Fix The Audio Service Is Not Running

The Audio Service Is Not Running

Are you seeing The Audio Service is Not Working warning message on your Windows 10? It is a simple Windows error, and that can be solved with our troubleshooting methods.

Speakers, headsets, and other kinds of sound devices generate audio/music only the audio service runs correctly. But due to some mistakes or hardware failures, Windows throws this error message.

It might be a driver issue or faulty audio devices that cause the audio service to stop running on the PC. If you want to clear this problem, then scroll down to the below steps and use the given methods on your Windows 10.

 

The Audio Service Is Not Running: Problem Overview

Windows users encounter different types of errors while working on their PCs. One such problem that frustrates the Windows user is The Audio Service is Not Working.

Sometimes, a red x mark on the right side of the volume icon is shown. When you place the mouse pointer on the volume icon, you will see the “The audio service is not working” error message.

This error is common to almost all the Windows versions, such as Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. Almost all the users who faced this issue have solved it without any failure.

Without any audio, it is hard to use our computers. We can’t play our lovable music, can’t hear the game sounds, etc. So, it is mandatory to fix this problem to hear sounds from the speakers or headsets.

First of all, get to know the reasons that stopped the audio service to work on your Windows 10.

  • Corrupted or expired sound drivers
  • Hardware issues associated with your audio devices
  • One or more dependencies of Windows audio service are disabled on your PC
  • Faulty audio settings on your Windows 10

We are listing the successful methods that completely eliminate this The audio service is not working issue on your computer.

 

The Audio Service Is Not Running: Related Problems

 

The Audio Service Is Not Running: Basic Troubleshooting Steps

To fix this Audio Service Is Not Working issue, we are listing a couple of basic troubleshooting methods. Read and apply the steps on your computer correctly.

  • Increase or Decrease Volume

Though it is hard to believe, increasing the volume slightly or decreasing it up to some extent can fix this problem. Even professionals follow this trick whenever they face this audio service stops working issue.

We would like you to go through the below instructions in order to get rid of this issue.

  1. First of all, go to the Taskbar placed on the right side corner of the System Tray.
  2. Now, click the Volume icon, where you will see the red X on its bottom right side.
  3. It will display a slider that enables us to increase or decrease the volume. You have to move the slider slightly to the right side to increase it.
  4. If the problem is not fixed, then decrease the volume by moving the slider to the left side.

In case if the red X is disappeared, then you won’t see any audio service is not working warning message.

  • Restart Windows Audio Service & Its Dependencies

If the above solution was failed to fix it, then restart the Windows Audio Service. Along with that, you need to restart its dependencies on your Windows 10.

Not only that, you have to make the startup type of all these services to automatic. By doing so, they will run automatically when your Windows computer starts.

  1. Press Windows + R -> Type services.msc -> Click OK.
  2. Double-click on the Windows Audio Service to open its properties. Now, go to the Startup Type section and select Automatic from the drop-down list.
  3. Repeat the above step to change the startup type of the below services also.
  • Windows Audio Endpoint Builder Service

Multimedia Class Scheduler Service (if available) 

  1. In the next step, right-click on the Windows Audio Service and select Restart from the context menu.
  2. After that, you have to restart two other dependencies, such as Windows Audio Endpoint Builder Service and Multimedia Class Scheduler Service.

Once you restart the services, check the Audio Service is working on your PC or not.

 

Steps To Fix The Audio Service Is Not Running Issue

Still, the Audio Service is not working on your Windows 10? Then without wasting your valuable time, go through the following methods.

 

  • Step 1

Run Audio Troubleshooter

Windows is the best operating system in terms of providing useful tools. Before proceeding to any other steps, you have to run the sound troubleshooter offered by Windows 10.

Many users have said that the audio service started working after finishing the below steps.

  1. Press Windows + I to open the Settings on your desktop.
  2. From Windows Settings, go with the Update & Security.
  3. Navigate to the Troubleshoot tab on the left side.
  4. Locate the Playing Audio section -> Click Run the Troubleshooter.
  5. Finish the process by following the on-screen instructions.

After that, check the audio service is working on your Windows computer.

 

  • Step 2

Update or Roll Back Audio Drivers

Didn’t you upgrade the audio drivers for so many days? According to our study, older sound drivers will stop the audio service to run on the PC.

It takes a few minutes to update the audio drivers on your Windows 10. To do so, you have two options, manual update and automatic update.

We force any Windows user to opt automatic driver update process because it completes within seconds. For that, you just require a driver updater, like IObit Driver Booster.

If you want to upgrade the drivers on your own (manually), then follow the below steps.

  1. Open the Device Manager by running devmgmt.msc in the Run box.
  2. Expand the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers -> Right-click the Intel Display Audio -> Click Update Driver option.
  3. Follow the on-screen steps and upgrade the drivers successfully.

