My volume is not going up or down, stays mute and Accidently deleted senary audio.

Question

My volume is not going up or down, stays mute and Accidently deleted senary audio.

Lola Davis 0

I really don't know why I did this, but my computer stays on mute (when i turn the volume up or down with the F3 and F4 keys, it doesn't work.) and I tried to follow a tutorial on how to fix it, and I accidentally deleted Senary Audio. I don't know if this is a big deal or not, but I really need help with this.

Thanks for understanding!

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Clary-N 12,235 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Lola Davis,

Thank you for reaching out.

I recommend first reviewing and working through the guidance provided in the AI Answer, as those steps are designed to address common causes of audio issues, including missing or corrupted audio drivers.

If the issue persists after completing those suggestions, please try connecting a pair of headphones, a USB audio device or a Bluetooth speaker/headset to your Surface Laptop and check whether audio works through the external device. This can help determine whether the issue is related to the built-in speakers or if Windows is unable to output audio through any device.

It would also be helpful to check whether any audio devices appear under Settings > System > Sound > Outpu and whether you see any entries under Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers. If possible, please share a screenshot of that section in Device Manager. Since you mentioned that the Senary Audio device was deleted, this information can help determine whether the audio driver is missing or if the device is no longer being detected by Windows.

Please let me know the results and I'll be glad to assist further.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Lola Davis 0 Reputation points

2026-07-01T01:48:38.2766667+00:00

Hi, I tried to plug in headphones, my volume stayed mute. Also tried to use bluetooth settings to try and get my volume back to normal, it also didn't work. Since you were talking about helping me by sending a screenshot, I actually have a screenshot of the senary audio being deleted. As you can see, used to have Senary Audio on here, but I have accidentally deleted it. The only options under "Sound, video and game controls" are Microsoft Streaming Clock Proxy, Quality Manager Proxy, and Service Proxy. I also do not have any output devices, but, if possible, if I download an audio driver, will that restore my volume back to normal, so that it won't stay mute? if yes, please give me a tutorial on how to install the new audio drive.

Thank you for understanding!
Clary-N 12,235 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-01T07:47:51.3066667+00:00

Hi Lola Davis,

Thank you for the update and for sharing the screenshot.

Since no audio devices are currently listed and audio isn't working through headphones or Bluetooth devices, reinstalling the audio driver may help restore sound functionality.

Before manually downloading drivers, please check Settings > Windows Update and install all available updates, including any optional driver updates then restart the device.

You can also open Device Manager, select Action > Scan for hardware changes and check whether the audio device reappears.

If the issue persists, please let me know your exact Surface Laptop model and Windows version (press Windows + R, type winver and share a screenshot). I can then provide the appropriate driver package and installation steps for your device.

Please keep me posted on the results.
Clary-N 12,235 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-02T06:58:32.6566667+00:00

Hi Lola Davis,

May I know if you have got any chance to check my answer?

I am glad to help if you have any other questions.

Answer 2

Perform these steps in order on the Surface Laptop (Windows 10/11). They focus on restoring audio and undoing the effect of deleting the audio device/driver (such as Senary Audio):

Run the audio troubleshooter (Surface/Windows)
- Open the Get Help app (search for “Get Help” from Start).
- In Get Help, run the audio troubleshooter. It will automatically run diagnostics and attempt to fix most sound and audio issues, including missing or disabled devices.
Check that the correct output device is selected
- Select the Speakers icon on the taskbar.
- Select the arrow to the right of the volume slider to open the list of audio devices.
- Make sure the built‑in speakers/headphones device (not an external monitor without speakers) is selected as the output device.
Verify volume and mute status in Volume mixer
- Right‑click (or press and hold) the Speakers icon on the taskbar.
- Select Open Volume mixer (Windows 10) or Volume mixer from Start > Settings > System > Sound (Windows 11).
- Ensure the System and app sliders are turned up and not muted.
- If any slider shows a mute icon (red circle or “x”), select it to unmute.
Confirm the device is not disabled in Sound settings
- Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
- In Windows 11: under Output, select the audio device, then open More sound settings (under Advanced).
- In Windows 10: select the audio device and choose Device properties.
- Make sure the device is enabled (Windows 11: Device usage = Use this device (enable); Windows 10: Disable checkbox is cleared for both output and input devices).
Set the default audio device (if using USB/HDMI)
If an external monitor or USB audio device is connected:
- Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound.
- On the Playback tab, right‑click the correct speakers/headphones device and select Set as Default Device, then select OK.
Update or reinstall the audio driver
Since an audio device/driver (like Senary Audio) was deleted, reinstalling the driver is critical:
- Open Device Manager (search “Device Manager” from Start).
- Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- If the audio device is present, right‑click it and select Update driver, then restart the PC.
- If audio is still missing or the device is not listed, uninstall any problematic audio entry and then install the latest audio driver from the Surface/device manufacturer’s support site. After installation, restart the Surface.
If audio broke after a Windows update
- In Device Manager, under Sound, video and game controllers, right‑click the audio device, select Properties, then the Driver tab, and choose Roll Back Driver if available.
- Follow the prompts and restart. If that does not help, use a system restore point created before the issue, as described in Windows recovery options.

If the volume keys still do not change volume after these steps, but the device shows as enabled and working in Sound settings, use the Get Help audio troubleshooter again and, if needed, contact Surface support for further diagnostics.

References: