Can’t hear clear sound on your Lenovo laptop, or is the sound not coming? Well, the same issue has been reported by many Lenovo PC users. Fortunately, some easy and quick solutions exist to fix the Lenovo IdeaPad audio not working or sound crackling issue which we’ll be talking you through in a couple of minutes. Simply apply the solutions and start listening to your favorite tracks on your Lenovo IdeaPad laptop.
Lenovo laptops, like any other laptop, can also run into problems. At the end of the day, they are still a piece of tech. The sound issue on Lenovo PCs can occur when there’s an outdated or corrupted audio driver, or due to incorrect sound settings. The problem could also surface because of system glitches or the speaker could be damaged.
The curated list of solutions we have shared below has done the job for many affected users. We strongly believe one of the solutions will also work out for you. So, without further ado, let’s begin our troubleshooting.
Lenovo IdeaPad Audio Not Working or Sound Crackling? Here’s How to Fix It
Try the solutions below to throw the audio problems out of your Lenovo PC. If a solution does not work, move on to the next one. Keep doing this until you find the one that works for you.
1. Check if the audio Is muted
We’ll start troubleshooting by checking if your Lenovo PC has the muted audio. Although it may seem pretty basic, we have seen many people struggling to fix audio issues, and later, they realize the audio was muted.
To check if the audio is muted on your PC, click the sound icon in the bottom-right corner. If the sound icon has a cross sign next to it, it means your Lenovo IdeaPad can’t output sound. Tap on it to unmute the device. Also, make sure that the volume is above 50%.
2. Check the Sound Settings
Next, you have to check if your computer is using the right device for sound output. Connecting multiple audio devices to a PC may select a new device as the default audio device. You should therefore look into the sound settings and make the required changes.
Here’s how to check which device is currently being used to play audio:
- Click the “Windows + X” shortcut and select “Settings” from the available options.
- Tap on “System” from the left-side menu.
- Click “Sound”.
- Select the audio device under “Choose where to play sound”.
After making these changes, play something on your PC to check if the sound issues are fixed.
However, if the problem persists, you might need to change the default playback device. Here’s how to do it:
- Click the “Windows + X” shortcut and select “Settings” from the available options.
- Tap on “System” from the left-side menu.
- Click “Sound”.
- Under “Advanced”, tap on “More sound settings”. A sound pop-up window should appear on your screen.
- In the “Playback” tab, click the device you want to use to play audio and click “Set default”.
- Click “OK”.
Check if you can hear the sound on your Lenovo IdeaPad laptop.
3. Update the Audio Driver
If you still can’t hear the sound or if it’s crackling, your PC might have an outdated audio driver. Although an older audio driver should work just fine, there might be compatibility issues with new software or the latest audio devices. You should therefore update the driver to check if it can fix the sound issues.
Here’s how to update the audio driver on your Windows PC:
- Type “Device Manager” in the search box at the bottom and hit Enter.
- Expand “Sound, video and game controllers”.
- Right-click on the audio device and click “Update driver”.
- Tap on “Search automatically for drivers”. Windows will now start looking if an update is available.
It has been noticed Windows says “The best drivers for your device are already installed” even when there an update is available. Either you can manually download the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website or use a reliable third-party driver update tool such as Driver Easy, DriverFix, or Smart Driver Care.
Once you have updated the drivers, restart your Lenovo PC and check if the sound issues are gone.
4. Uninstall the Audio Driver
If the problem persists even after updating the driver, you can try uninstalling the audio driver. A corrupted audio driver might cause issues with sound which should get resolved after uninstalling the driver.
Here’s how to do it:
- Press “Windows + X” and select “Device Manager”.
- Expand “Sound, video and gaming controllers”.
- Right-click on your audio device and select “Uninstall device”.
- Click “Uninstall” to confirm.
- After uninstalling the audio driver, restart your PC. Windows will now automatically install the driver.
5. Disable Audio Enhancements
Windows computers have the audio enhancements feature that improves the audio quality. Although it’s a useful feature, it can sometimes interfere with the system and cause sound issues. You should therefore disable audio enhancements on your Lenovo PC to check if it can fix the sound issues.
For Windows 10:
- Right-click on the sound icon in the lower-right corner and select “Sounds”.
- In the “Playback” tab, right-click on your default audio device and select “Properties”.
- Go to the “Enhancements” tab.
- Check the “Disable all enhancements” box and click “OK”.
For Windows 11:
- Press the “Windows + X” shortcut and select “Settings”.
- Click “System” from the left pane and select “Sound”.
- Under “Advanced”, tap on “All sound devices”.
- Select your output device.
- Turn “Off” Audio enhancements.
Once you disabled audio enhancements, try playing a song to check if the sound problem has been sorted.
6. Use Windows Troubleshooter
Windows has a built-in troubleshooter which can automatically detect issues and fix them. Here’s how to run the audio troubleshooter on your Lenovo IdeaPad:
- Press the “Windows + X” shortcut and select “Settings” from the available options.
- Tap on “System” from the left side menu.
- Scroll down to “Troubleshoot” and tap on it.
- Click “Other troubleshooters”.
- Tap the “Run” button next to “Playing audio”.
Your computer will now scan for problems and try to fix them. Once the fix has been applied, check if the problem is resolved.
7. Restart Audio Services
If your Lenovo IdeaPad still has sound problems, try restarting audio services. Here’s how to do it:
- Type “Services” in the Windows search box at the bottom and hit “Enter”.
- Find “Windows Audio”, right-click on it, and select “Restart”.
- Select “Yes” to confirm your action.
- Do the same for “Windows Audio Endpint Builder” and “Remote Procedure Call”.
If you started facing sound problems on your Lenovo laptop after installing software or tweaking the settings, it’s likely that the change has caused the problem. You can easily fix the issue by performing a system restore to a previous point in time when there were no sound issues.
Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Type “Create a restore point” in the search box and hit the “Enter” button.
- Go to the “System Protection” tab and click “System Restore”.
- Select the restore point with no sound problems and click “Next”.
- Click “Finish” to restart the system restoration process.
Wait for the process to finish, then try playing audio to check if the problem is resolved.
9. Update Your Lenovo PC
Microsoft regularly sends new updates, which, in addition to new features, contain a lot of improvements and bug fixing. You should therefore try updating your Lenovo IdeaPad to check if the latest software contains a fix for sound problems.
Follow these steps to update your PC:
- Press “Windows + X” and select “Settings”.
- Tap on “Windows update”.
- Click “Check for updates”.
Download and install pending updates (if any) and restart your computer.
Wrapping It Up
Having a laptop with no sound or bad-quality sound could be frustrating. This guide shares effective ways of fixing the Lenovo IdeaPad audio not working or the sound crackling issue. We hope one of the solutions from this article worked for you. However, if the problem persists, you can try resetting your PC or taking it to a service centre to check for hardware damage.
