Windows
Audio was routed to the monitor instead of the laptop speakers
The computer had no sound until the playback device was changed from the monitor to the laptop speakers. After that change, audio worked again.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-28.
Affects
Hardware
- Monitor audio output
- Laptop speakers
What you see
- No sound from the computer while audio was playing through the monitor output.
Why it happens
Likely The active audio output was set to the monitor instead of the built-in laptop speakers.
When it shows up
A Windows laptop has no sound because the selected playback device is the connected monitor or its audio endpoint.
You are in this case if:
- The active playback device shows the monitor or HDMI/display audio endpoint instead of the built-in speakers.
- Sound returns as soon as playback is switched to the laptop speakers.
1 fix below
The steps that killed it
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Someone from XL.net killed this on a Windows computer on 2025-10-28. It is written up from that one repair, so it cites no outside page.