Fix: Channel Surround Sound Not Working in Windows 11/10

The surround sound feature on Windows 11 might not function properly for many reasons. It might be due to a faulty configuration of settings or incorrect driver installation. It could also be a hardware issue. 

Before jumping into the solutions, we’ll look at the causes of this issue.

• Incorrect Configuration- Incorrect configuration can be one of the reasons why you are facing issues using channel surround sound on your Windows machine. It is pretty straightforward to fix if this is the problem.
• Faulty Audio Codecs- Faulty audio codecs might also cause this issue. A codec encodes or decodes audio; if the one installed on your computer is faulty, you could face such issues.
• Outdated or Corrupt Audio Driver- This issue might be due to faulty drivers installed on your computer. It can be easily dealt with by installing updated audio drivers.
• Disabled Audio Services- Several services work in the background for smooth end-to-end encryption and decryption of the audio. If any one of them is disabled, there is a possibility your experience might not be perfect.
• Disabled Speaker Fill- Speaker fill is a sound enhancement feature enhancing spatial sensation. If disabled, it may lead to a quirky surround sound experience.
• Incorrect Audio Format- Windows provides users with the feature to select audio formats and has various options covering a wide range of speakers. It is good practice to configure the audio format to the correct format in correspondence with your speaker’s compatibility.

1. Verify Surround Sound Configurations

Before applying any solutions to fix the issue at hand, we’ll reconfigure and verify if your surround sound configurations are correct. 

1. Press the Windows + R key simultaneously to open the Run dialog box, and in the search box, type mmsys.cpl

   

2. Inside the Playback menu, select your speakers and click on Configure.

   

3. In the speaker configuration window, select 5.1 or 7.1 in conformity with your speaker’s capability.

   

4. Click Next, and after that, click on Finish.

Once the configurations are done, try testing your speakers.

2. Use Windows Audio Troubleshooter

Windows comes with an audio troubleshooter out of the box. This tool can help us identify common and known issues. These steps are valid for both Windows 11 and 10.

1. Tap on the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start menu.
2. In the Start menu search box, type Troubleshoot Settings and open it.

   

3. Click on Additional Troubleshooters.

   

4. Click on the box with content Playing Audio and click on Run Troubleshooter

   

5. A new Windows popup will open, wait for a while until it finishes processing.
6. Once done. Click on Close.

   

As shown in the image, if it could not identify the problem, move on to the next step if the Windows audio troubleshooter could not solve the issue.

3. Download HD Audio Codecs 

An audio codec can be a piece of software that encodes and decodes digital stream data in audio vocal form. It could possibly cause us to face this error if it is faulty. 

1. Open your sound card manufacturer’s website and hover to where you can download codecs. We have listed links to a couple of widely used sound card manufacturers.
   If you’re a Realtek sound card user, click here.
   If you’re an Asus user, click here. 
2. Click on the highlighted download icon as shown in the image.

   

3. Once downloaded, continue with the straightforward installation. 

4. Enable Speaker Fill

Users have reported that enabling speaker fill solved their problem with channel surround sound. It is quite straightforward and reportedly an effective fix to this problem. 

1. Press the Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box. In the search box, type mmsys.cpl and hit the Enter key to open the sound dialog box.

   

2. In the Playback tab, click on Speakers and Properties or alternatively, right-click on speakers and click on Properties.

   

3. In the speaker properties dialog box, click on the Enhancements tab and uncheck the Disable all sound effects check box.

   

4. Click OK to apply settings.
5. Reboot your computer so that the changes can take effect.

5. Change Audio Format

Windows allows users to change the audio format, and reportedly changing the audio format to 24 Bit and 96000 Hz sound quality has helped users rectify the issue. 

1. Press the Windows + R key simultaneously to open the Run dialog box.
2. In the Run dialog box search box, type mmsys.cpl. 

   

3. Now, click on Properties to open the sound properties dialog box.

   

4. In the navigation menu located on top of the dialog box, click on Advanced.

   

5. Inside the dotted box with the heading Default format, click on the drop-down menu as shown in the image below.

   

6. Select the 24 Bit, 96000 Hz (Studio Quality)  option.
7. Click on OK to apply the settings.

6. Restart Audio Services

Restarting audio services might help us take care of this issue. Follow these steps to restart audio services easily:

1. Press the Windows key to open the Start menu.
2. In the Start menu search box, type CMD and open it as an administrator.

   

3. Paste the following commands to restart audio services

   net stop Audiosrv
   net start Audiosrv
   net stop AudioEndpointBuilder
   net start AudioEndpointBuilder
   net stop RpcSs
   net start RpcSs

4. Once all of the services have been restarted, Reboot your computer.

7. Enable the Mono Audio Feature

Enabling mono audio has been helpful to several users and is widely considered a fix for this issue. 

1. Press the Windows key to open the Start menu.
2. In the Start menu search bar, type Settings and open it, or alternatively press the Windows + I to open the settings.
3. Click on Ease of Access, and on the left side of your screen, select Audio.

   

4. Toggle the Mono Audio switch to on.

   

8. Update Windows

There might be an issue with your current Windows version; it is good practice to keep your Windows up-to-date. 

1. Press the Windows key to open the Start menu.
2. In the Start menu search bar, type Check For Updates.

   

3. Click on Check for Updates.

   

4. Install any available recommended updates.