Realtek driver latest: PC Audio Codecs > High Definition Audio Codecs Software

How To Update Realtek Audio Drivers on a Windows PC

Device Links

• Windows 10
• Windows 11
• Device Missing?

Popular audio software Realtek requires the latest HD Audio Drivers to function. The audio drivers facilitate communication between your computer and the audio devices. Outdated drivers can cause sound quality problems, the sound to cut out, or have no sound at all.

Read on to learn how to update the Realtek HD Audio Drivers on your Windows 11 or 10 PC.

Updating Realtek Audio Drivers in Windows 11

It’s relatively easy to update your Realtek audio drivers. You can check for updates, search for drivers through the Device Manager, or download the files from the Realtek website.

Follow these steps to check for a Realtek Audio Driver update:

1. Open “Settings” using the “Windows + I” hotkeys or via the “Start Menu.”
2. On the left, choose “Windows Update.”
3. Click the “Check for updates” option.
4. Install the update.

Here’s how to find the Realtek audio driver with automatic search via device manager:

1. Right-click “Start” and then choose “Device Manager.”
2. Expand the “Audio inputs and outputs” option and then right-click “Speaker/Headphone (Realtek (R) Audio.”
3. Choose “Update Driver.”
4. From the prompt, select “Search automatically for drivers.”
5. Wait while the latest Realtek audio drivers are found. Then hit “Install” to complete the process.
6. Once the installation is complete, select “Close,” and then restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

If you can’t find the drivers with the above method, try downloading them from the Realtek website.

1. Go to the HD Audio Codecs Software page in a new web browser.
2. Under the “Description” category, locate the correct driver for your system, then hit the “Download” icon.
3. If your system isn’t listed, you may need to download the “High Definition Audio Codecs Software. ” Alternatively, if you’re using an older system, download the driver for “AC’97 Audio Codecs Software.”
4. Double-click the setup file when the file has been downloaded, then follow the steps to install the latest Realtek HD Audio Drivers.

Updating Realtek Audio Drivers in Windows 10

There are three ways to update your Realtek HD Audio Drivers in Windows 10. You can check for updates via Update & Security, use the Update Driver function via Device Manager, or install the update directly from the Realtek website.

Follow these steps to update the audio drivers using update status:

1. Open “Settings” via the “Start Menu” or using the “Windows + I” hotkey.
2. Choose “Update & Security.”
3. Beneath “Windows Update,” click the “Check for updates” button.
4. If an update is available for your PC, click “Install,” and then reboot your computer.

Follow these steps to update the drivers via Device Manager:

1. From the search box on the taskbar, type “Device Manager. ”
2. Click on it from the menu.
3. Expand the “Sound, video, and game controllers” option, then right-click on the “Realtek High Definition Audio” option.
4. Choose “Update Driver.”
5. Click “Search automatically for updated driver software on the next screen.”
6. Once the latest sound driver has been found, click “Install.”
7. After the drivers are installed, click “Close,” then reboot your PC to save the changes.

You can also download the audio drivers from the Realtek website.

1. Visit the HD Audio Codecs Software page in a new web browser.
2. Beneath the “Description” category, find the correct driver for your system, and then click the “Download” icon.
3. If you can’t find your system, you may need to download the “High Definition Audio Codecs Software.” Alternatively, if you’re using an older system, download the driver for “AC’97 Audio Codecs Software.”
4. Double-click the setup file once the file has been downloaded, and then follow the steps to install the latest Realtek HD Audio Drivers.

How to Troubleshoot Realtek Audio Problems in Windows 11

At the time of writing, Realtek has not officially advised on Windows 11 compatibility, and some users report problems with the Realtek audio drivers. If you have up-to-date audio drivers and are experiencing issues with sound, other common causes include:

• Broken audio settings
• Incompatible audio enhancements
• A conflict between Realtek and Windows driver

Try working through the following tips to get your Realtek audio working as required.

Restart Your Computer

Often, a simple restart is enough to clear any temporary glitches interfering with the sound or to force the sound card to work correctly. The quickest way to restart your Windows 11 PC is by clicking the “Power” button in the lower-right corner of the “Start Menu.”

Tweak Your Audio Settings

If there’s no sound, the cause could be incorrect audio settings. Here’s how to adjust the settings:

1. Press the “Windows” key to access “Search. ”
2. Type “Control” in the search bar and then hit enter.
3. Choose “Hardware and Sound,” then “Sound.”
4. In “Sound” you can alter several sound settings, including the microphone and speakers.

Disable Sound Enhancements

In some cases, audio enhancements can cause problems with your sound card. Try disabling the enhancements to see if it solves the problem.

1. Press the “Windows +R” keys to open “Run.”
2. Enter a search for “control.”
3. Choose “Hardware and Sound.”
4. Select “Sound,” then beneath “Playback,” select your speaker.
5. Click on the “Enhancements” tab. Select “Disable all enhancements,” then “OK.”

Uninstalling and Reinstalling the Realtek Audio Drivers

Uninstalling and reinstalling the audio drivers could help clean up any temporary bugs causing the sound problems.

1. Right-click the “Start menu.”
2. Choose “Device Manager. ”
3. Select “Sound, video, and game controllers.”
4. Right-click “Realtek High Definition Audio.”
5. Choose the “Uninstall device” option.
6. Check the “Attempt to remove the driver for this device” box.
7. Select “Uninstall.”

