How to Fix Audio Services Not Responding

•
Ankit Kumar
Windows 11AudioTroubleshootingFixSystem

The Problem

You run the audio troubleshooter and it reports Audio services not responding. The volume icon may show a red cross, output devices may be missing entirely, or sound simply stops after a sleep or an update.

Windows audio depends on three services that must all be running: Windows Audio, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, and Remote Procedure Call (RPC). If one stops, is set to Manual, or loses its login account, everything above it goes silent.

Sound device present but nothing plays? Try no audio in Windows 11 first. Audio going to the wrong device? See headphones playing through the wrong output.

Symptoms

  • Troubleshooter result: Audio services not responding.
  • Speaker icon with a red X, or No audio output device is installed.
  • Volume mixer is empty, or audio dies after every sleep/wake cycle.

Step 1: Restart the Audio Services

  1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter.
  2. Find Windows Audio. Right-click → Restart.
  3. Find Windows Audio Endpoint Builder. Right-click → Restart.
  4. Test sound. If it works, continue to Step 2 anyway so it survives the next reboot.

Step 2: Set the Services to Start Automatically

  1. Still in services.msc, double-click Windows Audio.
  2. Set Startup type to Automatic → Apply.
  3. Do the same for Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and Remote Procedure Call (RPC).
  4. Leave RPC running — never stop it manually; half of Windows depends on it.
  5. Click Start on any that are stopped, then OK.

Step 3: Fix the Service Log On Accounts

A wrong login account is the classic cause of a service that refuses to start.

  1. Double-click Windows Audio → Log On tab.
  2. Select This account and enter Local Service, clearing both password fields.
  3. Click OK — ignore the warning about a blank password; this account has none.
  4. For Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, the account should be Local System.
  5. Restart the PC.

Step 4: Add the Service Accounts to the Local Administrators Group

Do this only if Step 3 left the services still failing to start.

  1. Open Terminal (Admin) and run: 
    net localgroup Administrators /add networkservice
  2. Then: 
    net localgroup Administrators /add localservice
  3. Restart the PC and test sound.

Step 5: Reinstall the Audio Driver

  1. Right-click Start → Device Manager → expand Sound, video and game controllers.
  2. Right-click your audio device (Realtek, Intel SST, NVIDIA High Definition Audio) → Uninstall device.
  3. Tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device if offered, then Uninstall.
  4. Restart. Windows installs a generic driver automatically.
  5. If sound is still wrong, install the manufacturer's driver from your motherboard or laptop support page — not from a driver-updater app. See how to update outdated drivers.

Step 6: Try the Generic High Definition Audio Driver

Manufacturer drivers sometimes break after a Windows feature update; the Microsoft driver is more tolerant.

  1. Device Manager → right-click the audio device → Update driver.
  2. Choose Browse my computer for drivers → Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
  3. Select High Definition Audio Device → Next.
  4. Accept the compatibility warning and restart.

Step 7: Run the Audio Troubleshooter Again

  1. Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters.
  2. Run Audio and apply any fix it offers.
  3. Also run Playing Audio if listed separately.

Step 8: Repair System Files

  1. In Terminal (Admin): 
    sfc /scannow
  2. Then: 
    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  3. Restart. Details: repair Windows 11 with SFC and DISM.

Step 9: Roll Back a Recent Update

If sound died the day an update installed, remove it.

  1. Settings → Windows Update → Update history → Uninstall updates.
  2. Remove the most recent quality update and restart.
  3. Then pause updates for a week so it does not immediately return: roll back Windows 11 after a bad update.

What Not to Do

  • Don't disable the RPC service. Windows will not boot properly without it.
  • Don't install "audio enhancer" or codec-pack software. These are a common cause of endpoint builder crashes.
  • Don't stop at a working session. If you restarted the service manually, set it to Automatic or the problem returns at the next boot.

Still Not Working?

If the services start cleanly but there is still no output device, the audio hardware or its bus may have failed — test a USB headset, which brings its own audio device and bypasses the onboard chip entirely. If the USB headset works, the onboard codec is the fault.

Related: no audio in Windows 11, sound crackling and popping, and microphone not working.

Related guides