Your Windows 11 PC is connected to an audio system — speakers, headphones, for example — but sometimes you need to disable the audio system to serve a specific request or situation there. Here’s how to do it.
Disable audio devices on Windows 11
First, go to the sound settings page on Windows 11 by pressing Windows + i to open the Start menu, then navigate to System > Sound. Or you can right-click the speaker icon on the taskbar and select “Sound Settings“.
You are now on the Windows “Sound” settings page. In the “Output” section near the top, click the arrow icon to the right of the name of the audio output device you want to disable.
On the Properties page of the audio device, in the “General” section, find the “Audio” option (see content Allow apps and Windows to use this device for audio below). Click the “Don’t Allow” button on the right.
The audio device will be disabled immediately. If you close the Settings app and reopen it later, you’ll notice that the disabled device is no longer listed in the “Output” section of the audio settings page as before.
Re-enable audio devices in Windows 11
To re-enable an audio device that you turned off using the method described above, follow these simple steps.
First, right-click the speaker icon on the taskbar and select “Sound Settings“.
Windows Settings will open to System > Sound. Scroll down until you find the “Advanced” section. Then click on “All Sound Devices“.
In the list of available audio output devices, click the audio system you want to reactivate.
On the device’s Properties page, under the “Audio” section, click the “Allow” button.
The audio device will then be re-enabled and displayed again on the list of available output devices on the system sound settings page.
Enjoy listening to music!
