Lost Realtek (R) Audio during driver update

[BRAKINGBADLY]

Hello: Have no sound on laptop. Realtek (R) Audio disappeared from Device Manager, Audio. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @BRAKINGBADLY,

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're stoked to have you on board! 

To help us get started on resolving your issue, could you please share the model name of your device?

We're looking forward to helping you get back up and running! 

Best regards,

[BRAKINGBADLY]

Hello: Thank you for responding. I have an HP Envy Laptop with 11th Gen Intel, i7, 64 bit OS. Win 11 has 25H2 update. 

I don't know if the Realtek (R) audio was lost during driver update or 25H2 update. 

Many thanks for assisting. Kindest regards,

Brakingbadly

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @BRAKINGBADLY,

Thank you for the response.

I understand your HP Envy laptop has lost sound, and the Realtek (R) Audio driver is missing from Device Manager after a driver or Windows 25H2 update. Let’s go through a few steps to restore your audio functionality.

a. Check for Hidden Devices
 - Open Device Manager → click View on the top → select Show hidden devices.
 - Expand Sound, video, and game controllers and check if “Realtek (R) Audio” or “Intel Smart Sound Technology (SST)” appears faded.
 - If visible, right-click it → select Enable device.

b. Run Windows Audio Troubleshooter
 - Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
 - Run the Playing Audio troubleshooter and follow the on-screen instructions.
 - If Windows finds an issue, it will automatically fix it or guide you to the next action.

c. Reinstall Realtek Audio Driver via Device Manager
 - In Device Manager, right-click your PC name at the top → choose Scan for hardware changes.
 - If Realtek Audio reappears, right-click it → select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
 - If it does not appear, expand System devices and look for Realtek Audio, Intel Smart Sound Technology, or High Definition Audio Controller.
 - Right-click each one and select Uninstall device, then restart your PC.
 - Upon restart, Windows should reinstall the correct driver automatically.

d. Manually Install Realtek Audio Driver
 - Visit the HP Support website → Software and Drivers → enter your laptop model.
 - Under the “Audio” section, download and install the latest Realtek Audio Driver for Windows 11.
 - Restart your system after installation to apply the update.

e. Verify Audio Services
 - Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
 - Locate Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.
 - Ensure both are set to Running and Startup type: Automatic.
 - If either is stopped, right-click → select Start.

f. Reset Windows Sound Settings
 - Go to Settings > System > Sound > More sound settings.
 - In the Playback tab, ensure Speakers (Realtek Audio) is set as Default device.
 - If missing, click Add device or Troubleshoot sound problems to re-detect it.

I hope this helps.

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Best regards,

[BRAKINGBADLY]

Kuroi_Kenshi: Have moved and had time to work thru all your suggestions. I note that in Device Mgr, Realtek Audio has a subscript, yellow triangle with "!" inside the triangle. Even after I uninstalled Realtek Audio (with the triangle) and rebooted, the triangle is still present. When I tried the HP Support website, there was no support for my version of Win 11 (the 2025 patch). I tried selecting an update for regular Win 11, with no positive result. When I go to Sound Settings, it indicates "no output devices found". I tried the sound trouble shoot, with no positive result.

Is there another fix to try? Perhaps going back to a time before the Win 11 update? Many thanks for your assistance.

J. King