You have changed six things trying to fix the sound and now you are not sure what any of them were. Before you reinstall anything, hold on.
Windows keeps far more audio state than the screen shows you, and putting it back has an order that matters.
I counted what this PC was quietly remembering. It had a saved volume level for 150 separate applications, and not one of them appears in the sound settings page.
What "reset audio" actually has to undo
Four separate stores, and only one of them is visible.
⭐ The device choice. Which speakers or headset Windows sends sound to, plus the separate choice it uses for calls.
⚡ The per-app volumes. Every app you have ever nudged the slider for keeps its own level, forever.
⚠️ The device properties. Enhancements, the default format, spatial sound and exclusive mode, all held per device.
⛔ And the driver state, which is the one everybody jumps to first and should be last.
Ours: the 150 nobody knows about
A measurement, and it is the reason a reset feels incomplete.
Ours, counted in the volume store on this machine. Windows is holding a remembered level for 150 applications.
⚡ Most of those apps are long gone. The entry stays behind, and when you install something similar it can inherit an old level.
⭐ You can see the live ones in Settings, System, Sound, then Volume mixer. That list only shows what is running right now.
⚠️ Ours, and marked as ours: this is why one app is quiet when everything else is fine. Nothing is broken. Something set it years ago.
Step one: the device, and the second device nobody sets
Start here, because it fixes more than the rest combined.
⚡ Documented by Microsoft on its sound troubleshooting page: "Select the Speakers icon on the taskbar. Next, select the arrow to the right of the speaker volume slider to open a list of audio devices connected to your computer."
⭐ Pick the one you actually want and test it. Half of all sound complaints end here.
⚠️ Then check the second one. Windows keeps a separate default for calls, and apps like Teams follow that one instead.
⛔ Ours: this machine reports five audio endpoints, all healthy. Five choices, one of which is right, and Windows does not always guess it.
Step two: turn the enhancements off
Small step, big effect, and Microsoft says so itself.
Microsoft states: "Sometimes having audio enhancements on can result in audio issues. Disabling them may resolve your issue."
⭐ Do it per device, not globally. Each output holds its own enhancement settings, so switching headsets brings the old ones back.
⚡ Documented by Microsoft for the format underneath them: "On the Advanced tab, under Default Format, change the setting, select OK, and then test your audio device."
⚠️ Ours: change it, test, change it back if nothing improves. Leaving it on an odd format is its own fault later.
Step three: restart the three services
This is the real reset, and it takes twenty seconds.
⭐ Documented by Microsoft, and it names three: Windows Audio, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and Remote Procedure Call.
⚡ Its instruction is exact: "Select each of the following services, select and hold (or right-click), select Restart, and then select Yes."
⚠️ Ours: both audio services were running and set to automatic here, which is normal and does not mean a restart is pointless.
⛔ Restart them in that order and leave Remote Procedure Call alone if it refuses. Half of Windows depends on it.
Step four, and only now: the driver
Last, because it is the slowest and the least often needed.
Documented by Microsoft: "Try uninstalling your audio driver (it will reinstall automatically)."
⭐ That wording matters. You are not hunting for a download. You remove it, restart, and Windows puts a working one back.
⚠️ Do not install a driver from a search result. The one Windows fetches is the one that was tested against your hardware.
⚡ And run the audio troubleshooter before this, from Settings, System, Troubleshoot, Other troubleshooters. It is free and it sometimes just does it.
What a reset will not fix
Three things you may be expecting from it that never come.
⛔ Your volume at 100 and still too quiet. That is a format or a level, not a reset. The sliders that actually do it are elsewhere.
⚠️ Sound in one app only. That is the per-app volume or the app's own device choice, and a system reset leaves both alone.
⭐ A device that is not listed at all. Nothing to reset. That is a driver or a connection problem from the start.
Status: read against Microsoft's sound troubleshooting page, 26 August 2026, on Windows 11. Endpoints, services and the per-app volume store were read here. ⛔ Nothing was changed.
How do I reset all audio settings in Windows 11?
There is no single button, which is why it feels endless. Work through it in order: pick the right output device and check the separate one used for calls, turn off enhancements per device, restart Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, and only then uninstall the audio driver and let Windows put it back.
Why is one app quieter than everything else?
Because Windows remembers a volume level for every app you have ever adjusted. On the PC measured here it was holding levels for 150 separate applications. Open the Volume mixer in Sound settings and set that app back to 100, because no system-wide reset will touch it.
Does restarting the audio service fix sound problems?
Often, yes, and it is far quicker than a driver reinstall. Microsoft names three services for this: Windows Audio, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and Remote Procedure Call. Restart the first two and test before you go anywhere near a driver.
Should I reinstall my audio driver first?
No, leave it until last. Microsoft's own wording is to uninstall the driver and let it reinstall automatically, which means you never need to download anything. Try the device choice, the enhancements and the services first, because all three are faster.
The Short Version
- There is no one reset button. Four separate stores hold your audio state.
- Windows remembers a volume for every app. This PC had 150 of them.
- Start with the output device, then the separate default used for calls.
- Turn enhancements off per device. Microsoft says they can cause problems.
- Restart Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder next.
- Uninstall the driver last and let Windows reinstall it for you.
- Never install an audio driver from a search result.
- A reset will not fix one quiet app. That is a per-app volume.
Where to Next
Open the Volume mixer and look at your per-app levels first. If one app is the problem, you can stop reading right there.
Then pick your output device deliberately and test it, and remember to check the separate default Windows uses for calls.
Turn the enhancements off per device before you touch a service or a driver. It is thirty seconds and Microsoft raises it first for a reason.
If the sound is present but wrong rather than missing, the sliders you want are in a different place. Volume at 100 and still quiet is its own answer.
If your machine turns out to be remembering more app volumes than mine, say the number in the comments. I would like to know how high that goes.
Isaac Smith is the founder and editor of PC Glance, a website that covers computers, laptops, and technology. He is a tech enthusiast and a computer geek who loves to share his insights and help his readers make smart choices when buying tech gadgets or laptops. He is always curious and updated about the latest tech trends.