How To Change Audio Drivers Windows 10

How to reinstall the Realtek Hard disk Sound Codec driver

Keeping information technology real

Chances are, if you're using a Windows 10 PC, you're using Realtek audio. Unless you're using a sound carte or running sound through HDMI with the best graphics cards, the Realtek HD Sound Codec driver is probably what's backside every sound your computer makes.

Unfortunately, in that location are about a hundred different things that can intermission your audio drivers. When this happens, the first thing you should practise is become to your device manager and run into if you lot can become a fresh commuter through Windows Update.

To exercise this on Windows 10, only correct click the First Menu then go to Device Manager. Once you're there, navigate down to "Audio, video and game controllers," notice the device that needs to be updated, right click it and select "update driver."

Nigh of the fourth dimension, Windows will exist able to notice and install the correct commuter without much more input from you, but sometimes you'll have to take matters into your own hands. Luckily, that's why we created this guide on how to reinstall the Realtek Hard disk Audio Codec driver yourself. It's a relatively painless procedure, and we should be able to go y'all through information technology in a manner of minutes.

1. Uninstall your current audio drivers

This might seem counterintuitive, only before you lot go looking to reinstall your Realtek HD Audio Codec commuter, y'all're going to have to uninstall all traces of your existing audio drivers. To do this, become to the Device Manager by either right clicking the start push or typing "device manager" into the offset carte du jour.

Once you're there, curl down to "Sound, video and game controllers" and find "Realtek High Definition Sound". One time you do, go alee and right click it and select "Uninstall device". Information technology will come up with a dialog. Make certain you have the box "Delete the driver software for this device" selected and click OK.

Then, but follow the directions on screen until the device is uninstalled. In one case that's done, at the top of the device manager window, click "view" and curl downward to "show hidden devices" and click information technology. This is but to ensure yous don't have any duplicate drivers. Uninstall any duplicates, restart your figurer before moving to the next pace.

2. Download the Realtek Hard disk Audio Codec driver

Next, you'll need to download the bodily driver. Go to Realtek's website and find the downloads section. You'll be presented with a prompt that makes sure yous empathize that some motherboards might not apply these drivers. It's more than likely that these drivers volition work for yous, and then just get alee and click "accept" and move on to the bodily downloads page.

You'll then exist presented with a long listing that for some reason only takes upward a quarter of your browser window. We know, it looks weird. Just detect your operating system and click the "Global" link that corresponds to information technology.

3. Install the commuter

In one case you've downloaded the software, get ahead and find it in your downloads folder and run information technology. Later you grant admission for the programme to run, information technology'll bring upward a big blue window. Just permit the installer do its thing. Click adjacent on each of the screens and and so go make a sandwich while it installs – information technology'll take a minute.

When the installer is washed, well, installing, it'll ask yous to restart – make certain yous do, otherwise the driver can't terminate its installation.

4. Verify and finish

Afterwards you restart your estimator, the commuter should be installed. Nevertheless, nosotros here at TechRadar like to make sure software takes before we trust it.

First, become back to Device Manager, and brand certain that "Realtek Loftier Definition Audio" shows up nether "Sound, video and game controllers". If it's there, slap-up! If not, the installation didn't work for some reason. Become ahead and find the driver in your downloads folder and run it again.

In one case you've verified that the driver is actually there, go ahead and fire up a YouTube video or play your favorite song on Spotify to ensure that the driver is functioning properly. If information technology'due south all the same non working, check out our guide on how to fix audio issues in Windows 10 to help you troubleshoot what's going on.

Now that you've verified everything is running smoothly, go ahead and pat yourself on the back – you've successfully re-installed your Realtek HD Audio Codec driver. You tin can listen to your favorite music and get immersed in the all-time PC games all over once more.

Jackie Thomas (Twitter) is TechRadar'southward US computing editor. She is fat, queer and extremely online. Computers are the devil, but she just happens to be a satanist. If you need to know anything most computing components, PC gaming or the best laptop on the market, don't be afraid to drib her a line on Twitter or through e-mail.