As a Windows 10 user, you may have noticed that your PC came equipped with Realtek High Definition Audio drivers. Although it is pre-installed on your PC, it does not mean that it is free from common errors.
Learning how to troubleshoot realtek audio issues means first identifying the problem you’re having, then finding the proper steps to fix it.
sometimes you just need to download a new driver, while other times you may need a replacement for your sound card.
Before you assume it’s one or the other, check out these common errors and their solutions.
the most common realtek audio problems
Before offering troubleshooting tips, you should first learn about the most common realtek audio driver problems. these include:
- Missing Audio Manager Icon: After a recent Windows 10 update, you may notice that the Realtek HD icon disappears from the taskbar. This is usually caused by a driver issue.
- conflicts with pre-installed microsoft drivers: There are known issues between microsoft and realtek system drivers that are easy to fix.
why is there realtek hd audio on my pc?
realtek high definition audio driver is the most popular sound driver for windows systems and helps to manage surround sound, dolby and dts systems on your computer.
you need this driver for your audio device to work even on pc; therefore, uninstalling it would lead to serious audio errors.
To further customize your sound experience, you can download Realtek High Definition Audio Manager, but you don’t need to just plug in new speakers or use your system sounds.
how to troubleshoot outdated drivers or system update conflicts
If you recently upgraded your windows 10 and your realtek audio is nowhere to be found, the first step to troubleshooting is locating and updating the driver.
1. go to device manager to find your drivers
first, you need to identify the driver version you have for realtek. use your search icon on the windows taskbar to find your “device manager” and select it.
once device manager is open, look for your sound, video and game controllers.
expand the menu and see if your realtek high definition audio driver exists.
2. perform a manual update push
once you locate the realtek hd audio driver, right click on that driver and select update driver.
You will be prompted to automatically search for updated software or to search for a manual driver located on your computer.
select to search automatically.
windows 10 will automatically start updating to the latest available driver in its database.
3. restart your pc
now, do a full reboot of your pc to save the changes.
You should see realtek high definition audio in the taskbar now if you click on your speaker icon to select an output.
If you still don’t see the realtek option in your speaker list, the next step is to see if pre-installed microsoft drivers are causing the problem.
disable microsoft uaa bus driver for high definition audio
two high definition audio drivers never mix, and that goes for the realtek and microsoft uaa bus driver.
If you haven’t done so before, you’ll want to disable this pre-installed driver.
1. go back to device manager
In device manager, scroll down to system devices.
search the expanded list for microsoft uaa bus driver for high definition audio. if it’s not on the list, it’s already been disabled.
if you see it in the list, you will need to disable it.
2. disable the preinstalled uaa bus driver
To disable, right-click the microsoft uaa bus driver for high definition audio and select disable device.
3. restart your pc and check if there are any more problems
do a hard reboot on your pc for the disabled driver to take effect.
then see if your realtek audio shows up in your output list or if you get any more error messages.
fix realtek audio issues with a rollback
If you recently upgraded and see the version compatibility error message, then the next step would be to try rolling back the most recently installed driver to the previous version.
1. find your realtek driver in device manager
open device manager and go to your sound, video and game controllers.
expand the menu, locate your realtek driver in the list and right click.
select properties.
2. manually roll back to previous versions
with the driver info facing up, click the driver tab at the top of the menu.
here you will see the driver vendor, installation date and version. Write down the version number on a piece of paper in case you need to refer to it later.
select the option to roll back the driver. rolling back will take you to the previously installed driver, which is probably the driver that was working as it should before you did a windows update.
If rollback is grayed out, it means you don’t have a previously installed version to roll back to. click rollback the driver, then click ok and follow the prompts to confirm the rollback.
3. reboot your pc again
now reboot again for the driver changes to take effect and see if that fixes the problem.
use auto recognition to find the right driver
Realtek hd audio drivers often fail because they are out of date or you are using an incompatible version.
Instead of manually updating drivers and hoping for the best, you can take the guesswork out of the process by using driver support.
after installation, it takes an automatic inventory of all the drivers and software on your computer and then looks for the most up-to-date drivers ready for installation.
Check out our step-by-step process to update your drivers in minutes below:
1. download driver support
support the driver | one a try today! from the website and follow the prompts to complete the installation on your pc.
Note that windows pc will ask you if you want to install anyway, even though driver support is not an app in your microsoft store.
click to accept the installation.
2. wait for the initial scan and then go to the drivers
Driver Support completes an initial scan of your system to inventory the drivers you have and any updates.
look in the drivers menu and see if there are any warning icons next to your realtek high definition audio drivers.
If you see a warning icon, your driver is out of date and driver support has located the right driver for you.
click on that driver and then hit fix it. and driver support will automatically update the driver.
3. restart your computer
As usual, you must restart your pc for the new drivers to take effect.
once you’ve rebooted, you should no longer see any issues with your realtek high definition audio manager.
no more guesswork
Guessing which driver is correct for your computer is risky. You should not only consider how recently you updated Windows 10, but also whether the version you are about to install is compatible. driver problems are incredibly frustrating and needlessly time consuming.
When you use auto-updating software for driver support, you no longer have to worry about installing the wrong driver or creating more compatibility issues.
Driver support software is free to download, and if you fully register your product, the service automatically updates whenever a new compatible driver becomes available to save you more time in the future.
Driver Support has been helping users keep their drivers up to date since 1996. Join over 4 million users and see how easy it is to enjoy automatic updates.
Are you ready to see how easy it is to maximize the performance of your system and devices? support the driver | try it today! today and enjoy automatic updates that are as easy as two clicks and you’re good to go.
