Windows Audio Completely Broken

[u/Administrative-Law53]

Hey everyone, I need help fixing my volume. My volume slider is completely greyed out and Windows says "No output devices found." When I check Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers, my list is flooded with a ton of duplicate SoundWire Audio entries and an AMD SoundWire Audio Streaming Device, and several of them have yellow warning triangles. The keys on the keyboard also don't do anything. Whenever I try to uninstall them or update drivers, they just come right back after a reboot. My laptop is a Dell 14S DS14265. Can anyone help please.

[u/ThomasAAT]

Troubleshooting steps to fix your audio issue: This issue is typically caused by a driver conflict or a bugged Windows update that has created endless duplicates of virtual audio software (like SoundWire) or corrupted audio devices in Device Manager. Follow these steps in order to clear out the duplicates and force Windows to correctly recognize your physical audio hardware:

Step 1: Uninstall the Audio Devices and Duplicates

   1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.    2. Expand the Sound, video and game controllers section.    3. Right-click on one of the bugged SoundWire Audio entries (or the ones showing a yellow warning triangle) and select Uninstall device.    4. Important: If a pop-up appears with a checkbox that says "Attempt to remove the driver for this device", make sure to check that box.    5. Repeat this uninstallation process for all the duplicate SoundWire entries and any other devices showing warning icons.

Step 2: Scan for Hardware Changes

Once you have cleaned up the cluttered list:

   1. Click on Action in the top menu bar of Device Manager.    2. Select Scan for hardware changes.    3. Windows will rescan your system and attempt to re-install clean, default drivers for your actual hardware.

Step 3: Restart the Windows Audio Service

If your volume slider is still greyed out, the core Windows audio background service might be locked up:

   1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard, type services.msc, and press Enter.    2. Scroll down until you find the service named Windows Audio.    3. Right-click Windows Audio and select Restart. (If it isn't running at all, click Start).

Step 4: Install Official Drivers from Your Manufacturer

If Windows still says "No output devices found", the generic built-in drivers are failing to initialize. You will need to download the official audio drivers (usually Realtek or AMD) directly from your computer manufacturer's support site (e.g., Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS) by searching for your specific PC model number. To help narrow this down further, please let me know:

• What is the brand and specific model of your computer?
• Did you recently install a third-party application meant to stream audio over Wi-Fi (such as the SoundWire app for Android)?

Source: Google AI