Startups
Technology
Reviews
Apps
Laptop or PC always provide better experience feel whether it be gaming or streaming through movies when compared to smartphones. This is because of having a bigger display and better sound along with the visuals. Sometimes, you might find slight disruption or the sound crackling while played through speakers. The cracking or popping of the sound could be experienced even in a new speaker or headphone. This is an issue faced by several Windows users and the reason behind this annoying issue could be many.
Also, check out: 10 Common Amazon Echo Problems And Its Quick Fixes
In this article, we are going to cover all the possible causes for the disrupted audio or sound being produced in your system with Windows as the operating system as well as their fixes.
What causes the crackling sound in Windows 10?
As mentioned before, the sound crackling or popping could be because of several reasons such as a fault in the external speaker or device hardware, etc. If you have purchased it new, then it would be better if you get the device or speaker hardware checked by the experts.
You can also try using the speaker or the audio equipment on any other PC and test its condition.
If everything is in the right condition but you are still facing the issue, then do not worry because there might be other reasons. Here are the usual reasons causing this issue in Window 10 PC or laptop:
- Faulty or un-updated drivers
- Trouble in the speaker port
- Issue related to audio file or format
- Settings in your Windows system
We will further proceed with the possible solutions to fix the speakers popping or crackling issue. Make sure that you have checked that the condition of your headphone or speaker is good and try all the fixes given here, as any one of the following might be the right solution for you!
Also, check out: How Are Headphone And Speaker Ports Different?
Update your Sound drivers
This is the most simple and potential solution if your speaker keeps popping or crackling even if you use it at low volume. This is because if you haven’t updated your driver for a long time then there could have been bugs in your old driver, hence causing the issue.
To update your driver, follow these steps:
- You can find the new or updated driver on the official manufacturer’s device and download it.
- To update the existing driver open the Device Manager. For this, you can use the shortcut Windows Logo + X or right-click on the Start menu to find the list of options and select the ‘Device Manager’.
- From the Device Manager, you can find the list of all the drivers in your system. Scroll down, and search for the ‘Sound, Video and Game Controllers’ driver.
- Click on it to open the list of sound drivers and find your speaker.
- Right-click on it and choose the ‘Update driver’ option.
- Choose the ‘ Search automatically for updated driver software’. This will find the appropriate driver required and show the update you need automatically.
- Once updated, click on the ‘OK’ option to finish the process.
Now that you have updated the drivers, try restarting your PC before using the speakers. If your issue persists, try uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers. For uninstalling the driver, follow these steps:
- Use the shortcut Windows Logo + X or right-click on the Start menu to find the list of options and select the ‘Device Manager’.
- Scroll down, and search for the ‘Sound, Video and Game Controllers’ driver.
- Click on it to open the list of sound drivers and find your speaker.
- Choose the driver you want to remove or uninstall. Right-click on it and click on the ‘Uninstall’ option.
- After successful removal, download the new drivers from the manufacturing website.
Usually, this trick solves the problem but if it hasn’t, try the following solution.
Change the Power Options
- Search for the ‘Control Panel’ by pressing Windows Logo + S. Click on the option to open the Control panel dialog box.
- Search for the ‘Power options’ from the list.
- Select the ‘Change plan settings’ to make alterations irrespective of the current plan that you are using.
- Click on the ‘Advanced Power Settings’ option.
- Expand the options for the ‘Processor power management’ option. Choose the ‘Minimum processor state’ option to expand it.
- Change the setting percentage from the current to 100% and click on the ‘Apply’ option.
- Finally, click on the ‘OK’ option to finish the process.
Now check whether the speakers popping problem has stopped.
Audio Format
Try changing the format of the audio that might prevent the issue if your speakers keep popping or crackling. Follow these steps to change the audio quality:
- Search for the speaker shaped icon at the bottom right corner of the taskbar.
- Right-click on it and select the ‘Playback devices’ option.
- From the list of devices, double-click the device which is checked.
- Click on the ‘Advanced’ tab and choose the quality of audio from the ‘Default Format Box’.
- Click on the ‘OK’ option after changing the quality. Try using the speakers now as this can also be the root cause of the issue.
Check out: Everything About Powershell And Command Prompt In Windows
If this didn’t help, you can also try changing the settings related to sound enhancements. For this follow these steps:
- Search for the speaker shaped icon at the bottom right corner of the taskbar.
- Right-click on it and select the ‘Playback devices’ option and open the ‘Properties’.
- From the Speaker Properties dialog box, choose the ‘Enhancements’ tab or if you find the ‘Sound Blaster’ tab, then click it.
- Click on the ‘Disable all enhancements’ to select it.
- Click on the ‘Apply’ option followed by ‘OK’ to save the settings.
This might be useful to end audio related issues in case if they were caused due to being set at the ‘Bass Boost’ or ‘Virtual Surround’ enhancement options used.
In this article, we have seen the possible solutions to the audio popping or sound crackling issue in windows 10. Hope you could find the glitch and solve it with these simple yet effective fixes!
Latest Articles