Fixed: Red X Sound Icon on Windows 10 and 11 – Quick Guide

Errors with speakers and other sounding devices on windows are pretty common. Speakers on a Windows computer is a very important component, and any failure with these devices can be problematic. Well, there are not many causes for sound errors on Windows, but finding yourself in a situation where the sound system has failed you is pretty hard as sounds on computers are very basic and in today’s world, without sounds, many functions like attending online meetings, training, playing games, designing, listening to music will all be hindered. So, today, let us discuss the red X near the sound icon and the fixes to make it right. Hop on and fix the issue on your Windows 10/11 computer.

As previously said, sound has been a very crucial component of any computer. SO, any issue needs to be fixed. Well, with a wide range of speaker products available on the market, and Windows OSes support for most of them makes it very easy for users to combine any product with their computers and gain the best sound qualities. With home theatres and other awesome made systems in place, Windows has to be equipped with the best sound processing features.

Well, Microsoft has done a great job of providing Windows OSes with sound management features that allow users to manage, how their sounding system should sound and everything else. There are also third-party applications that can be used to enhance the capabilities of the speakers. Well, with such features, computers are capable machines that can provide users with the best multimedia experience, so any sort of issues or errors that may hinder the experience has to be looked into. 

Well, errors with multimedia features on Windows 10 and 11 are very minimum. Even then you might encounter certain errors that can be fixed with ease by just tweaking the features or by troubleshooting the component with appropriate tools. Windows 10 and 11 offers many tools that can be of great use for troubleshooting and learning to use them effectively can be of great use. 

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So, if you are stuck with the red X sign near the sound icon on the taskbar, you are not alone, this is a very common problem and can be fixed by using appropriate troubleshooting methods. So, here in this article, we will elaborate on what causes the Red X sign near the sound icon and the methods to fix it.

What Causes the Red X Sign near the Sound Icon

Well, the major cause for the appearance of a red X sign near the sound icon on the taskbar can be a hardware failure, driver failure, or software failure. So, with the issue being not very specific, we need to try out different fixes and see which one works. So, follow along with the methods mentioned below and get your sounding system fixed.

Simple Methods to Fix the Red X Sign Near the Sound Icon on the Taskbar

So, here are some simple fixes that you can use and fix the Red X sign near the sound icon on the taskbar.

Method 1: Check the Audio Drivers

Drivers are a very crucial component on Windows and checking them for errors can be a good idea. 

• Open the device manager, and here, find the sound drivers, and then check whether they are disabled by mistake, if so, enable them.
• Now, check for hardware changes by right-clicking on the sound driver and here, select the scan for hardware changes option.
• Well, you can also visit the manufacturer’s website of the sound device you use and find whether the device driver is compatible with Windows 10 and 11 OS.
• Try updating the driver software of the sound device by right-clicking on the sound driver and then selecting the update driver option, and then selecting the automatically update drivers.

You can also use any good third-party driver updation tool to automatically update drivers frequently on your computer to avoid problems caused by old drivers.

Method 2: Check the Connection

A loose connection between the sound devices and the computer can be a very common cause for the red X sign. So, verifying whether the connection is properly done can be a possible fix for the issue.

Method 3: Run the Troubleshooter

• To run the audio troubleshooter, open the Settings application using the shortcut Windows + I.
• Here, in the Settings application, go to the System tab(Windows 11), update and security tab(Windows 10).
• Here, find the troubleshoot option.
• Now, click on the additional troubleshooter’s option and then run the audio troubleshooter. 

Well, one simple way to do this is to right-click on the sound icon on the taskbar and then select the troubleshoot sound problem option from the menu.

Method 3: Uninstall and Reinstall the Drivers

• To reinstall the drivers, open the device manager, here, find the sound driver and then right-click on it.
• Now, from the menu, select the option to uninstall the driver.
• Now, once the driver has been uninstalled, restart your computer.
• Now, after the restart, the latest version of the driver would have been installed.

You need a stable internet connection for this to work.

Method 4: Check the Audio Services

• Ope the services tool, by searching for services.msc on the run command.
• Now, in the services tool, locate Windows Audio services.
• Now, right-click on the service and select the stop option from the menu.
• Now,  find the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder service and then stop it if it is running.
• Now, restart all the services that you have just stopped.

Hope the information provided above was helpful and informative, with these simple methods, you can effectively fix the Red X Sign near the Sound Icon issue on your Windows 10 and 11 computers.