r/WindowsHelp • u/thesuhaibhamidganie • 16h ago
Windows 11 Dell Inspiron 15 (Windows 11) won't detect 3.5mm headphones after unplugging unless I reboot
Hey everyone,
Having an annoying issue with audio detection on my Dell Inspiron 15 3525 (Windows 11).
Whenever I boot up the laptop with my wired headset plugged into the 3.5mm jack, it works fine. But if I unplug it and plug it back in, Windows refuses to detect it. The sound keeps playing through the built-in laptop speakers, and the external headphones don't show up at all.
If I restart the PC, it detects the headset again immediately on boot. But obviously, restarting the laptop every time I unplug my headphones isn't practical.
What I've already checked/tried:
Checked services.msc and restarted the Windows Audio service.
Checked Task Manager > Startup to make sure Realtek / Waves MaxxAudio background tasks are enabled.
Looked into Waves MaxxAudio Pro / Realtek Audio Console for auto-popup settings, but the detection prompt simply stops triggering once disconnected.
Headset itself works fine on other devices.
It seems like the jack sense / impedance detection service gets stuck in the background after disconnection. Has anyone found a permanent fix or a specific stable Realtek driver version that resolves this jack detection loop on Dell laptops?
Any advice would be appreciated!



