[FIX] Can’t hear Party Chat in Xbox Game Bar

You may not hear party chat in Xbox Game Bar if the Game Bar installation or your LAN/headset drivers are corrupt. Moreover, the wrong configuration of the audio devices may also cause the error under discussion.

The user encounters the issue when he tries to use the party chat but cannot hear other players although, the system/game sounds work fine. Some users could not even use the mic in the party chat. In some cases, the issue is limited to one or two games only.

Before proceeding with the solutions, check if unplugging & plugging back the headset during a party chat solves the issue. Moreover, check if ending the Xbox Game processes through the task manager solves the issue. Also, check if restarting your PC/router solves the issue.

Moreover, double-check if your or other player mic is not muted & the Game Bar/game has access to your Mic. If you are a Windows Insider, then check if leaving the program solves the issue. Additionally, make sure there are no parental controls, privacy setup, new account, or age restrictions (in the Xbox account) barring the user from using the party chat. Also, if you are logged on an Xbox Console, then check if logging out of it solves the issue.  Furthermore, check if playing the games in Windowed Fullscreen or Borderless solves the issue. Last but not the least, check if disabling the Firewall of your system solves the issue.

Solution 1: Repair the Xbox Game Bar Installation

You may encounter the error at hand if the Game Bar installation is corrupt. In this context, repairing the Xbox Game Bar installation may solve the problem.

1. Press the Windows key & select Settings. Now open Apps and expand Xbox Game Bar.

   

2. Then open Advanced Options and click on the Terminate button.

   

3. Now relaunch Xbox Game Bar and check if the issue is resolved.
4. If not, repeat steps 1 to 3 to open Advanced Options of the Game Bar and click on the Repair button.
5. Then relaunch the Game bar and check if the party chat issue is resolved.
6. If not, repeat steps 1 to 3 to open Advanced Options of the Game Bar and click on the Reset button (app data will be deleted).

   

7. Re-launch the Game bar and check if the party chat issue is resolved.

Solution 2: Set the Time Zone of Your System to Automatic

Xbox Game Bar may not function properly if the time zone of your system is not set to automatic as it can create sync issues between the server and client. In this case, setting the time zone of your system to automatic may solve the problem.

1. Right-click on the system’s clock and select Adjust Date/Time.

   

2. Then disable the option of Set Time Zone Automatically and set your time zone to correct one (if the automatic time zone is already disabled, then correct and enable it to check if it was causing the issue).

   

3. Now reboot your PC and then reenable the automatic time zone by following steps 1 to 2 (make sure that Set Time Automatically is enabled) and then click on the Sync Now button to check if the Xbox Game Bar issue is resolved.

Solution 3: Close/Uninstall Conflicting Applications

You may encounter the error at hand if any of the applications installed on your system is hindering the operation of the Xbox Game Bar. In this case, completely exiting or reinstalling the conflicting applications may solve the problem. Razer Cortex (a game/system boosting application) and Blue Yeti (device manager for Blue Yeti devices) are known to create the issue.

1. Either boot your system in Safe Mode or clean boot it and check if the issue is solved.
2. If so, then completely exit the system boosting application like Razer Cortex (make sure no process related to it is operating in the Task Manager of your system) and then check if the Game Bar is working fine.
3. If not, then check if reinstalling the Blue Yeti application (or similar applications) and its drivers solve the issue. Upon reinstallation, you may have to set Blue Yeti as the default device.

   

Solution 4: Set the Headset as the Default Input/Output Device

You may fail to hear the party chat if your audio output is not configured to your headset. In this context, switching the audio output to your headset may solve the problem.

1. Hit the Windows key and choose Settings. Then open System and in the left pane of the windows, select Sound.

   

2. Now, select the Sound Control Panel (in the right pane of the window).

   

3. Then, in the Playback tab, right-click on the first device and select Test to check if your headset plays the sound. If not, test all the devices one by one till you find the one for which your headset plays the test sound.

   

4. Once found, right-click on that device and choose Set as Default Communication Device (if the option is not applicable, then move to the next step).
5. Again right-click on the device and choose Set as Default Device.

   

6. Then move to the Recording tab and start talking in the mic of your headset.
7. Now check for the device that responds to your voice in form of increasing/decreasing vertical green bars.

