How do you resolve conflicts between audio drivers on Windows 10?

1 Update Drivers

One of the first steps in resolving audio driver conflicts is to ensure that your drivers are up-to-date. Windows 10 has a built-in feature that allows you to update your drivers through the Device Manager. To access this, right-click on the Start menu and select 'Device Manager'. Expand the 'Sound, video and game controllers' section, right-click on your audio device, and choose 'Update driver'. You can then select 'Search automatically for updated driver software' and let Windows find and install the latest driver. Keeping drivers current helps to prevent conflicts and ensures compatibility with the latest software and system updates.

2 Rollback Drivers

If updating drivers doesn't resolve the conflict, or if the issue started after a recent update, you might need to roll back to a previous driver version. Within the Device Manager, find your audio device under 'Sound, video and game controllers', right-click it, and select 'Properties'. Go to the 'Driver' tab and click on 'Roll Back Driver', if available. This option reverses the last update and can often resolve driver conflicts. If the rollback option is greyed out, it means there isn't a previous driver version available on your system.

3 Uninstall Drivers

Sometimes, the best way to fix driver conflicts is to completely remove the problematic driver and start fresh. To do this, open Device Manager, locate your audio device in 'Sound, video and game controllers', right-click it, and select 'Uninstall device'. Make sure to check the option 'Delete the driver software for this device' if prompted. After uninstallation, restart your computer. Windows will attempt to reinstall the audio driver during the reboot process, which can often clear up any conflicts.

4 Disable Devices

Occasionally, disabling other audio devices can resolve conflicts. In Device Manager, under 'Sound, video and game controllers', you might see multiple audio devices listed. Right-click on any devices that you're not using and select 'Disable device'. This prevents the disabled device from conflicting with the one you're trying to use. Remember, you can always re-enable a device by right-clicking it and selecting 'Enable device'.

5 Set Default Device

Ensuring that the correct audio device is set as the default can also fix driver conflicts. Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar and select 'Open Sound settings'. Under the 'Output' section, choose your preferred device from the drop-down menu. This tells Windows to prioritize this device for audio output, which can help resolve conflicts with other audio drivers that may be trying to take control.

6 Troubleshooting Tool

Windows 10 includes a built-in audio troubleshooting tool that can automatically detect and attempt to fix driver-related issues. To access it, right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar and select 'Troubleshoot sound problems'. Follow the on-screen instructions as the troubleshooter attempts to identify and resolve any audio driver conflicts. This tool is especially useful for those who prefer an automated approach to troubleshooting.