Find the right audio driver

Open Device Manager and look under Sound, video and game controllers. Update the driver through Windows Update first, then your PC maker's page. Realtek, NVIDIA or AMD HD Audio, and USB headsets each follow their own path, and Windows has a built-in USB audio driver.

Download from support.microsoft.com

Checked October 30, 2026 against the manufacturer's own pages.

The short version

What to install and where it comes from. Every link goes to the manufacturer or Microsoft, never to a copy.

Where it showsSound, video and game controllers
Common namesRealtek Audio, NVIDIA High Definition Audio
USB audioWindows driver Usbaudio.sys, no download needed
Windows fallbackChoose a driver from the list on your PC
Fix sound or audio problems in Windows (Microsoft)support.microsoft.comUSB Device Class Drivers Included in Windows (Microsoft)learn.microsoft.comRealtek downloadsrealtek.com

Official files only, nothing bundled

Step by step

  1. Run the audio troubleshooter

    On Windows 11, open Settings, System, Troubleshoot, Other troubleshooters and run Audio. It checks the common causes and tries to fix them.

  2. Look at the devices

    Open Device Manager and expand Sound, video and game controllers. Note each entry: a motherboard codec, a graphics card audio device, or a USB device.

  3. Update through Windows

    Right-click the device, choose Update driver and Search automatically for drivers. If Windows finds nothing, go to the device maker.

  4. Get the maker's driver

    Use your PC maker's support page for the audio entry. A laptop with Realtek audio usually has the right version there.

  5. Try a reinstall or the generic driver

    Uninstall the device with the driver software box ticked and restart. Or pick a driver from the list on your computer, as Microsoft describes.

Three places sound can come from

A Windows PC can have more than one audio device. The first is the codec on the motherboard or in the laptop, often a Realtek chip, that drives the speaker and headphone jacks. The second is the audio device on a graphics card, which sends sound over HDMI or DisplayPort. The third is any USB or Bluetooth device, such as a headset. Each has a different driver source, so read the list before you download anything.

What Windows handles on its own

For USB audio, Microsoft provides the class driver Usbaudio.sys, and it is loaded when a USB audio device is attached. Microsoft also notes the drivers are installed automatically and come through Windows Update. That is why a plain USB headset normally works on first plug in. Extra features, like a maker’s equaliser or button mapping, would come from the headset maker’s own software.

Fixing a broken one

Microsoft’s own order for sound problems is: troubleshooter, update the driver through Device Manager, uninstall and restart, and then pick a driver from the list on the PC. Check the Windows volume mixer and default output device too, since a wrong default often looks like a driver fault. If sound disappeared after a change, our no sound guide goes through the Windows settings.

Questions

Which audio driver do I need for a Realtek chip?

Start with your PC maker. Our Realtek audio driver page covers the chip.

My graphics card shows an audio device. Is it the same?

No. NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards carry audio for HDMI and DisplayPort, with their own driver, apart from the motherboard sound.

Do USB headsets need a driver?

Microsoft says you do not need to download USB device class drivers, since they are installed automatically. The Usbaudio.sys driver handles USB audio class devices.

Sound stopped after an update.

Roll back the driver in the device's Properties, Driver tab, or uninstall and restart so Windows installs it again.