In general, when you get the “Audio service is not running” message, you will also see a red “X” on the speaker icon. This error indicates that the Windows Audio service is stopped and cannot be restarted automatically. To resolve this issue, kindly go through the troubleshooting tips below.

  1. Restart the Windows Audio Services
  2. Update your audio driver
  3. Run Windows Audio Troubleshooter
  4. Use the Command Prompt to reset the configurations
  5. Perform a Startup Repair
  6. Modify Log-on settings

Before we start troubleshooting, please shut down any third-party programs that might interfere with the audio services. After that, proceed with the tips below.

1. Restart the Windows Audio Services

When you see the “Audio service is not running” error, the top priority is to check your Windows Audio Services and see if any of them needs a restart. They might be mistakenly disabled without your knowledge.

To do so:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R together to invoke the Run prompt. Type services.msc and hit Enter.
  2. You will now enter the Services page, scroll down the service list and find the following services:
    Windows Audio service
    Windows Audio Endpoint Builder service
    Multimedia Class Scheduler service (if available)
  3. Right-click each of the services above and select Properties.
  4. If it’s stopped, click the Start button to make it be running. Also, change its startup type to Automatic and click Apply, which keeps the service running.

Check if the error disappears. If not, try the next method.

2. Update your audio drivers

If the above method doesn’t work for you and you keep receiving the “Audio Service is not running” message, another thing you should do is to update your audio card driver, since an up-to-date audio driver always ensures fewer bugs.

To update your audio card driver, here’s what you can do (please note that the following screenshots are taken on Windows 11, but the instructions work on Windows 10 as well):

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and X at the same time, select Device Manager.
  2. Double-click to expand the category Sound, video, and game controllers. Then right-click your audio card driver and click Update driver (the name of the device can be different on your computer).
  3. Then click Search automatically for updated driver software.
  4. Wait for Windows to find the latest driver available for you.
  5. When the driver update is done, restart your computer for the change to take effect.
  6. Then check and see if the problem is fixed.

If Windows says that it’s already found the latest driver for you, so no newer drivers are found, then you should consider updating your audio driver in a different way with the help of Driver Techie.

Its ever-growing driver database allows you to always have access to the latest device drivers that you need. More importantly, Driver Techie simplifies the driver update process, so all it takes is just 3 clicks (for Pro users), and all your drivers are updated.

To use Driver Techie to find you the latest drivers:

  1. Download and install Driver Techie, then launch it.
  2. Click Scan Now.
  3. After the scan, select all the drivers you need to update and click Update All. Then all your drivers will be updated automatically without you having to do anything else.

Please note that Update All is available for Pro subscribers only, otherwise, you can only manually update the driver one at a time. To see how to manually update the drivers one by one, please check this post.

If you’re a Pro user of Driver Techie, and need our technical support to help with the “Audio service is not running” error, please feel free to contact <support@drivertechie.com>.

3. Run Windows Audio Troubleshooter

Another reason for this error is that the audio configurations are changed, typically after installing a new application. In this case, you can use the Windows in-built repair tool, Audio Troubleshooter, to fix the “Audio service is not running” error.

You can simply click on the red “X” on the speaker icon to run the Audio troubleshooter. Either way, you can follow the steps below:

  1. In the Windows search box, type Audio troubleshooter and select Find and fix problems with playing sound.
  2. Click Next and let Windows troubleshooter detect and fix the problem for you.

If nothing wrong is detected, move on to the next fix.

4. Use the Command Prompt to reset the configurations

Occasionally, the “Audio service not running” issue may be triggered by some faulty local account configurations; thus, in this step, we will execute some commands in the command prompt to resolve this issue.

To do so:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R together to invoke the Run prompt. Type cmd and press Shift, Ctrl, and Enter together to open the Command prompt as an administrator.
  2. In the Command prompt, paste the following command lines and press Enter to execute: 
    net localgroup Administrators /add networkservice net localgroup Administrators /add localservice SC config Audiosrv start= auto REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Audiosrv" /V start /T REG_DWORD /D 2 /F secedit /configure /cfg %windir%\inf\defltbase.inf /db defltbase.sdb /verbose

  3. Exit the Command prompt.

Check if the audio service is running. If the error persists, try the next solution.

5. Perform a Startup Repair

If none of the methods above fixes the “Audio service is not working” error, you may need to perform a Startup Repair. This will help resolve any problems related to Windows settings.

For Windows 10 users: 

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I together to open Windows Settings, and then select Update & Security.
  2. Click the Recovery tab from the left panel and click the Restart now tab under Advanced start-up.
  3. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
  4. Choose your account and input the password if prompted, then wait for Windows to diagnose problems for you.
  5. Once done, click Shut down and restart your computer.

For Windows 11 users: 

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I together to invoke the Windows Settings.
  2. Click the Windows Update tab from the left panel, and select Advanced options.
  3. Click the Recovery button under Additional options.
  4. Click the Restart now button in Advanced startup.
  5. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
  6. Choose your account and input the password if prompted, then wait for Windows to diagnose problems for you.
  7. Once done, click Shut down and restart your computer.

If Windows Repair doesn’t fix the problem for you, then read on and try the next tip.

6. Modify Log-on settings

This is the one that worked for me. I’ve mistakenly changed the Log-on account and then I see a red X on my speaker icon, telling me the audio service is not running. In case you’re in the same situation, you can check your Log-on settings in this way:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R together to invoke the Run prompt. Type services.msc and hit Enter.
  2. On the service list, find the following services (as in Tip 1):
    Windows Audio service
    Windows Audio Endpoint Builder service
    Multimedia Class Scheduler service (if available)
  3. Right-click on each of the services and select Properties.
  4. On the Properties page, switch to the Log On tab on the top menu.
  5. Here we recommend choosing the second Log On option. Click This account: and type Local Service in the blank. When you’re asked to input the password, you can input your Windows account Log-on password.
  6. Once done, you’ll have to restart your computer for changes to take effect. Or, simply click on the red cross on the speaker icon, and Windows Audio Troubleshooter will apply the changes and fix the problem for you.

So these are the six top tips we recommend. We hope you find them relevant and related. If you have any ideas to share, please leave a comment down below.