   

8. Once found, repeat steps 5 and 6 to set the device as Default Communication and Default Device.
9. Now, check if the Game Bar issue is resolved.
10. If not, open the Playback tab in the Sound Control Panel (steps 1 to 3) and right-click on your headset (as found in step 4).
11. Now select Properties and navigate to the Advanced tab.

    

12. Then uncheck the option of Allow Applications to Take Exclusive Control of This Device.

    

13. Now click on Apply/OK buttons and then repeat the same to your headset device (found in step 8) in the Recording tab.
14. Then check if the Xbox Game Bar is working fine for the party chat.

Solution 5: Change the Audio Input/Output Devices in the Game Bar Settings

You may fail to hear the Xbox Game Bar party chat if the Game Bar is outputting audio to a different device than your headset. In this context, setting the headset as the output device in the Game Bar settings may solve the problem.

1. Open the Xbox Game Bar and join/initiate a party chat (don’t leave the party till the completion of the solution).
2. Now open the Xbox Game Bar Settings by clicking on the Gear icon and in the menu shown, click on Party Chat (in the left half of the window).
3. Then set your Audio Output to the headset and if it is already set to the headset change it to another device (if you only have one single device, then try to use a dummy device from applications like Virtual Audio Cable).
4. Repeat the same for Audio Input and then close the Settings Windows.

   

5. Then click on the Widget Menu and choose Audio.

   

6. Now make sure the output (in the Mix tab) and input (in the Voice tab) is set to your headset.

   

7. Then repeat steps 2 to 4 but make sure your headset is set as audio output and input device.
8. Now close the Settings window and check if the party chat has started to work fine.
9. If not, then check if disabling Push to Talk in the Party Chat settings of the Game Bar solves the issue.

   

Solution 6: Update/Reinstall the Network and Headset Drivers

You may encounter the error at hand if the network or headset driver of your system is corrupt. In this case, reinstalling the network and headset driver may solve the problem.

1. Update your system driver and Windows to the latest build and check if the issue is resolved.
2. If not, launch a web browser and navigate to the OEM website.
3. Then download the latest network (LAN/Wi-Fi) and headset driver of your system.
4. Now launch the Quick Settings menu by pressing Windows + X keys and choose the Device Manager.

   

5. Then right-click on your network adapter and choose Uninstall.

   

6. Now follow the prompts to uninstall the drivers but do not forget to check the option of Delete the Driver Software of This Device.
7. Repeat the same to remove all the network related drivers and reboot your system.
8. Upon reboot, reinstall the network drivers (downloaded at step 3) and check if the issue is resolved.
9. If not, press the Windows key and type Services. Then select Services.
10. Then right-click on the Windows Audio service and choose Restart.

    

11. Now check if the Xbox Game Bar is working fine.
12. If not, repeat steps 4 to 7 and reinstall the headset driver to check if it was causing the issue.

Solution 7: Change the NAT Type of Your Network

You may encounter the error at hand if the NAT type of your network is not open. In this scenario, changing the NAT type to open may solve the problem.

1. Disable IPV6 of your system and check if the issue is resolved.
2. If not, hit the Windows key and choose Settings.
3. Now open Gaming and then, in the left pane of the window, choose Xbox Networking.

   

4. Then, in the right pane of the window, check what NAT type is (under Xbox Live Multiplayer).
5. If the NAT type is Teredo is Unable to Qualify (or something similar like blocked/disabled), then click on the button of Fix it.
6. Then click on Check Again to check if the NAT type is open. If so, then check if the party chat issue is resolved.

   

7. If NAT type is not open, hit the Windows key and type Command Prompt. Then right-click on the result of Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator.

   

8. Then execute the following:

   netsh int teredo set state disable
   
   netsh int teredo set state type=default
   
   netsh int teredo set state enterpriseclient
   
   netsh int teredo set state servername=teredo.remlab.net

9. Now check if the issue is resolved. If not, then you may have to manually change the NAT type to open.

If the issue is still there, then check if inviting the players in a voice chat (not an Xbox party) solves the issue. Moreover, if you are encountering the issue in a single game, then try to reinstall or reset the game and confirm if it solves the issue. If not, then check if using the new Xbox app (or Xbox Companion app) solves the issue for you. If the issue started after a Windows update, then check if removing that update solves the issue. If the issue did not solve, then check if performing a cleans install of the Windows solves the issue. If the issue persists, then check if using another router with your system solves the issue.