How to Fix Realtek HD Audio Manager Won’t Open Or Not Working on Windows

May. 29, 2023 / Updated by Renata to Windows Driver Solutions

Realtek HD Audio Manager .jpg

Realtek HD Audio Manager is an essential tool that helps users to manage and configure their audio devices. However, many users face issues with Realtek HD Audio Manager not opening or not working on Windows. The problems can range from a missing icon on the taskbar, no sound output, or error messages while trying to open the application.

If you are facing these issues, don’t worry, as in this article, we will provide you with some simple solutions to fix Realtek HD Audio Manager won’t open or not working on Windows.

1. Check the Driver Status

2. Check the Audio Services

3. Update Realtek HD Audio Manager

4. Disable Front Panel Detection

5. Re-enable the Audio Device

1. Check the Driver Status

The first step to check if Realtek HD Audio Manager is working or not is to confirm that the audio driver is installed and updated. To do this:

Step 1: Right-click on the Start button and select ‘Device Manager’.

Step 2: Expand the ‘Sound, video, and game controllers’ option.

Step 3: Check if Realtek audio driver is installed and working properly.

If the driver is showing an exclamation mark or a red X, then it means that the driver is not installed or not working correctly.

To fix this, you need to reinstall the driver. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Right-click on the Realtek audio driver and select ‘Uninstall device’.

Step 2: Reboot your computer.

Step 3: Open the Device Manager again and click on the ‘Action’ tab.

Step 4: Select ‘Scan for hardware changes’.

Step 5: Windows will automatically detect and reinstall the Realtek audio driver.

2. Check the Audio Services

Realtek HD Audio Manager needs specific audio services to work properly. If these services are stopped or not working correctly, you may face issues while opening the Realtek HD Audio Manager.

To check the status of audio services, follow these steps:

Step 1: Press Windows + R key and type ‘services.msc’ in the Run dialogue box.

Step 2: Click on ‘OK’ or press Enter.

Step 3: Scroll down to find ‘Windows Audio’ in the list.

Step 4: Ensure that the status of Windows Audio is ‘Running’.

Step 5: If not, right-click on Windows Audio and select ‘Properties’.

Step 6: Change the ‘Startup type’ to ‘Automatic’.

Step 7: Select ‘Start’ under the ‘Service status’ option.

Now, check if the Realtek HD Audio Manager is working or not. If not, continue to the next solution.

3. Update Realtek HD Audio Manager

If none of the above methods work, it may be time to reinstall or update the Realtek HD Audio Manager.

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4. Disable Front Panel Detection

Realtek HD Audio Manager may sometimes fail to detect audio peripherals connected to your computer. This issue is generally seen on desktop computers that have front panel audio connectors.

To disable Front Panel Detection, follow these steps:

Step 1: Right-click on the Realtek HD Audio Manager icon on the system tray.

Step 2: Select ‘Sound Manager’ from the context menu.

Step 3: Click on the ‘Connector Settings’ icon in the bottom-right corner.

Step 4: Check the box next to ‘Disable front panel jack detection’.

Step 5: Click on ‘OK’ to save the settings.

Now, try to open Realtek HD Audio Manager and check if it’s working or not.

5. Re-enable the Audio Device

In some cases, the audio device may be disabled, which can prevent Realtek HD Audio Manager from working correctly.

To enable the audio device, follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to ‘Control Panel’.

Step 2: Click on ‘Hardware and Sound’.

Step 3: Click on ‘Sound’.

Step 4: Select the audio device that you want to enable.

Step 5: Click on ‘Properties’.

Step 6: Go to the ‘General’ tab.

Step 7: Make sure that the device status is ‘Enabled’.

If it’s not enabled, click on ‘Enable Device’ to enable it.

Conclusion

Realtek HD Audio Manager is a vital tool to manage your computer’s audio settings. If it’s not working correctly, then it can be frustrating. But, with the above solutions, you should be able to fix these issues without any hassle. If you’re still experiencing problems, then it may be time to reach out to a professional for further assistance.

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