How to Download Audio Drivers Windows 10 [Guide]

How to Download Audio Drivers Windows 10 [Guide]

/ Shayne Sherman

The audio driver for the Windows operating system is known as Realtek High-Definition Audio Driver. It offers Surround Sound, Dolby, and DTS in high quality. Due to its numerous advantageous characteristics, it has been named the most widely utilized sound driver.

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audio drivers

Although it offers many great features, many individuals have reported audio problems with Realtek’s HD Audio driver on Windows 10, which occurred after installing the most recent version of this operating system.

Several audio issues have been reported with the Windows 10 Creators’ Upgrade, such as the loss of valuable files saved on the system before installing the suggested update. As a result, customers may need to remove the current Audio Drivers on Windows 10 and install a new one, as they occasionally cannot hear anything.

Many users have reported damaged drivers and audio devices that do not work even after receiving updates; therefore, reinstalling Audio Drivers regularly is the solution. The notification “No Audio Device is installed” occasionally appears in Windows 10. Microsoft has confirmed that it is looking into the matter, but no further information has been shared.

Some signs of a faulty or defective Realtek High Definition (HD) Audio Driver are readily apparent. Users experience no audio while using the computer, sound interruptions, odd behavior when playing audio, no sound through HDMI connection, PC freezing up or restarting when playing audio, and much more. When attempting to play audio, the device may also display an error message, such as:

  • Your audio hardware can’t play the current file.
  • CD audio device is in use by another application.
  • WAV sound playback error detected.
  • MIDI output error detected.

Even for experienced computer users, installing updated driver software manually can be complex. To help you update audio driver software, we have created an easy-to-follow guide to walk you through the process.

Before performing these procedures, ensure that your speakers or audio device have not accidentally muted the volume control or powered off. Since manually configuring your audio drivers can be complex and often unstable, we’ll demonstrate how to do it quickly and easily using specialized software.

speakers

Automatically Update Your Audio Driver with Fortect

Fortect is an automatic system optimization tool that automatically updates your audio driver and other outdated drivers that your computer needs to operate correctly. Launching the Fortect on your computer will automatically scan for problems and resolve Windows faults, and Fortect will examine your computer for security, hardware, and stability issues.

Download Fortect:

fortect setup

The complete scanning procedure takes roughly 5 minutes on average. With Fortect’s free version installed, you’ll have more features at your disposal than you would with multiple third-party applications.

Here are some of the issues that Fortect can detect:

Hardware Issues:

  • CPU power and temperature issues
  • Low hard disk speed
  • Low memory
work on computer

Security Issues:

  • Viruses
  • Trojan Horses
  • Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs)
  • Spyware
  • Malware
computer security

Stability Issues:

Fortect may be used to identify and offer you a detailed report on which apps are not working correctly, as long as you have it installed on your system. PC stability guarantees that your system performs perfectly and does not fail at unexpected times like a defective audio driver.

windows stability

To install Fortect, follow these steps:

  1. Download and install Fortect: Download Link
  1. Once Fortect has been installed on your Windows PC, you will be directed to the homepage of Fortect. Click on Start Scan to let Fortect analyze what needs to be performed on your computer.
  1. Once the scan is complete, click Start Repair to fix any issues or update the outdated audio driver on your computer.
  1. After Fortect has completed the repair and updates on the incompatible driver, restart your computer and see if the Audio Drivers in Windows have been updated successfully.

Automatically Update Audio Drivers with Windows Update Tool

You can also automatically update your audio driver with the Windows Update tool. However, it’s unreliable as it focuses on more critical updates such as bug fixes, security patches, and other essential updates. To try and use this tool, follow these steps.

  1. Press the “Windows” key on your keyboard and press “R” to bring up the run line command type in “control update,” and press enter.
run control update
  1. Click on “Check for Updates” in the Windows Update window. If no updates are available, you should get a message saying, “You’re Up to Date.”
check updates
  1. If the Windows Update Tool finds a new update for your sound drivers, let it get the drivers installed automatically and wait for it to complete. You may be required to restart your computer for the Windows Update tool to install new driver downloads.
downloading windows updates
  1. If the Audio driver was updated and installed by the Windows Update tool, restart your computer and check if the audio driver has been updated to its latest version.

Manually Updating Audio Drivers Through the Device Manager

If Windows Update could download and install new updates for your audio driver and you can now hear music, you’re all set. If you still don’t hear audio, it’s possible that Windows Update could not detect the appropriate audio driver. In such cases, you’ll have to update your audio driver manually through the Device Manager.

  1. Hold down the “Windows” and “R” keys and type in “devmgmt.msc” in the run command line, and press enter to open the device manager.
device management
  1. In the list of devices in the Device Manager, double click to expand “Sound, video and game controllers,” right-click on your sound card, and click “Update Driver.”
audio driver update
  1. To check for an updated driver for your sound card, select “Search automatically.” if the driver is already on the latest version, you will get a message that says, “The best driver software for your device is already installed.” In that case, you no longer have to update your sound driver.
search driver automatically
  1. After installing the latest audio driver, close Device Manager and restart your computer to ensure the updates are correctly installed.

Manually Download and Install Audio Driver from the Manufacturer’s Website

Depending on your sound card manufacturer, you can also download the latest audio driver for Windows from their website. Fortunately, there are not many driver software manufacturers around. We will download the latest Realtek audio driver for Windows in our example.

  1. Click here to go to the Realtek Audio Driver website with your preferred internet browser. Type “audio” in the keyword search bar and hit “enter” on your keyboard. You should now see a list of Realtek HD audio drivers to download.
  2. To download Realtek HD audio drivers for Windows, choose ALC888S-VD, ALC892, or ALC898 Realtek Drivers. You may get the identical driver bundle from these three sources, which should work with most Realtek sound cards.
download realtek driver manually
  1. Once you have downloaded the Realtek HD Audio Manager, locate the downloaded file and open it. Follow the on-screen instructions, and you should have updated driver software.

Final Words

Going for the automatic method to update the sound driver for Windows is undoubtedly the best way to go. It reduces the chance of messing with other items in your computer, and you will save a lot of time. However, if you prefer to update audio drivers manually, then be very careful in downloading drivers and only download items from official sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Windows 11 use the same device driver as Windows 10?

No, Windows 11 uses a different device driver than Windows 10. The device driver is software that allows the operating system to communicate with the hardware. Windows 11 uses a new device driver that is compatible with the new features and hardware of the operating system.

Can I update drivers in my audio settings?

You will need to access the device manager to update drivers in the audio settings. Once you have accessed the device manager, you must locate the audio devices. Once you have located the audio devices, you will need to right-click on the device and select “Update Driver Software.

How do you Replace problem drivers with new drivers?

In order to replace problem drivers with new drivers, one must first identify the problem drivers. This can be done by looking at the device manager and identifying which drivers are causing problems.

Once the problem drivers have been identified, they can be replaced with new drivers by downloading them from the internet or a CD.

Do new drivers come as an exe file?

No, new drivers do not come as an exe file. Exe files are only used for executable programs and cannot be used for driver installation. New drivers must be installed using the appropriate device manager for your operating system.

Shayne Sherman
Meet the author

Shayne is an expert on all things Microsoft Windows and computer security. As a Windows user of over 30 years, he has been featured on Business Insider, Yahoo, Tech Republic, Hacker Noon, Techopedia, and many other publications. Aside from entertaining at his home theater, he enjoys spending time with his family, including his English bulldog, Fergie.