Fixing ‘One or more audio service isn’t running’ issue on Windows

September 28, 2018 |

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If your computer is not playing any sounds, you should troubleshoot the issue as soon as possible. In this article, we will show you how to fix audio service not running on Windows 10, a common but very annoying problem.

Luckily, a lot of users have already experienced this issue and are happy to share their troubleshooting techniques. We have collected some possible solutions in the list below, for your convenience:

  • you can check the status of your audio services; the services may have been deactivated.
  • you can update your audio drivers; they may have become outdated in the time that you were using them.
  • you can reinstall your audio drivers altogether if you have upgraded your hardware recently.

As you can see the problem you are having can stem from different issues in your device, from software to hardware, so make sure you find out what the source of the problem is, before you try to troubleshoot the symptoms. See the detailed instructions below on how to remove The One or more audio service isn’t running message.

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Solution 1. Checking the status of the audio services. Here’s how:

  • Step 1. Use the Win key + R shortcut to open the Run box.
  • Step 2. Type ‘services.msc’ into the search box and hit Enter.
  • Step 3. Navigate to Windows Audio and right-click it.
  • Step 4. In the drop-down menu, select the ‘Restart’ option.
  • Step 5. Check if the Service status is set to “Running” and that Startup type is “Automatic”. If they are, click OK; if not, change them to these settings.
  • Step 6. Check the same features in the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder. Click OK after you are done.
  • Step 7. Close the Service window and see if the changes you made helped. You can play an audio file to make sure.

Solution 2. Update your drivers

It’s important to have updated drivers at all times because otherwise, you will be experiencing various malfunctions across your system. Moreover, some of these malfunctions can potentially endanger the health and longevity of your device. When you are faced with the task of updating your drivers, you have two options: you can either do it manually or employ a special tool.

Updating your drivers manually is an easy enough process, but you have to know in advance the important details of your device and its compatibility features; also, you need to know the version of the driver that you have and the updated version that you need. You can always consult the manufacturer’s website and check what drivers are compatible with the system version you are using and your device. This is essential for the better performance of your computer.

However, if you are not in the mood to research all these variables, you might want to invest in a tool like Auslogics Driver Updater. It will schedule scans of your system and automatically update all drivers with available updates. You won’t have to worry about any compatibility issues because all of the compatible driver versions will be readily available to the program and downloaded and installed without your even noticing the change.

Solution 3. Reinstalling the audio drivers can be a viable option if you are certain that everything else is checked and working

Basically, what you do is uninstall the audio driver and then let the system install it again. Here’s how you do that:

  • Step 1. Use Win+R to open the Run box.
  • Step 2. Type in ‘devmgmt.msc’ and click OK.
  • Step 3. In Device Manager, select the Sound, video and game controllers category.
  • Step 4. Then select the audio device with a right-click and uninstall the device.
  • Step 5. Restart your computer and see if this fixed your issue.

Hopefully, now you have a full grasp of why your audio is not functioning properly. Thanks to this article, you are equipped with the tools necessary to fix the issue and any potential future issues with audio drivers.

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