Headphones Plugged In But Sound Coming From Speakers

This article will end the frustrating situation where your headphones are plugged in, but the speakers’ sound is still coming. Yes, Audio playing through the speakers while your headphones are plugged in is really annoying and frustrating, and you are not alone! A lot of users are reporting about it. But the good news is, you can actually fix it.

But before taking any troubleshooting steps, if you haven’t restarted your computer, restart it first. Restarting will clear your RAM and give your system a fresh start. You can usually solve the most frustrating problems.

Here the possible solutions to the problem if the reset is unsuccessful:

 

Check if Your Smartphone is Connected to Other Devices via Bluetooth 

If your phone is paired with wireless headphones, a speaker, or another device via Bluetooth, the headphone jack might be disabled. Usually, when you plug in your headphones, the phone should actually recognize them, and everything should operate as intended despite the Bluetooth settings. Nevertheless, this is not certainly always the case.

It’s easy and quick to fix, as all you have to do is just open up the settings menu, find the Bluetooth selection, and check to see if it is on. In that case, the phone is likely paired with one of the other devices you have around. If that is the issue, turn it off, go and plug in your headphones, and see if that resolves the problem. If they still don’t work, you should move on to the next solution on this list.

Restarting the Audio Source

Both professional tech support and a tech newbie person will tell you the same thing: “Try restarting/rebooting your device.” Although most people don’t necessarily know why it works, people do it all the time because it’s simple yet very effective.

The explanation behind this is that restarting your device clears up its RAM or Random Access Memory. When using your device, you abstractedly ‘leave’ temporary caches and logs in the background processes created. These digital leftovers hog your RAM space, which seldom leads to a memory leak. These memory leaks cause errors and slowdowns on your device. 

Updating Your Headphone/Audio Driver

In most cases, audio problems will occur when a faulty audio driver is used, or the driver is out of date.  If ever your headphone has a 3.5mm jack connected to the motherboard, please make sure you have the correct audio driver to keep the headset working properly. If you are using wireless headphones or a USB, which require a driver to function correctly, you need to ensure that your device has that specific driver.

Check for a Loose Connection

Headphone connections normally become loose when headphone jacks gain too much lint, dirt, or dust. This unwanted rubble can really block your headphone jack, stopping the plug from clicking in completely. Try cleaning the dirt out using a tape-wrapped paperclip or a cotton swab. 

Run Your Audio Troubleshooter

The audio troubleshooter is actually a Windows built-in utility that can recognize and fix typical audio problems automatically. If you run toward audio issues, the possibilities are the Audio Troubleshooter can help improve it.

Adjust The Headphones to The Default Audio Device

If you own a computer or PC with multiple audio output devices, your speakers can still play the audio but in the incorrect output, even if your headphones are genuinely plugged in.

To prevent this issue, you really need to set your headphones to the default audio device. You have to adjust it manually when you plug in the headset, and the computer is not setting it as the default device.

Try The Headphones On Other Device

If you are not sure whether the issue lies with your audio source or headphones, it is best to separate the root cause of the problem first. Try plugging your headphones into another device. If the headphones work, your other audio device might be creating the problem. Alternatively, you can further plug in another set of headphones on your device’s audio port to see if it works.

Do Some “Run a System File Check”

If the issue persists, run a system file check to restore corrupt files and scan your OS.

• On the keyboard, press first the Windows logo key and R at the same time.
• Type cmd, press the Enter key, Shift, and Ctrl keys at the same time to run Command Prompt as an admin/administrator.
• Type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth and then press Enter.
• So, in the command prompt, just type SFC /scannow, then press Enter.
• Wait for the process to be finished, then follow the on-screen directions to fix your problem if necessary.

Rollback Drivers

The Bluetooth or audio drivers can be rolled back to an old version in the event that a Windows Update caused the problem with your headphones. If there’s no update, you need to update the drivers to the latest version available.

To roll back a driver, try to follow these steps: 

• Right-click Start > Device Manager. 

Double-click the Sound, video, and game controllers category, and right-click on your Bluetooth or audio driver. 

• Select the Properties.
• Click the Driver tab and click the Rollback option.

Install some Latest Windows Updates

If ever you find your headphones not working in Windows after installing an Update from windows, uninstall the update and restart your PC/computer. 

• To do this, just go to Settings > Update & Security and then click Windows Update.
• Under Installed Updates, uninstall the new updates from the link there, and hide with the Hide Updates tool. 

Perform System Restore

A System Restore brings you back to where you were before the dilemma with your headphones began. 

• You can actually do this by typing System Restore in the search bar and select Create a Restore Point. 
• In the System Properties window, just click System Restore.

Replace or Repair 

If none of them solves the headphones not working, you could always take your headphones or computer to the maintenance staff if they are still under warranty. Otherwise, go and get a replacement if the headphones are the problem.