How to restore a missing Volume icon in Windows 10 / 7

If you want to quickly change the sound volume on your PC, the easiest way to do that is to use the Volume icon in the Taskbar. Unfortunately, users reported that the Volume icon is missing on Windows 10, so let’s see how to fix this issue.

Volume icon missing on Windows PC? Here’s how to fix it

1. Make sure that Volume icon is enabled

1. Open the Settings app and go to System.
   
2. Now go to the Notifications & actions tab.
   1. A list of available app notifications will appear.
   2. Make sure that the Audio is set to On.
      

If the Volume icon is missing on Windows 10, you need to make sure that this icon is enabled.

2. Run Local Group Policy Editor

1. Press Windows Key + R and enter gpedit.msc.
2. Press OK or click Enter.
   
3. In the left pane navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
4. In the right pane locate Remove the volume control icon and double-click it.
   
5. Once the properties window opens make sure that Not Configured or Disabled option is selected.
   
6. Click Apply and OK to save changes.

Local Group Policy Editor is a powerful tool that allows you to change many system settings, and one of those settings is the appearance of the Volume icon.

3. Change the text size to 125%

1. Right-click your Desktop and choose Display settings.
   
2. When the Customize your display window opens move the slider a bit to the right and set the size of the text to 125%.
3. After you’ve done that, move the slider back again to the left and change the size to the 100%.
   
4. Close the window and the Volume icon should appear.

Unfortunately, you might have to repeat these steps every time the Volume icon disappears from Windows 10. If the Volume icon is missing from Windows 10, you can fix this problem by changing the size of the text to 125%.

4. Update your audio drivers

1. Press Windows Key + X and choose Device Manager from the list.
   
2. When Device Manager opens, expand the Sound, video and game controllers section, right-click your audio device and choose Update driver.
   
3. Select Search automatically for updated driver software and let Windows download the best driver for your device.
   

According to users, some of them managed to fix the problem with the missing volume icons simply by updating their audio driver. Sometimes outdated drivers can cause this and other problems to occur, and in order to fix it, it’s advised to update your drivers.

Alternatively, you can also download the necessary drivers simply by downloading them directly from your sound card manufacturer. If you don’t want to download drivers manually, there are also automated solutions that will update your drivers automatically.

5. Log out and log in to Windows 10

According to users, one of the simplest ways to fix this issue is to log out and log back into Windows 10. To do that just click the Start button, then your user name, and choose to Sign out from the menu. After you sign out, log back into Windows 10, and the Volume icon should appear.

This is a simple workaround, and you’ll have to repeat it every time in order to fix the problem with the missing Volume icon.

6. Restart Explorer

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to start Task Manager.
2. When Task Manager starts, go to Details tab.
3. Locate explorer.exe process and right click it.
4. Choose End Task from the menu.
   
5. Press Windows Key + R and enter explorer.
6. Press Enter or click OK.
   

Another workaround is to restart Explorer by using the Task Manager. According to users, after restarting the Explorer process, the Volume icon appears.

7. Add values to the registry

1. Press Windows Key + X to open Power User Menu and select Command Prompt (Admin).
   
2. When Command Prompt starts enter the following lines:
   • reg add “HKCUControl PanelDesktop” /v “HungAppTimeout” /t REG_SZ /d “10000” /f
     
   • reg add “HKCUControl PanelDesktop” /v “WaitToKillAppTimeout” /t REG_SZ /d “20000” /f
     
3. Close Command Prompt and check if the issue is resolved.

Adding values to the registry can be potentially dangerous and cause system instability, therefore, it might be a good idea that you create a backup of your registry just in case.

8. Delete a value from your registry

1. Press Windows Key + R and enter regedit.
2. Now click OK or press Enter.
   
3. When Registry Editor opens, go to the following key:
   • ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesLocal SettingsSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionTrayNotify key in the left pane.
     
4. Before we proceed, it’s always a good idea to back up your registry, just in case.
5. To do that, right-click TrayNotify key in the right pane and choose Export from the menu.
6. Make sure to choose Selected branch in the Export range section.
7. Now enter the desired file name, choose a save location and click the Save button.
   
8. Now you have created a backup of your registry. If any issues occur after making registry changes, feel free to run this file and restore your registry to the original state.
9. In the right pane, locate IconStreams and PastIconStreams and delete them both. If you have only one of these values, just delete that one value.
10. Now restart your PC and check if the problem is resolved. If you don’t want to restart your PC, you can restart Windows Explorer or log out of your account and log back in.

If you’re still having problems with the missing volume icon, you might be able to solve the problem by removing a couple of values from your registry.

Your registry holds all sorts of sensitive data, and by changing this data you can change various settings. It’s worth mentioning that your registry is rather sensitive, so we advise extra caution while modifying the registry.

As you can see, this solution is relatively simple, and if you have problems with the missing volume icon, be sure to try it out.

Read more about this topic

• Fix: Windows 10 volume control not working from Taskbar
• The November 2024 Patch Tuesday adresses 91 vulnerabilities, including 4 zero-day ones

9. Make sure that the necessary services are running

1. Press Windows Key + R and enter services.msc.
2. Now press Enter or click OK.
3. List of services will now appear. Double-click Windows Audio service.
   
4. When the Properties window opens, set the Startup type to Automatic.
5. If the service isn’t running, click the Start button to start it.
6. Now click Apply and OK to save changes.
   
7. Now double-click Windows Audio Endpoint Builder service, and repeat everything from the previous step.
   

Many components of Windows rely on certain services in order to work properly, and if the Volume icon is missing on your PC, the problem might be because the necessary services aren’t running. However, you can always fix that problem by enabling the required services manually.

After doing that, the necessary services should be started and working properly, and your problem will be resolved. Missing Volume icon in Windows 10 is a small problem that can cause inconvenience, but we hope that you fixed the problem by using one of our solutions.

Missing volume icon can be annoying, but users reported many similar issues. Speaking of volume icon issues, here are some of the problems that users reported:

• Volume icon missing Windows 7, 8
  • This error can appear on both Windows 7 and Windows 8.
  • Even if you don’t use Windows 10, you should be able to fix this problem by using some of our solutions.
• Volume icon missing from taskbar Windows 10
  • If your volume icon is missing from the Taskbar, it’s possible that the icon is just disabled.
  • To fix the problem, make sure that your volume icon is enabled from the Settings app.
• Volume icon greyed out Windows 10
  • This problem can occur if there’s an issue with your audio device.
  • If your volume icon is grayed out, you might want to try updating your drivers and check if that solves the problem.
• Windows 10 volume icon not working
  • If volume control icon isn’t working, that might be due to a temporary glitch.
  • To fix the problem, simply sign out and sign back in and the issue should be resolved.
• Can’t turn volume icon on
  • According to users, sometimes you might not be able to turn your volume icon on.
  • If that’s the case, be sure to check if the required services are running properly.
• Volume icon has disappeared
  • This is another common problem that can occur.
  • If you’re having this issue, just change the text size and that will solve your problem.
• Volume icon missing notification area
  • Another common problem is the missing volume icon from the notification area.
  • This can be a problem, but you should be able to fix it using one of our solutions.

By following these steps, you should be able to see the Volume icon in the taskbar back in no time.

Let us know which of the steps listed above helped you the most by leaving us a message in the comments section below.