If you’re playing World of Warcraft(WoW) and the audio cuts out abruptly, or there is no sound at all, you’re not alone! Many players are reporting it. But the good news is that you can fix it. Here are 8 fixes to try.
Fixes to try:
You may not have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick for you.
- Check cables and volume
- Set your audio device to Default Device
- Disable Audio Enhancements
- Update your audio driver
- Reset the game settings
- Close unnecessary background programs
- Clear temporary game files
- Reinstall the Blizzard Battle.net app
Fix 1: Check cables and volume
If you don’t have any sound at all in WoW, you need to check your audio device is well-connected to your computer, and it’s not muted. Follow the instructions below:
- Check your speaker and headphone connections for loose cables or the wrong jack.
- Check your power and volume levels, and try turning all the volume controls up.
- Some speakers and apps have their own volume controls, and you might have to check them all.
- Remember that your speakers probably won’t work when headphones are plugged in.
If your cables and volume are okay, move on to the fix below.
Fix 2: Set your audio device to Default Device
If you’re connecting to an audio device using USB or HDMI, make sure both the recording and playback devices you are using are set to Default Device in Windows. Here is how to do it:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog box.
2) Type mmsys.cpl, then press the Enter key on your keyboard.
3) Right-click the audio device you want to use, then select Set as Default Device.
4) Click Apply > OK.
If the sound is still not working on WoW, or your audio device is already set as Default Device, check the fix below.
Fix 3: Disable Audio Enhancements
Some audio drivers use software enhancements to improve sound quality. This could cause the WoW audio issue if your audio driver isn’t working properly—or if your CPU is being taxed too heavily.
To disable the Audio Enhancements, follow the instructions below:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog box.
2) Type mmsys.cpl, then press the Enter key on your keyboard.
3) Right-click the audio device you want to use, then select Properties.
4) Click the Enhancements tab, then check the box next to Disable all enhancements.
*If you don’t have the Enhancements tab, click the Advanced tab instead, then uncheck Enable audio enhancements.
5) Click APPLY > OK.
If turning off Audio Enhancements didn’t fix your issue, read on and try the fix below.
Fix 4: Update your audio driver
The WoW sound problem may occur if you are using the wrong audio driver or it’s out of date. So you should update your audio driver to see if it fixes your problem.
There are two ways you can update your audio driver:
Option 1 – Manually– You’ll need some computer skills and patience to update your driver this way, because you need to find exactly the right driver online, download it and install it step by step.
OR
Option 2 – Automatically (Recommended)– This is the quickest and easiest option. It’s all done with just a couple of mouse clicks – easy even if you’re a computer newbie.
Option 1 – Download and install the driver manually
The manufacturer of your sound card keeps updating the audio driver. To get it, you need to go to the manufacturer’s website, find the driver corresponding with your specific flavor of Windows version (for example, Windows 32 bit) and download the driver manually.
Once you’ve downloaded the correct driver for your system, double-click on the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the driver.
Option 2 – Automatically update your audio driver
If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update the audio driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct driver for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.
You can update your driver automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks:
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the Update button next to the graphics driver to automatically download the correct version of that driver, then you can manually install it (you can do this with the FREE version).
Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system.(This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
Fix 5: Reset the game settings
Incompatible in-game settings can cause World of Warcraft audio issues. Try restoring your in-game settings to default to see if that fixes your issue. Follow the instructions below:
1) Run Blizzard Battle.net App and click Settings.
2) Click the Game Settings tab, then click Reset to Defaults under World of Warcraft.
3) Click Reset.
4) Relaunch the Battle.net launcher and your game.
If the audio is still missing in WoW, then go ahead with the fix below.
Fix 6: Close unnecessary background programs
Some programs running in the background may conflict with World of Warcraft or the Blizzard launcher, causing audio issues to happen. So, you should turn off unnecessary programs during gameplay. Here is how to do it:
If you’re on Windows 7…
1) Right-click your taskbar and select Start Task Manager.
2) Click the Processes tab. Then, check your current CPU and memory usage to see what processes are consuming your resources most.
3) Right-click the resource-consuming process and select End Process Tree.
Try relaunching WoW to see if it runs properly now. If this didn’t resolve your issue, try Fix 7.
If you’re on Windows 8 or 10…
1) Right-click your taskbar and select Task Manager.
2) Check your current CPU and memory usage to see what processes are consuming your resources most.
3) Right-click the resource-consuming process and select End task.
Try launching WoW again to see if the sound works properly now. If not, move on to the next fix.
Fix 7: Clear temporary game files
Corrupted game files can also trigger audio issues. To see if that’s the problem for you, try resetting your user interface to default settings. Follow the instructions below:
1) Exit World of Warcraft.
2) Uninstall any addon managers to make sure they don’t re-add your removed addons.
3) Run the Blizzard Battle.net app, then click World of Warcraft > Options > Show in Explorer.
4) Open the World of Warcraft folder.
5) Open the retail or classic folder (depending on which game version you’re running).
6) Rename the Cache, Interface, and WTF folders to CacheOld, InterfaceOld, and WTFOld.
7) Relaunch WoW to test your issue.
If the WoW sound issue persists, don’t fret. There is still one more fix to try.
Fix 8: Reinstall the Blizzard Battle.net app
If none of the fixes above worked for you, reinstalling the Blizzard Battle.net app is very likely the solution to your issue. Follow the instructions below:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and type control. Then select Control Panel.
2) Under View by, select Category.
3) Click Uninstall a program.
4) Right-click Battle.net, then click Uninstall/Change.
5) Download and install the Blizzard launcher.
6) Reinstall World of Warcraft.
Hopefully, you’re able to play the game now. Please feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions.