Fix: World of Warcraft Audio Not Working or Sound Cutting Out

2004’s World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing video game by Blizzard Entertainment that brings new mysteries to be unravelled within the mysterious underground. It’ll allow you to explore and action new quests, meet new denizens, and more. Though the title is really good enough, it seems that some of the unfortunate players are experiencing the World of Warcraft Audio Not Working issue or the Sound Cutting Out issue on the PC during the gameplay sessions.

The chances are high that you’re encountering such an issue due to several possible reasons like in-game settings menu, driver-related conflicts, corrupted or missing game files, PC hardware issues, audio device connectivity issues, an outdated audio driver, an outdated game version, and more. Here we’ve shared with you all the troubleshooting methods that should come in handy. Do keep in mind that you’ll have to follow all methods one by one until the problem gets fixed completely.

Fix: World of Warcraft Audio Not Working or Sound Cutting Out

As several affected players have already found this troubleshooting guide helpful, you can try it at your end. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.

1. Reboot the PC

Before doing anything else, make sure to restart the PC to refresh the system from temporary glitches or cache data issues whatsoever.

2. Check the Audio Output Device

The second thing you can do is check out the Audio Output Device manually on the PC by following the steps below to ensure the output audio device is correctly selected.

• Right-click on the sound icon on your taskbar.
• Click on Open Sound settings.
• Now, choose your output device that’s connected under the Output section.
• Make sure to test out the changes with the Master volume.
• Finally, launch the game, and check the sound issue again.

3. Ensure the Audio is Enabled and the Volume is High

Make sure to increase the volume level on your PC because a low volume can cause no audio issue in most cases. Just click on the sound icon on the taskbar and drag the slider to increase or decrease the volume level accordingly. Alternatively, you can also press the volume button on the keyboard to increase or decrease the volume level.

4. Check Windows Updates

You should try updating the Windows system on your PC if it’s outdated for a while to avoid bugs or stability issues whatsoever. To do so:

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Next, click on Update & Security.
• Select Check for updates under Windows Update.
• If there is a feature update available, select Download and Install.
• Wait for some time until the update gets completed.
• Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes immediately.

5. Update Audio Drivers

It seems that multiple affected players have reported the outdated audio driver on their Windows computers. If you’re also using the outdated sound driver for a while then make sure to check for updates by following the steps below:

• Press the Win+X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Sound, Video, and Game Controllers.
• Right-click on the correct audio device that you’re using.
• Next, select Update driver > Choose to Search automatically for drivers.
• If there is an update available, the system will automatically download & install it.
• Once done, restart the computer to apply changes.

6. Check the In-Game Audio Settings

Another thing you can do is check the in-game audio settings to ensure there is no issue with the sound cutting out or the sound not hearing. Here you’ll have to open the In-game options menu > Check the box next to Enable Music, Enable Sound, and Master Volume. Once done, you’ll need to set up the Speaker Setup, Sound Quality, Output Device, and Sound Channel correctly.

7. Run SFC

The System File Checker (SFC) is a utility in the Microsoft Windows system that’s located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. This utility tool or command simply helps users to scan for corrupted Windows system files and restore them (if any). To do this:

• Click on the Start Menu > Type cmd.
• Right-click on the Command Prompt program from the search result.
• Now, choose Run as administrator > If prompted by UAC, click on Yes.

• Type the following command and hit Enter to execute the System File Checker process.

sfc /scannow

• Have some patience until the process completes.
• Once done, close the command prompt window and reboot your PC/Laptop.

8. Update World of Warcraft

You can also try checking out the World of Warcraft game updates manually by following the steps below. An outdated game version might trouble you a lot in terms of audio glitches or sound not coming issues.

• Open the Battle.net launcher.
• Click on the Blizzard logo from the top left corner.
• Go to Settings > Click on Game Install/Update.
• Click on Apply latest updates and download future patch data for recently played games to enable it.
• Now, click on Done to save changes.
• Restart the Battle.net launcher to apply changes.
• It should automatically update the game to the available version.

9. Repair the Game Files

Sometimes corrupted or missing game files on the PC might also trouble you a lot with the game launching or the in-game sessions such as crashes or audio-related issues. Ensure to verify the installed game files and repair them via the Battle.net client by following the steps below.

• Open the Battle.net client on your PC.
• Click on the World of Warcraft game.
• Now, click on OPTIONS (Gear icon) > Click on Scan and Repair.
• Choose Begin Scan and wait for the process to complete.
• Once done, close the Battle.net launcher, and restart your PC.

10. Close All Third-Party Background Tasks

Another thing you can do is simply close unnecessary background tasks on your PC to ensure there is no additional consumption of system resources happening in the background whatsoever. To clear out background tasks:

• Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.
• Click on the Processes tab > Select the specific task that you want to close.
• Once selected, click on End Task.
• Make sure to do the steps for each 3rd-party task individually that you want to close.
• Once done, restart your PC to change the effects immediately.

11. Try Disable the Compatibility Mode

Sometimes turning off the compatibility mode with the game application on your Windows computer might also trigger multiple issues that we can’t deny. It looks like that some WoW players have already tried this method and found it useful enough to reduce game crashes or in-game audio issues. To do that:

• Right-click on the World of Warcraft game application.
• Click on Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
• Uncheck the Compatibility mode box to disable it.
• Once done, click on Apply, and then OK to save changes.

12. Set the Default Communication Device

If you’re still getting audio-related issues with WoW on the PC then make sure to set the default communication device by following the steps below.

• Right-click on the Speaker icon at the right bottom of the taskbar.
• Select Sounds from the context menu > Navigate to the Recording tab.
• Choose your preferred audio device > Click on the Set Default option.
• Go to the Playback tab and select the desired device.
• Then click on Set Default > Click on OK and select Apply to save changes.

13. Disable Audio Enhancements

If in case, you’re still unable to get better audio in the game or there is no sound at all with the microphone then make sure to disable audio enhancements (APOs) manually.

• Press the Win+I keys to open Settings > Click on System.
• Go to Sound > Select Additional device properties from the Device Properties panel.
• Select your connected microphone or audio device from the Input device list.
• Click on Device Properties > Select Additional device properties.
• Depending on your manufacturer brand, you’ll find out the Enhancements tab or the Advanced tab.
• On the Enhancements tab, select either the Disable all enhancements or the Disable all sound effects check box.
• Then click on OK to save changes.
• But if you don’t see the settings there, make sure to select the Advanced tab.
• Select Enable audio enhancements > If the manufacturer located the setting here, check the Disable audio enhancements box.
• Once done, make sure to check the issue.

14. Try Resetting In-Game Options

Last but not least, an incompatible in-game setting with the World of Warcraft game on the PC might also trouble you a lot. Make sure to restore the in-game settings and options by following the steps below to check if the problem has been fixed or not.

• Run the Battle.net app on the PC > Click on Settings.
• Click on the Game Settings tab > Select Reset to Defaults under World of Warcraft.
• Next, click on Reset > Re-open the Battle.net launcher and run the game.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.