How to Fix One or More Audio Service Isn't Running Error in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

Several Windows OS users have started reporting that they’re getting an unexpected error notice something like “One or More Audio Service Isn’t Running”. This particular error is appearing across all Windows OS versions like Windows 10 / 8 / 7. To recall, this isn’t a new issue for sure and the audio service isn’t running well means either the service has been stopped or hasn’t set to an automatic method in most cases. If you’re also one of the victims, check out this troubleshooting guide to fix this issue.

Plenty of Windows users are reporting that their audio listening experience gets affected by a couple of possible issues that literally shows a red cross mark on its bottom right side on the taskbar. Whenever the affected users hover over the sound icon on the taskbar, it says “The Audio Service is not running”. This is one of the most common issues in Windows 7 and 10. Sometimes, it can also possible that the audio driver is either corrupted or hasn’t updated for a while.

How to Fix One or More Audio Service Isn’t Running Error in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

As the problem is mainly related to the Windows Audio service either while booting up your computer or randomly, try simply restarting your PC. If that didn’t work for you, try the following methods.

1. Increase or Decrease Computer’s Volume

Click on the sound icon from the taskbar on your Windows.
If the red cross icon is appearing then try increasing or decreasing the volume by using the slider.

By doing so, the red cross icon may get removed and the audio problem should be fixed completely. Though this is one of the common ways, most of the users don’t try this method.

2. Restart Windows Audio Service

Press Windows + R keys to open up the Run dialog box.
Now, type services.msc and hit Enter to open up Services.
Then search for Windows Audio Service from the list.
Double-click on it > Select Automatic from the Startup type drop-down menu.
Do the same with both the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder service and Multimedia Class Scheduler service (if any) one by one.
Once all done, restart your computer and check if the problem has been fixed or not.

3. Change Log-On Settings

Press Windows + R keys to open up the Run dialog box.
Now, type services.msc and hit Enter to open up Services.
Search for Windows Audio Service from the list and right-click on it.
Click on the ‘Log On’ tab of your Windows Audio Properties.
Select the ‘Local System Account’.
Now, check if the issue is fixed or not.
If not fixed yet, check ‘This Account’ > Type Local Service in the text box.
Input any password in the Password section.
Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.

Finally, check whether the One or More Audio Service Isn’t Running Error persists or not.

4. Scan for Hardware Changes

Press Windows + R keys to open up the Run dialog box.
Now, type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter to open up Device Manager.
From the Device Manager interface, double-click on the ‘Sound, Video and Game Controllers’ to expand the list.
Next, right-click on your current audio driver > Select Uninstall.
If prompted, confirm the action and complete the uninstallation process.
Once done, you’ll need to click on ‘Scan for Hardware Changes’.
Then the Device Manager will automatically reinstall the audio driver for your PC.
Check if the problem is solved or not. However, if not fixed yet, just right-click on the Properties.
Click on Driver Details > Select Rollback Driver.
Finally, check again for the error after restarting your PC.
If in case, the issue remains the same, go to the audio driver again on the device manager and try performing Update Driver (if any).

5. Run Audio Troubleshooter

Press Windows + I keys to open up the Windows Settings menu.
Go to Update & Security > Click on Troubleshoot from the left pane.
If you’re not seeing any troubleshooting category then click on Additional troubleshooters.
Next, click on Playing Audio > Choose Run the Troubleshooter.
Wait for the process to complete. Once done, reboot your computer.
Finally, check if the One or More Audio Service Isn’t Running Error has been fixed or not.

6. Run Some Service Commands

Right-click on the Start menu > Select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
Now, type the following command and press Enter one by one to execute them:

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

Finally, check if the issue is fixed or not. If not fixed, you can also try the Safe Boot method below.

7. Perform a Safe Boot

Press Windows + R keys to open up the Run dialog box.
Now, type msconfig and press Enter to open up the System Configuration.
Go to the Boot tab > Click on the Safe boot checkbox to enable it.
Click on Apply and OK to save changes.
Finally, restart your PC and you’re good to go.

That’s it, guys. We hope you’ve found this guide useful. For additional queries, you can comment below.