been experiencing problems with the audio drivers in their Windows 11/10 computers. The problem is that, after they restart their computers, they find that the Audio Input and Output devices have been uninstalled, and they have to reinstall them to get them working again. This post will examine multiple reasons and solutions that will help you resolve the problem where the audio input and output device uninstalled upon restart.

One of the most common reasons is any recent Windows Update could have caused the problem. The result is an unstable driver that fails to recognize the connected device. There are other reasons as well, such as disconnected devices.

Audio Input and Output device uninstalled upon restart

Follow these steps to resolve the problem with your Audio input and output devices.

1. Run the Built-In Audio Troubleshooter
2. Corrupted Audio Drivers
3. Re-Enable Your Audio Device
4. No Audio Output Device is installed.
5. Download & update driver from the Manufacturer’s Website

You must know the list of input and audio devices on the computer.

1] Run the Built-In Audio Troubleshooter

Windows built-in troubleshooter can fix most things, and it is always best to run it before any advanced troubleshooting.

Open Windows 11 Settings, and navigate to System > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Playing Audio. Select it, and run the audio troubleshooter.

Go to Windows 10 Settings, and navigate to Update and security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Playing Audio.

Run the troubleshooter, and let the wizard do its job—problems such as disabled audio devices, any software block, restarting of services, and so on.

Read: No Audio or Sound is missing.

2] Re-Enable Your Audio Device

If you cannot find the device even though it is turned on, it may have been disabled.

• Type Control in the Start menu, and open the classic Control Panel.
• Click on the Sound icon.
• Right-click anywhere on the window, and select Show Disabled Devices
• The list will refresh, and if the device was not listed earlier, you should be able to see it.
• Right-click on it, and choose to enable

You can repeat it for both Playback and Recording.

Read: HDMI Audio device not detected.

3] No Audio Output Device is connected

It is possible that no audio output device is connected. For example, you may have an earlier connected speaker using the 3.5 mm audio jack or Bluetooth, but it has not been powered up. In that case, Windows should typically say that it is not able to find the device. If you power on the device and then use the sound icon on the system tray, you can switch to it.

TIP: This post will help you if no audio input device is found.

4]  Corrupted Audio Drivers

System files and drives get corrupted sometimes. The only way out is to uninstall the device using the device manager and then reinstall using the scanning feature. This method will make sure to fix the problem.

• Use WIN + X, followed by M to open the device manager
• Locate the audio device, and right-click on it, and choose to uninstall it.
• Right-click on the computer name on the top, and select Scan for Hardware changes.

It will automatically find the device and install the required driver. You can also choose to install the latest drivers from the OEM’s website.

Read: One or more audio service isn’t running.

5] Download & update the driver from the manufacturer’s website

If the problem occurred after a recent Windows Update, you might have to update the devices’ driver. If there was no update, but a recent update may be available on the Manufacturer’s Website. While Windows should be able to find and install it, but if it doesn’t, you can manually download and update the driver.

If nothing works out and you are desperate to get the audio device working,  the only thing you can do is roll back the recent Windows update and see if that works.