When you are working the grind or enjoying a Netflix binge session in bed, the last thing you want to deal with is the sudden unfortunate halt of your Sony laptop headphone output, causing no sound to play out of your headphones.

Customers are reporting more and more frequently that their audio output from the headphone jack of Sony computers suddenly quit working. Due to limited online information, we have compiled a list of troubleshooting solutions in an attempt to help resolve your audio issues.

Check Computer Audio

While it may seem minuscule, confirm that it is only the headphone jack itself not working. Unplug the audio output you currently have plugged in and ensure that the audio sound is working from the laptop speakers themselves. Ensuring that your computer hasn’t lost audio sound entirely is the first step to narrowing in on the problem at hand.

Restart The Sony Laptop

A simple restart could potentially be a quick fix for audio-less headphones. Especially if your computer has not been restarted or shut down lately, it could just need a quick restart to get back on the right track.

Try Different Headphones

Assuming you have confirmed the computer audio does, in fact, work and assuming you have restarted your Sony laptop and let it completely reboot, the next troubleshooting step would be to grab an alternative pair of headphones.

The headphones themselves, especially if they are an older or frequently used pair, could have a short or misconnection in the wire somewhere. If the headphones you are using have a misfiring wire, it will cause your computer port not to detect the device you are using. If you do not have an extra pair of headphones on hand, borrow some from a friend just to quickly test this theory before going out and buying new ones.

Another simple task to test your headphones would be to plug them into a different device to see if they produce audio output from the source change.

Approved Audio Devices

As inconvenient as it is, some computers do have approved audio devices, and if your headphones do not fall under that list of devices, they may be getting rejected by the Sony system.

To check if your computer falls under the approved devices list:

  • Go to the Control Panel.Find the “Hardware and Sound” file and then select “Sound”.Finally, select “Manage Audio Devices”.Notice if the Headphones Icon is shown; if it is, be sure you set it as your default sound option.If the Headphones Icon is not displayed, this is an indication that the laptop does not recognize your headphones.

Update Audio Drivers

Audio drivers should be updated periodically, just like your computer software system. Go to Sony’s manufacturer website to find the latest audio driver updates.

RealTek HD Audio Manager

After scouring resources, the one common fix to some Sony laptops’ faulty headphone jack was related to the audio manager. If all other troubleshooting suggestions have yet to fix your problem, try the following steps to check your audio manager.

How to check your systems audio manager:

  • Find your laptop Control Panel.Select “Hardware and Sound”.Scroll until you see “RealTek HD Audio Manager”.Next, locate “Device Advanced Settings”.Finally, select “Multi-Stream Mode” and click “Okay”.

Fingers crossed, your Sony laptop headphone malfunction has been fixed up until this point, but if not, we have one last suggestion to try.

System Reset and Update

If all other troubleshooting options have been tried and failed, it may be time to exhaust the last resort option.

System reset to factory settings is never a preference and is never fun, but it is sometimes necessary. Before jumping into factory resetting, ensure all important files are backed up to an external hard drive or another type of device. It is also always a good idea to go through your saved passwords to make sure you have them written down somewhere, allowing you to log back into everything after the laptop is restored.

Follow these steps to restore a Sony laptop to factory settings:

  • From your home screen, press and hold down keys ALT + F10.You will notice a factory default setup menu; follow it to set up your computer as new.

The above method is a generic Sony reset method; other methods are available if the above suggestion does not work for your computer system.

Final Thoughts

We are hopeful this troubleshooting list to fix headphones that stopped working with your Sony laptop was helpful after following all of the above recommended steps. If all else fails, we suggest reaching out to Sony’s support team for other potential suggestions.