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laptop sound gone every time it wakes from sleep

Ask By Nidhi N.2,674 views

my laptop has no sound after it comes back from sleep. screen is fine, wifi fine, just audio is dead. need to restart to fix. its been happening for a week

Brand
HP
Model
Pavilion 14
Connection
Built-in Speakers
System
Windows 11
Browser
Chrome 130
Sample Rate
48 kHz
Output Channels
2 channels
No Sound And Output DeviceWindows PC
Tool used in this discussionSound TestQuick left, right and stereo check for any speakers or headphones
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Short Answer

After sleep, the audio service or driver can fail to restart. Restarting Windows Audio fixes it for now, and disabling fast startup or updating the driver stops it coming back.

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Harvey Finch
Harvey FinchAudio Team
Spectrum Analyzer Lead · 9+ years experience · Answered Mar 7, 2026

Sleep and fast startup keep part of the driver state in memory, and sometimes the audio device does not wake up cleanly. The Windows Audio service is then still running but the device is stuck.

Restarting that one service is quicker than rebooting, and a driver update usually removes the root cause.

Step By Step Fix
  1. Press Win+R, type services.msc and restart Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder
  2. In Control Panel, Power Options, choose what the power buttons do, and turn off Fast Startup
  3. Update the audio driver from the laptop maker's support page
  4. Test again after a sleep cycle with the Sound Test
Sources
  1. Microsoft Support

Checked by Rishabh Sharma on . How we verify answers

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Community Replies 3

  • Rosie WattsCommunity Member

    Same on my HP. Turning off fast startup did it for me, 3 weeks no issue. I checked it again with the Sound Test afterwards to be sure.

  • Wyatt ShawCommunity Member

    The services restart trick saved me before an online class. Keep it as a shortcut.

  • Carter PriceCommunity Member

    I lost sound after a Windows update last winter and it was the output device that had changed. Now I check the list first whenever it happens.

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Harvey Finch
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Harvey Finch

Spectrum Analyzer Lead at Sound Test

Harvey Finch is the Spectrum Analyzer Lead on the Sound Tester Audio Team. Audits real-time fast Fourier transform (FFT) spectrum mapping and audio visualizer rendering accuracy. Contributes open-source digital signal processing tips on GitHub. On Sound Tester he answers Spectrum Analyzer questions, including flat displays, permissions and reading peaks, and reviews how each result is drawn.

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Brandon VanceBrandon VanceAudio & Acoustic Performance LeadXavier CruzXavier CruzFrequency Sweep SpecialistDiana ChenDiana ChenHearing Test ArchitectAlistair CrossAlistair CrossHeadphone Benchmark LeadImogen BlakeImogen BlakeBinaural Beats EngineerCallum SterlingCallum SterlingSurround Sound AuditorGemma GallagherGemma GallagherTone Generator ValidatorRishabh SharmaRishabh SharmaAudio DSP Engineer

Each answer is written by the specialist closest to the topic and checked by a second team member. How we verify answers

Answers are free general guidance from the Sound Tester Audio Team and community. They are not medical advice. For hearing loss, ringing or ear pain, see a doctor or audiologist. Opening a device can void its warranty, so check the maker's support first for hardware faults.

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