Windows 10 Audio Crackling: 10 Ways To Fix The Problem

There is nothing worse than hearing crackling audio in windows 10, but you have no idea how to solve it. it’s usually a trial and error process until you finally find the cause, so it may take some time to find the right solution.

Fortunately, crackling audio is often caused by the same set of issues, so following our troubleshooting steps below will likely fix the audio once you’ve tried each step.

Reading: Headphone crackling windows 10

reconnect your device

This is the easiest step to test and may work more often than you expect. Sometimes your audio device may not be fully plugged in and that can cause Windows 10 audio crackling issues with your audio. sometimes there may be driver issues that will resolve themselves simply by unplugging and plugging back in the audio device.

When you plug your audio device back in, make sure it’s fully plugged in, especially if your device uses an audio jack.

try your audio equipment on another device

Before proceeding to the next troubleshooting step, you should test your audio equipment on another device. connect your speakers or headphones to a spare laptop, phone, or computer to see if they still have problems.

If you still experience audio crackling, the problem is related to the audio equipment itself. in this case, you may need to take a look at the cable to see if there is any damage. you can try contacting your manufacturer to see if they offer any kind of warranty service in case of damage.

try a different headphone port

If you have a windows 10 computer, you will usually have a headphone port on the front and back of your computer. you should unplug your audio equipment from the headphone port you are currently using and try it with the other headphone port.

update your sound drivers

The next step would be to uninstall the drivers and let windows reinstall the correct drivers automatically. this can fix any potential issues with driver issues and potentially reset any weird software issues that may have arisen.

To uninstall your sound drivers, first open the start menu and search for device manager. click on the result that appears.

In device manager, click to expand audio inputs and outputs.
click the speaker button at the bottom right of the taskbar to see the name of your audio device.
find the corresponding audio device in device manager.
right-click the audio device and click uninstall device.
reboot your windows 10 pc.

Once your windows 10 pc boots up, it should automatically search for and install new drivers for your audio device. if not, unplug your audio device and plug it back in to have windows 10 check for new drivers.

change audio format

With the audio format settings in windows 10, you can control your audio frequency to adjust the overall sound quality of the system. however, some audio devices may have problems if the frequency is too high. you should lower the frequency of your audio format to see if it can resolve the audio issues.

To change your audio format, first open the windows start menu and search for control panel. open the option that appears.

click view by: large icons in the upper right corner.
click sound.
scroll down to your active sound device.
right click your device and click properties.
click the advanced tab.
click the dropdown menu and select 2ch, 16bit, 44100hz.
click Click on ok to confirm the changes.

Test your audio again and see if the audio crackling issue is fixed. if it doesn’t fix it, try each different option until you find a setting that solves your problem. if none of the options work, skip to the next troubleshooting tip below.

turn off spatial sound

Windows 10 spatial sound could be distorting the audio quality. you can easily disable it, so it’s worth trying to see if this might solve your problem.

To disable audio enhancements in windows 10, first open the start menu, search for control panel and look for the sound option. then follow the steps below.

scroll down and find your active sound device.
right click on your device and click properties.
click the spatial sound tab.
click the dropdown box and select off.
then click in ok.

then test your audio again to see if the audio crackling has stopped. if not, skip to the next suggestion below.

disable exclusive mode

There is a setting in the sound window that will allow applications to take exclusive control of your device. this can be useful for virtual sound applications, but if an application is not working properly, this can cause problems with the audio.

To resolve this issue, reopen the sound application from the control panel. Once you’re in the sound app, find your active device in the playback section. then follow the steps below.

right click your active sound device and click properties.
click the advanced tab.
click to uncheck the allow exclusive apps… checkbox.
click ok >.

Try your sound device one more time to see if the crackling sound is gone. if not, follow the steps below.

change power settings

In some cases, specific power settings may be causing problems with your audio device. this is easy to fix and can be resolved by following the steps below.

open the control panel from the start menu.
click view by: large icons.
click power options.
click change plan settings to the setting you are currently using.
click change advanced power settings.
click to open the processor power management option.
click minimum processor status. strong>option.
click the setting x% option and then type 100.
then click apply and then ok.

try a fresh install

If, at the end of it all, you’re still having audio issues and you’re sure it’s a software issue related to windows 10, you might consider reinstalling windows 10. Make sure you have a backup of all your files. beforehand. you can download windows again from microsoft, but make sure you have your license key ready.