Music can help limit the thoughts in your head while working. Occasionally your headset may act up a little, but you can usually fix the issue by unplugging and plugging it back in.

Occasionally, these hiccups can be severe, and understanding what's going on can be difficult without any apparent reason. This can prevent you from listening to your favorite playlist you just downloaded a few days ago. To resolve unusual problems with headphones, here are five fixes you can implement to keep your headphones working.

Getting Started With Fixing Headphones in Windows

Before we jump into exploring potential software issues, check your headphones physically. Ensure the leads are intact and connected correctly. Try unplugging and replugging it if it's already connected.

The next step should be to clean the headphone jack properly. Ensure no dirt or lint gets in the way of listening to your favorite music.

Also, make sure your headphones are compatible with Windows. Maybe it's not the hardware or technical issue, but the device isn't compatible with your operating system. In such a case, you can either replace the headphones or install a compatible operating system.

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If you are using Bluetooth headphones, make sure they are correctly paired with the device and are not connected to another one at the same time. In such a case, disconnect the connected devices and reconnect to the device you're currently working with. Make sure you aren't too far away from the device.

You can also test your devices to see if they are connected properly in Manage sound devices settings. You can do this by right-clicking on the volume speaker icon in the bottom-right corner and then going into Open Sound settings.

Afterward, go to the Manage sound devices settings and select your preferred output device. Click on Test, and if you hear a sound from your headphones, all is well. If not, the issue lies elsewhere that need further investigation.

Testing Output Sound Devices In Windows Settings

To further ensure that the problem lies with the computer and not the hardware, plug in another pair of headphones into the same device if you have one. If they start working fine, you'll need to spend some money to either have them examined by a technician or purchase a new pair.

If the other pair, too, is behaving the same, then implement the following fixes:

1. Make Your Headphones the Default Sound Device

Even if you've plugged your headphones in correctly, you will not hear anything from them if your computer doesn't recognize them as the default sound device. When you have more than one output sound device connected to your computer at once, this can cause conflicts with which device your PC uses to output sound.

Here's how you can set your headphones as the default:

  1. Click the sound icon in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar.
  2. Click on the Open sound settings.
  3. Make sure the correct device is selected in Choose your output device.
    Choosing The Right Output Device In Sound Settings

2. Run the Windows Audio Troubleshooter

The Windows audio troubleshooter fixes most hidden audio issues automatically, so let's run the audio troubleshooter in Control Panel before we proceed to complex fixes.

  1. Open the Windows Control Panel.
  2. Navigate on the Troubleshooting.
  3. Click on Hardware and Sound problems.
  4. Click on Playing Audio.
  5. On the pop-up window, tap on Next.
  6. Wait for troubleshooting to detect problems.
  7. Select the device you want to troubleshoot and click Next.
    Troubleshooting Playing Audio In Windows Control Panel

The troubleshooting tool will automatically resolve the audio issues after detecting them. This fix solves most audio issues but if it fails to work its magic, continue with the rest of the fixes.

3. Update Your Device's Drivers (or Roll Them Back)

Problems like outdated drivers may go unnoticed by troubleshooters. Ensure your audio drivers are up to date. You can do this by following these steps:

  1. Right-click on the start button and navigate to Device Manager.
  2. Expand the Sound, video, and game controllers category.
  3. Right-click on the driver you wish to update and hit Update driver.
    Updating Sound Driver In Device Manager

Depending on your device, the drivers might have different names, so if you're unsure which one correctly corresponds to your headphones, you might as well update all of them.

RELATED: 6 Types of Headphone Drivers and How They Differ

Following a recent update, people often start experiencing severe issues. You should also roll back the driver update if you recently updated your OS and experienced a problem with headphones afterward.

Navigate to Device Manager and expand the Sound, video, and game controllers category. To roll back updates for a driver, right-click on it and go to Properties. From the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver.

Rolling Back Driver In Windows Device Manager

You can only roll back a recent update and not one that has passed a certain period of time as shown above.

4. Enable Device Playback on Your Headphones

Windows use the device set in audio playback to play sound as output. If your headphones are not enabled there, the output might come from the device's speakers. You have to choose the right default playback device before you can start listening to music from your headphones.

Right-click on the sound icon in the lower-right corner of the taskbar and go to Sounds. Go to the Playback tab to see if your headphones appear there. If not, right-click in the box and click on Show Disabled Devices.

Showing Disabled Devices In Playback Sound Settings

When you see your headphones as disabled, click on it and hit Enable. When the device has been enabled, right-click on it and select Set as Default Device.

5. Update Windows

If nothing seems to resolve the problem, it's time to check if Windows is updated. Outdated Windows can cause issues that don't have straightforward solutions, so it's crucial to eliminate this possibility. You can check for updates in Windows by following these steps:

  1. Open the Windows settings app.
  2. Go to Update and Security.
  3. Click on Check for updates.
    Checking For Updates In Windows Settings App

Windows will check for available updates and automatically install them. You can also roll back the update if required but keep in mind the risk of compromising your security.

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Get Your Headphones Back Up and Running

Either of these fixes should resolve the issue for you. If the problem persists, you can try the same pair of headphones on a different computer to ensure the problem is not hardware-related. As a last resort, consider resetting your computer to default settings and then reconnecting the headphones

Have you ever wondered why all headphones sound different? One of the main factors contributing to the quality of your audio is the frequency response. Before you buy your next headphone, you should better understand this feature's importance.