# How to Fix Audio Services Not Responding

URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-audio-services-not-responding-windows-11/
Published: 2026-07-26 | Author: Ankit Kumar
Tags: Windows 11, Audio, Troubleshooting, Fix, System
Summary: Windows 11 troubleshooter reporting "Audio services not responding"? Restart the audio services, reset permissions, and get sound back with these step-by-step fixes.
Recommended app: PC-Troubleshooter — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/ (Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9N7RWKW8SP24?hl=en-us&cid=mytechnician-web). Optional; every step below uses built-in Windows tools.

## 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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-no-audio-windows-11/) first. **Audio going to the wrong device?** See [headphones playing through the wrong output](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-headphones-wrong-audio-output-windows-11/).

## 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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-run-sfc-dism-repair-windows-11/).

## 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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-windows-11-after-bad-update-rollback/).

## 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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-no-audio-windows-11/), [sound crackling and popping](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-sound-crackling-popping-windows-11/), and [microphone not working](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-microphone-not-working-windows-11/).

---
Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-audio-services-not-responding-windows-11/ — My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides.
Related tool: PC-Troubleshooter (PC-Troubleshooter is a system diagnostic and repair tool for Windows 10 and Windows 11—hardware, drivers, network, and common fixes in one app.) — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/
More guides: https://www.mytechnician.tech/llms.txt