Now, the audio service starts functioning properly, and the red X on the volume icon might be disappeared.

Some users say the audio service stopped working after updating the sound drivers. If the situation is the same for you, then roll back the drivers to the previous versions.

  1. Open the Device Manager -> Expand Sound, Video, and Game Controllers.
  2. Right-click Intel Display Audio -> Click Properties.
  3. Under the Driver tab, click Rollback Driver.
  4. If you see any confirmation or pop-up window, then continue to finish the process.

 

  • Step 3

Uninstall & Reinstall Audio Drivers

Corrupted audio drivers are one of the reasons for occurring “The Audio Service is Not Working” issue. Therefore, uninstall the corrupted audio drivers and reinstall them on your Windows 10.

  1. Press Windows + X -> Click Device Manager.
  2. Double-click Sound, Video, and Game Controller -> Right-click the Intel Display Audio -> Click Uninstall Device.
  3. Click yes to continue the uninstallation process.
  4. Restart your Windows to check for hardware changes on your PC and install the audio drivers automatically.

After installing the audio drivers freshly, the warning message might disappear on your computer.

 

  • Step 4

Run Required Commands

If you did any changes to the local account configurations, then it will warn you with a message, The Audio Service is Not Working. By executing the following commands, you can resolve this issue.

As many users have successfully solved it, you will also get rid of this error by finishing this trick.

  1. Press Windows + X -> Click Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. Type the following commands and press Enter after each one.
    1. net localgroup Administrators /add networkservice
    2. net localgroup Administrators /add localservice
    3. SC config Audiosrv start= auto
    4. REG ADD “HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Audiosrv” /V start /T REG_DWORD /D 2 /F
    5. secedit /configure /cfg %windir%\inf\defltbase.inf /db defltbase.sdb /verbose

Once you finish the execution process, check the audio service is working or still showing the same error message.

 

  • Step 5

Modify Log-On Settings

If the above methods failed to fix The Audio Service is Not Working, then change the log-on settings as mentioned below.

  1. Press Windows + R -> Type services.msc -> Hit Enter.
  2. Locate the Windows Audio Service -> Right-click on it and select Properties.
  3. Navigate to the Log On tab -> Enable the Local System Account option by clicking the radio button.
  4. Now, see the problem is disappeared on your PC.
  5. After that, check the This Account -> Type Local Service.
  6. Enter the password and retype it to confirm the password.
  7. Finally, click the Apply and OK buttons.

If the Windows Audio Service is not working, then use the below method.

 

  • Step 6

Change Registry

According to some users, they have fixed the problem simply by modifying the Windows registry. Be careful while applying the below instructions on your PC because mistakes will lead to data deletion and hardware damage.

  1. Press Windows + R -> Type regedit -> Click OK.
  2. Navigate to the below path,
    1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, SYSTEM -> CurrentControlSet -> Services -> AudioEndPointBuilder
  3. Under the AudioEndPointBuilder, choose Parameters.
  4. Go to the right-hand side, double-click the ServiceDll.
  5. In the Value Data section, copy & paste the %SystemRoot%\System32\AudioEndPointBuilder.dll
  6. Exit the Registry Editor.

After rebooting the Windows PC, check the audio service is working or not.

 

Tips To Avoid The Audio Service Is Not Running

Users can avoid these kinds of silly issues by following certain tips on their PCs. We are giving some of those suggestions that will keep you away from this problem.

  • Make sure the audio drivers on your Windows PC are up-to-date so that it will not show these warning messages.
  • If you don’t know how to modify the system/registry settings, don’t do it because it will lead to many problems, including this audio service is not working error.
  • It is better to run the antivirus scanner so that the devices and other essential information on your computer didn’t get corrupted or infected with virus.

 

Contact Official Support

By checking the user reviews, we confidently say that the given methods will troubleshoot this The Audio Service is Not Working issue.

You can also browse some other techniques on the official forums of Microsoft and other popular ones like Reddit. People who already faced this error post their experiences on these sites.

When you don’t find anything useful, contact the Microsoft technical team. The help desk of Microsoft will always be there to help you in fixing Windows errors.

Sign in to your Microsoft account and talk to their customer team via text chat or email. Mostly, they will quickly respond to your query.

 

Final Words: Conclusion

In conclusion, I conclude that Windows users who face any problems can easily solve them with the best solutions. Like other errors, you can fix this The Audio Service is Not Working by executing the above instructions.

We have provided the top-best solutions in this article. There might be some other tricks that solve it. If anyone holds any such methods, then please share them with us to help many other users.

For any compliments or complaints, feel free to contact us by leaving a message. At last, we create troubleshooting guides on various PC and gaming issues. If you want to look after those latest articles, then subscribe to our blog now.

  • Post last modified:November 16, 2021
  • Post category:Windows
  • Post comments:0 Comments

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