5 Ways to Fix VLC Audio Not Working on Windows 11

Quick Fixes

• Disable and enable the soundtrack manually from VLC Audio > Audio Track.
• Turn off Hardware-accelerated decoding in VLC from Tools > Preferences > Input/Codecs.

Basic Fixes

• Disable Audio Enhancements on Windows: It conflicts with the VLC audio output. Disable it from Windows Settings > System > Sound > Audio Device, and set ‘Audio enhancements’ to Off.
• Clear the VLC app cache: Press the Windows + R shortcut to open the Run dialog, paste ‘%appdata%\VLC’, and press Enter. Select all files in the opened directory and press Delete on your keyboard to clear them.
• Update or reinstall the VLC media player: Open the Microsoft Store, search VLC, and tap Update (if available). Alternatively, uninstall the VLC media player from Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps, and install it afresh from the Microsoft Store.

Fix 1: Enable Audio From VLC Settings

The VLC media player has an in-app option to enable audio. If you have unknowingly disabled it, you won’t hear any sound while playing videos. Head to VLC preferences to fix it:

Step 1: Open the VLC media player, click Tools at the top, and select Preferences.

Step 2: Select Audio, turn on Enable audio, and click Save to apply changes.

Fix 2: Disable and Enable the Audio Track

The VLC media player audio may not work sometimes due to temporary app glitches. To fix it, disable and enable the audio track manually.

Step 1: Play your desired video in VLC, select Audio Track under Audio, and click Disable to turn off its audio.

Step 2: Click the Audio menu again, select Audio Track, and enable the available track from the submenu.

Fix 3: Adjust VLC Output Settings

Windows lets you choose a specific audio output device – speaker or headphone. However, apps like the VLC media player allow customizing specific audio output. If you can’t hear sound from VLC, try changing its audio output module.

Step 1: Open the VLC media player, press the Ctrl + P shortcut to open its Preferences menu, and select All under ‘Show settings’.

Step 2: Select Output modules from the left sidebar, and assign Windows Multimedia Device output to the ‘Audio output module’. Click Save to apply changes.

Step 3: Finally, select WaveOut under Output modules, and choose your connected speaker or headphone in the ‘Select Audio Device’. Click Save to apply changes and retry playing media in the VLC.

Fix 4: Disable Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration in VLC enhances its media playback performance. An issue with it, however, can halt its audio output. Head to VLC preferences to disable its Hardware-accelerated decoding.

Step 1: Open the VLC media player, click Tools at the top, and select Preferences.

Step 2: Select Input/Codecs from the top, set Hardware-accelerated decoding to Disable, and click Save to apply changes.

Fix 5: Reset VLC Preferences

VLC packs several features and customization options. If you’ve tinkered with those settings and forgot to enable or disable them, the audio may not play as expected. Reset VLC preferences to restore normalcy.

Step 1: Open VLC and press the Ctrl + P shortcut to open the Preferences menu.

Step 2: Select Interface from the top, and click Reset Preferences. Click OK when prompted to confirm.