FIX: 5.1 channel surround sound not working on Windows 10
- Having the wrong settings or outdated audio drivers will cause the 5.1 surround sound to stop working on Windows 10.
- Change your audio frequency and bitrate to more appropriate values will easily fix the problem.
- You should also update all of your audio-related drivers. Use a specialized driver updater to download the latest versions.
- If none of these solved your problem, a future Windows 10 update will surely contain 5.1 surround sound fix.
If you like to enjoy multimedia content then you probably have a 5.1 surround speaker system.
These speakers are perfect for all fans of multimedia and it’s a big problem when 5.1 channel sound isn’t working on Windows 10, so let’s see if we can fix this.
Users report that they can only get 2.1 audio, although 5.1 audio worked fine with previous versions of their Windows.
In addition, users are getting Failed to play test tone errors when trying to test their audio device. So what can we do to fix this issue?
How do I fix the 5.1 channel surround sound on Windows 10?
1. Change the sound bit rate and frequency
- Right-click on the speaker icon on the right of your Windows taskbar.
- Select Sound, then go to Playback.
- Right-click on your speaker and select Properties.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Expand the format list and change the bitrate to 24bits and frequency to 96000Hz.
- Click Ok. Now your 5.1 audio should work properly.
This applies if you’re using Realtek Sound. To fix this, you need to open Realtek Sound manager and set the sound bitrate to 24bits and frequency to 96000Hz for 5.1 audio to work properly.
If this option doesn’t work, you might want to try changing the bitrate and frequency until you find the one that works for your computer.
2. Update your audio driver
- Press the Win Key + S and search for Device Manager.
- In the Device Manager, go to your Audio inputs and outputs.
- Right-click on your speaker and select Update driver.
- Now, expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Repeat the process for the devices you find there.
If you’re using Realtek audio, you might want to download the latest drivers, or any version of drivers higher than 6.0.1.7487.
Some users report that this was helpful to them. If you’re not using Realtek audio, it won’t hurt that you try updating your audio driver as well.
Update drivers automatically
The process of manually updating your drivers is tedious and requires a bit of background knowledge. Installing the wrong driver or an incompatible one will make the situation worse.
Therefore, we recommend checking out a specialized tool that updates drivers automatically, so you won’t have to go through the trouble of doing it yourself.
- Download and install DriverFix.
- Launch the app.
- Wait for the software to detect all your faulty drivers.
- You will now be presented with a list of all the drivers that have issues, and you just need to select the ones you’d liked fixed.
- Wait for DriverFix to download and install the newest drivers.
- Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
DriverFix
Keep your Windows safe from any type of errors caused by corrupted drivers, by installing and using DriverFix today!3. Update your Windows 10
- Press the Win Key + S and type Settings.
- Go to the Update & Security.
- Select Windows Update, then Check for updates.
- Let Windows search and install the latest updates.
Microsoft constantly works at improving their Windows OS and fixing all bugs they find. If your surround sound isn’t working, it might be a problem from their end, unrelated to you.
In this case, you just have to wait for a Windows update that will automatically solve the problem, so be patient.
We hope these solution worked for you. If none of these solutions were helpful to you, make sure that you keep your Windows 10 up to date and wait for the official solution from Microsoft.
Please leave uf feedback regarding the subject or any other helpful solutions that know of in the comment section below.
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Quite stupid ADs.Smart people recommend to keep your drivers backed and NEVER to update drivers before you have a full system backup. Folks, those driver-update-makers want your money, that’s it.
thank you for a exe programe that does not work
This article is from October 2015 and there is still no fix?
Now 2017, STILL NO FIX!!!
Well, now, 5.1 works, but only if it is recorded as 5.1. otherwise it plays 2.0. There is no synthesized surround and MS doesn’t care whether you like it or not. Look for DL-6ch or DTS for full sound. If you’ve been fiddling with the settings to make 5.1 work you will probably have to return to defaults or do more fiddling, but it works.
Well that is true, I was more commenting on some games that offer 5.1 surround. But I did get it working on the DTS, until I updated to the recent creators update. Not sure why but that took it out on my system again. But at least this time I am sure it is a driver or firmware update. Thanks for the input!
So basically you have NO solution to offer. Why bother putting up a web page with no information?
I tried almost everything but nothing works, I have asus motherboard viahd integrated sound. Even I’ve bought external sound card but in that case test sound works but from application surround 5.1 doesn’t work, I also tried fill speaker option but not working
Doesn’t work at all. Win 8.1 and 7 both show 5.1 surround, but win 10 only shows 2.0 at most, and that’s over the same setup with a 5.1 system over optical. And powerdvd recognizes 5.1, and thus making the sound really bad since the sound then goes 5.1 leaving only the rear speakers on, and rest silent.
I got tired of waiting and I have Creative Sound, not RealTek….so I cheated and got a Creative Sound Blaster Omni 5.1 Surround external sound card. Took care of everything and and have more control over what sound I want. It actually is a vast improvement over everything i had previously.