Headphones plugged in but sound coming from speakers on Window PC

Did you plug in your headphones, but still the sound is coming from the speakers? Some Windows users have complained of facing the problem where the sound is playing through speakers even when they have their headphones plugged in. This can be really annoying as it keeps you away from enjoying music the way you want. If you are one of the users encountering the same problem, this post is for you. In this guide, we will show you how to resolve this issue and enjoy the sound through your headphones.

Before we move ahead with the actual fixes, let us discuss the reasons that might trigger this problem.

Why are my headphones plugged in but sound is coming from speakers?

The possible cause behind this problem can be as follows:

• It may be that you haven’t properly connected the headphones. Hence, ensure that there is no loose connection and that your headphones are properly connected.
• Faulty headphones might cause the issue. So, make sure the headphones are working by checking them with another device.
• If the sound comes from the speakers even when headphones are plugged in, you may have set your speakers as the default audio device. If the scenario is applicable, you should be able to fix the problem by setting your headphones as the default audio device.
• It can also be caused by damaged or outdated audio/headphone drivers. Hence, you should make sure you have up-to-date audio/headphone drivers to resolve the issue.

Headphones plugged in but sound coming from speakers

Here are the methods that you can try if you have plugged in your headphones but the sound is coming from the speakers on your Windows PC:

1. Make sure you have connected the headphone properly.
2. Check your headphones with some other device.
3. Reboot your PC.
4. Set your headphones as the default audio device.
5. Ensure that your audio/headphone drivers are up-to-date.
6. Run the Audio Troubleshooter.

1] Make sure you have connected the headphone properly

The first thing you should do is make sure the headphone is connected to your PC. So, do check for a loose connection and then try playing an audio file. You can unplug the headphone from the system and then plug it back to the PC. If the problem is fixed, it means your headphones weren’t connected properly. If the problem wasn’t the loose connection, move on to the next potential fix.

Read: Headphone jack not working on laptop.

2] Check your headphones with some other device

In addition to the above method, make sure your headphones are not faulty. To do that, connect the headphones to another device, such as a mobile or laptop, and see if it works properly. If the headphone doesn’t work with another device, it’s most likely damaged, and you will need to replace it with a new one.

If your headphones work with another device, move on to the next potential fix to resolve the issue.

Related: Headphones not working or detected.

3] Reboot your PC

After you make sure that the problem is not with your headphone, you should try rebooting your PC. Many a time, all you need to do is perform a restart to fix the problem. If the issue is caused by a temporary glitch on your PC, this method should work for you. It will clear your RAM and start your PC in a clean and fresh state. So, simply restart your system, then try plugging in your headphones to see if it works fine now.

Read: Headphones not showing up in playback devices.

4] Set your headphones as the default audio device

You should also make sure your headphones are set as the default audio device on your system. This problem is most likely to occur if you have selected the speaker as the default output audio device. So, you need to check and set your headphone as the default audio device to fix the problem. Here is how you can do that:

1. Firstly, right-click on the sound icon present on your taskbar and then select the Sound settings option.
2. Now, scroll down and then click on the More sound settings option.
3. In the appeared window, navigate to the Playback tab.
4. Next, make sure your headphone is selected as the default audio device. If not, right-click on your headphones and then choose the Set as default device option.
5. Finally, press the OK button to save changes.

Now, try playing an audio file on your PC and then check whether the problem is resolved.

5] Ensure that your audio/headphone drivers are up-to-date

Audio problems on PC are often associated with corrupted, faulty, or outdated audio drivers. So, in case you are dealing with the problem because of damaged audio drivers, you should be able to resolve the issue by updating your audio and headphones drivers.

Now, there can be multiple options to update your audio/headphones drivers on Windows 11/10. The first method is you can manually update your audio drivers using the Device Manager or Settings app. In case you are using USB or wireless headphones, they require a driver to work correctly. So, ensure that you have that specific driver on your system.

You can also visit the official website of your device manufacturer to get the latest drivers. You can even use Realtek High Definition Audio Manager if you have Realtek HD Audio Drivers. In case you want to automatically update your audio drivers without going through too many options or searching online, use a free driver updater. Just download and install one and it will automatically find and update your audio as well other drivers.

After updating your audio/headphone drivers, reboot your PC and plug in your headphones. See if the problem persists. If not, go ahead and try the next potential fix to counter the problem.

Read: How to fix Sound Distortion issues in Windows.

6] Run the Audio Troubleshooter

Windows provides a built-in audio troubleshooter that can detect and fix audio-related problems on your computer. If nothing works, try running the Windows Audio troubleshooter. It should be able to identify the exact cause of the problem and propose the right fixes to resolve it. Here is how you can run Audio Troubleshooter on Windows:

1. Firstly, open the Settings app using the Win+I hotkey.
2. Next, navigate to the System > Troubleshoot section.
3. After that, you need to tap on the Other troubleshooters option to find the audio troubleshooter.
4. Now, locate the Playing Audio troubleshooter amongst other troubleshooters and then press the Run button present besides the Playing Audio troubleshooter.
5. Windows will now start finding the audio-related problems on your system and then display the audio issues you are dealing with. Additionally, Windows will propose solutions to fix the problems. You can apply the most suitable fix and wait for the process to complete.
6. Finally, try playing an audio file and see if your headphones are working fine now.

That’s it!

How do you stop sound coming from speakers when headphones are plugged in?

To fix the problem, you should make sure that there is no loose connection and the headphones are in working condition. Other than that, run the audio troubleshooter, set headphones as the default audio device, or update audio drivers.

Now read: No Audio on computer; Sound is missing or not working on Windows.