Share this article

Improve this guide

FIX: No Sound from Cortana in Windows 10/11

8 min. read

Updated onAugust 8, 2024

updated onAugust 8, 2024

Share this article

Improve this guide

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

Key notes

Cortana is definitely one of the most useful features of Windows 10, but various problems with this handy virtual assistant could occasionally occur.

This time, we’re going to show you what to do if you can’t hear any sound from Cortana in Windows 10.

How can I fix the No Sound Cortana problem in Windows 10?

1. Update your drivers

If there’s no sound from Cortana on yourWindows 10PC, the problem might be your drivers. Outdated drivers can cause this problem to appear, but you can easily update them right from Device Manager.

In that regard, you can choose to follow the steps detailed above. After updating your driver, check if the problem is resolved.

We also recommend updating your speaker drivers, so if you’re using USB speakers you might want to try that.

If Device Manager can’t update your drivers, you might want to try downloading them manually from your sound card’s manufacturer.

Do keep in mind that all drivers must be updated for your system to work properly.

1.1 Update drivers automatically

Therefore, in order to prevent PC damage by installing the wrong driver versions, we suggest doing it automatically by using the PC HelpSoft Driver Updater tool.

That’s a solution that requires minimum effort on your part. Long story short, you just need to install Outbyte Driver Updater and complete this quick procedure:

⇒Get PC HelpSoft Driver Updater

2. Disable Digital Output

Another simple solution for sound problems with Cortana is disabling the digital output in your sound settings.

This is a problem that usually occurs when you have two playback devices enabled on your computer, and one conflicts with Cortana.

This doesn’t have to be the case, but sometimes the second output device just blocks Cortana.

Most people reported that this workaround actually solved their sound problems with Cortana, but if you still can’t hear anything from your virtual assistant, maybe you can try one of the solutions below.

3. Remove IDT High Definition audio

As we previously mentioned, third-party audio managers can interfere with your system and cause problems with Cortana. Users reported that IDT High Definition Audio is often responsible for this problem.

In order to fix the issue, you just need to remove it. There are several ways to remove an application, but the best way to do it is to use a dedicated PC cleaning utility.

More specifically, we talk aboutCCleaner. This software has an easy-to-use uninstaller feature where you can find and remove your apps in just one click. When you are done with that, head to the registry cleaner and remove any trace of the app.

4. Reset Cortana

Maybe resetting Cortana to its default settings can solve the problem. Use the above steps to completely reset Cortana in Windows 10.

This will make Cortana completely forget about all your settings, so it would act like you just installed Windows, so maybe the solution for the sound problem with Cortana lies in this method.

5. Make sure that you don’t have Quiet hours turned on

Windows 10 comes with a useful feature that will prevent notifications from appearing.

The feature is called Quiet hours and if you turn it on, you might not be able to hear Cortana. However, you can easily disable this feature by doing as described above.

After doing that, your notifications will start appearing and you’ll be able to hear Cortana again.

If the Action Center fails to open in Windows 10, use the steps in thisquick guideto easily solve the issue.

6. Uninstall all hidden sound drivers

If you can’t hear Cortana, the issue might be related to hidden sound drivers. This isn’t a big problem, and you can fix it simply by removing the hidden sound drivers.

This is relatively simple, and you can do it by following the above steps. After doing that, restart your PC and check if the problem is resolved.

If you’re having trouble accessing Command Prompt as an admin, then you better take a closer look at thishandy guide.

7. Disable HD Audio Background Process and Realtek HD Audio Manager

Your Windows starts with many third-party applications, and sometimes these applications can interfere with Windows and cause issues with Cortana.

If you’re getting no sound from Cortana, the problem might be your startup applications. However, you can easily fix this problem by disabling these applications. To do that, just follow the above procedure.

After disabling these applications, restart your PC and check if the problem still appears.

Several users reported that these two applications caused the problem, so if you have either of them, be sure to disable them.

8. Configure audio in your audio manager

According to users, you might be able to fix this problem simply by configuring audio properly in your audio manager.

If you’ve downloaded and installed audio drivers from your sound card manufacturer, it’s possible that you installed a new audio manager.

If that’s so, the default audio manager and third-party manager can come into conflict. To fix the issue, you need to configure your audio properly in the third-party audio manager.

After doing that, the problems with Cortana should be resolved.

Since this is a sound problem, maybe something else from your system prevents Cortana from playing sound.

Therefore, you should check our article about other sound problems in Windows 10, and maybe you’ll find the solution (if none of the above worked, of course).

Many users use Cortana on daily basis, however, some users reported sound issues with Cortana.

Speaking of sound issues, these are some of the most common problems that users reported:

Let us know which Cortana tip worked in your case. Feel free to use the comments area below in that regard.

FIX: No Sound from Cortana in Windows 10/11#

How can I fix the No Sound Cortana problem in Windows 10?#

1. Update your drivers#

2. Disable Digital Output#

3. Remove IDT High Definition audio#

4. Reset Cortana#

5. Make sure that you don’t have Quiet hours turned on#

6. Uninstall all hidden sound drivers#

7. Disable HD Audio Background Process and Realtek HD Audio Manager#

8. Configure audio in your audio manager#