In this post, we are going to discuss about how to fix headphone jack not working issue. It’s so annoying to have headphone jack not working error in Windows while we are playing a game or watching a movie. Usually a message, “Windows 10 won’t recognize this device”, will show up when this error happens. Let’s jump to the solutions now.

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What cause audio or headphone jack not working error in Windows

There are several factors that cause the headphone jack not working properly.

Windows update
Corrupt software
Outdated audio drivers
Hardware malfunction

When it happens to you, the first thing that you can do is to check the hardware. Use different headphone to the PC or laptop or use the same headphone to different PC or laptop. Check which one is broken, your headphone or the socket. If the headphone jack not working problem comes from your PC or computer, then you can perform the solutions below.

How to fix headphone jack not working Issue

We have provided several ways to fix headphone jack not working error in Windows. Follow the steps carefully to resolve this error in Windows.

Method 1 – Check the basic headphone jack troubleshooting

Sometimes the reason for this issue comes from a simple thing that we tend to forget. Let’s perform checking the basic of headphone jack troubleshooting.

1. Check the cable and jack plug to see that they are in a good condition.

2. Raise the volume and make sure that your PC is not in a mute mode.
3. Use the Windows audio troubleshooter to check for the error and fix it immediately.
4. Right click the Speaker icon.
5. Press Troubleshoot Sound Problems.

Let it does its job to scan and detect the error if any. You will have a guide to fix headphone jack not working error afterward.

Go to the next method if this method fails.

Method 2 – Disable the front panel jack

This is another simple way to fix “Windows 10 won’t recognize this device” issue in Windows. It usually occurs after updating Windows OS.

1. Search for the Realtek HD Audio Manager on PC and Open it.
2. Hit the small Folder icon in the upper-right corner.

3. Put a tick on Disable front panel jack detection.

4. Press OK.

Now you should be able to fix the jack problem in Windows.

Method 3 – Set Headphone as the default audio device

Check if the default audio device is selected when you connect the headphone. You can set it manually if it hasn’t become the default audio device. Do as follows:

1. Right-click the Speaker symbol in the bottom-right corner of Window’s taskbar.
2. Choose Playback Devices from the popup menu.

3. Right-click the Empty space and put a tick on Show Disabled Device.

4. The last step, right-click your headphones and choose Enable and set as Default Device.

You have successfully set your headphone is as Default audio device. Check if the error has resolved.

Method 4 – Update your audio drivers

Failure audio drivers can be the reason why you got error on headphone jack. In order to resolve this issue, you can update the audio drivers. Do the following steps to update the audio drivers:

1. Right-click the Speaker symbol in the bottom-right corner of Window’s taskbar.
2. Select Playback Devices from the popup menu.

3. Choose Headset and hit Properties.

4. Press Change Settings.

5. Grant access for administrator’s permission.
6. Go to Driver tab.
7. Hit Update Driver.

8. Choose Download the Updates automatically.

9. Restart PC.
10. Connect the headphones.

The latest drivers version should have fixed the issue that happens to headphone jack.

Conclusion

That’s all. The four methods that we have discussed hopefully can fix the headphone jack not working issue that usually happens on Windows 10, 8, and 7. If the error still persists after you do all the methods suggested, we recommend you to contact the technical support. We hope it helps you. Thank you for reading win10repair!