[Fixed] Audio Playing Through Headphones and Speakers at the Same Time

Mar. 27, 2023 / Updated by Bessie Shaw to Windows 10

“I have a laptop and I was using my headphones fine for ages. Then one day I shut it down and when I opened it again the sound came from both speakers and the headphones. The laptop doesn't even recognize the headphones so that when I plug them in, nothing happens to the laptop. It just plays sound through both.” -- Quoted from Microsoft Community

Audio playing through headphones and speakers at the same time is a common audio issue we may encounter. If you are experiencing this issue, don’t worry. Below are some possible solutions listed for your information.

Solution 1. Set Headphones as the Default Device

The “audio playing through headphones and speakers at the same time” problem is usually related to a settings issue or an issue with the drivers. For this reason, we can isolate the issue by modifying the settings first. Follow the steps below to set your headphones as the default device.

Step 1. Click on the Start menu and select Control Panel to open it.

Step 2. Select Hardware and Sound.

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Step 3. Click on Manage audio devices under the Sound tab.

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Step 4. On the Playback tab, click on your headphones, and then click on the Set Default button.

Step 5. Click on the Recording tab. Then select your microphone/headphones and click on the Set Default button.

Step 6. Save the changes by clicking OK.

Now try to play an audio file to see if the “audio playing through headphones and speakers at the same time” issue is gone. If no, read on to try the following feasible methods.

Solution 2. Uninstall and Re-install Your Audio Driver

As mentioned above, the “audio playing through headphones and speakers at the same time” problem could be caused by an issue with the audio driver. Therefore, to address this issue, another method is to uninstall and re-install the audio driver. Do as follows.

Step 1. Launch Device Manager.

Step 2. Locate Sound, video and game controllers and double-click on it.

Step 3. Right-click on your audio device and select Uninstall from the pop-up menu.

Step 4. Check the “Delete the driver software for this device” option and select OK when asked to confirm the uninstall.

Step 5. Once you’ve uninstalled the driver completely, restart your computer.

Then you can manually download the audio driver for your device from manufacturer's official website and install it.

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Solution 3. Update Your Audio Driver with Driver Talent

The third possible solution to the “audio playing through headphones and speakers at the same time” issue is to update your audio driver. Similarly, Driver Talent would be your best helper at this time.

To update your audio driver with Driver Talent, you can take these steps:

Step 1. Launch Driver Talent and click on Scan to detect if your audio driver is outdated or corrupted.

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Step 2. If your audio driver is detected as updatable, click on the Update button on its right to update it. If it’s detected as corrupted, click on Repair to repair it.

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Step 3. Restart your computer once the update or repair is completed.

Solution 4. Run the Windows Audio Troubleshooter

If the methods above make no difference, you can also try to address the issue by running the Windows Audio Troubleshooter. Here’s how to run it on Windows 10.

Step 1. Type “Troubleshoot” in the search box and select Troubleshoot from the search results.

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Step 2. Scroll down to locate Playing Audio in the list and click on it.

Step 3. Click on the Run the troubleshooter button under it. Then the troubleshooter will automatically detect the audio issues on your computer and resolve them. You may need to restart your computer in the process.

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Hope this post could be helpful for you to troubleshoot the “audio playing through headphones and speakers at the same time” issue. If you need further assistance, don’t hesitate to leave your comments below. For more useful computer tips, please visit the Resource section on this site.

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