Here’s how to reinstall the drivers:

1. Visit the HD Audio Codecs Software page to download the latest Realtek audio driver.
2. Download the file and run the installation program.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the driver install.

Restart the Audio Driver

Device driver problems cause many software issues in Windows. Check if restarting the audio driver forces Realtek to work.

1. Right-click the Windows icon and then select “Device Manager.”
2. Click on the down arrow next to “Sound, video, and game controllers.”
3. Right-click your audio driver and then click the “Disable device” option.
4. Click “Yes” to confirm the disable confirmation pop-up.
5. The “System Settings Change” window will open to restart your computer. Save any unsaved work, and then choose “Yes” to restart your PC.
6. When your computer restarts, right-click the Windows icon, then “Device Manager.”
7. Right-click the audio driver and then click the “Enable device” option to re-enable your audio driver.

Restart Windows Audio Service

Another reason you’re experiencing sound issues could be that Windows audio services were not appropriately loaded or are malfunctioning. See if restarting the Windows audio services clears the problem.

1. Use the hotkeys “Windows + R” to open the “Run” app.
2. Enter “services.msc” then “OK.”
3. Find the “Windows Audio” service in the list and then double-click on it.
4. Hit the “Stop” button to stop the Windows audio service.
5. Close the “Windows Audio Service Properties” window and then double-click on the Windows audio service again.
6. Click the “Start” button to restart the “Windows audio service.”
7. Close the properties window by clicking “OK.”

Realtek Audio Drivers Updated!

Realtek audio drivers must be kept updated so your computer can adequately communicate with your audio devices. There are several ways to find the latest Realtek audio drivers update for your PC, including performing an automatic search in Windows or going to the official Realtek website.

Were you able to update the Realtek audio drivers on your PC successfully? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Solved — Miner in realtek high definition audio driver

gdyfnc

New user

• 24 Dec 2021

• #1

Good afternoon, I have a problem with FPS drop in the game after installing the realtek high definition audio driver. I installed different OS (vins 7-8.1-10) and until I install the driver for the sound everything is fine, the FPS is quite high, the picture is smooth. But as soon as the driver is installed on the sound, the FPS in the game falls off by about half, and lags and brakes begin. Sound drivers downloaded different, for different OS, different versions and from different sources, including office. Realtech website. And anyway, it is worth installing the Realtek driver, as such carousels begin. Removed the driver (realtek high definition audio), rebooted the computer. FPS in the game has grown, lags and brakes seem to have disappeared, but it seems to me that something remains in the system. I checked the computer with such programs as (malwarebytes antivirus, adwcleaner, TDSS rootkit removing tool, junkware removal tool), both in normal mode and in safe mode. Didn’t find anything.
avz 5 showed the following:
1) C:\Program Files (x86)\NVIDIA Corporation\CoProcManager\_etoured.dll —> Trojan DLL suspected. Masking of the real DLL name detected (There is no file named _etoured.dll, found only detoured.dll)
2) Suspicion of hidden loading of libraries via AppInit_DLLs: «C:\Windows\SysWOW64\nvinit.dll»
These files will be thrown off by the archive «24 -12-2021_01-51-22.zip»

Last edit: 24 Dec 2021

thyrex

• 24 Dec 2021

• #2

gdyfnc

New user

• 24 Dec 2021

• #3

thyrex wrote:

Rules for requesting help

Click to expand. ..

So there is an activator in the system, I know about it. It also has Windows 10 with a digital license. Currently on build 8.1.
Perhaps there are other gifts in the system besides Realteka, for example, the same nvidia file that I threw off earlier.
Logs with avz….

Last edit: 24 Dec 2021

• 24 Dec 2021

• #4

Download Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (or from a mirror) and save it to your Desktop.

Note: You must select the version that is compatible with your operating system. If you’re not sure which version is right for your system, download both and try running them. Only one of them will run on your system.
When the program starts, press Yes ( Yes ) to accept the warning.

Press the button Scan ( Scan ).
After scanning is completed, reports FRST.txt and Addition.txt will be generated in the same folder where the program was launched. Attach the reports to your next post.
Read more in this manual.

gdyfnc

New user

• 24 Dec 2021

• #5

Farbar Recovery Scan Tool logs

• 24 Dec 2021

• #6

I don’t see anything harmful. Please describe the problem in more detail.

Please note — after executing the script (possibly) all open browser tabs will be closed, accounts will be logged out, temporary files, trash, browser history, cookies and cache will be cleared.

The computer will restart automatically.

Read more in this manual.

gdyfnc

New user

• 24 Dec 2021

• #7

akok wrote:

Describe the problem in more detail

Click to expand…

As I noticed, after installing the driver on the sound card, namely (realtek high definition audio). In my online game, the fps falls off by about 15-20 frames, maybe more. It starts to lag somehow, both visually and sound. Yesterday I removed the driver from realtek, the system automatically installed the default drivers from microfoft’a and the fps in the game returned.
Installed different operating systems (vins 7-8-10), first installed drivers for intel+nvidia video. Everything is fine, the fps in the game is 60-80, in some places up to 100 frames.
But after installing the driver (realtek high definition audio), the FPS in the game falls off. I tried to install different versions of drivers for different OS and downloaded from different places, including the office. realtek website. As a result, everything is the same — FPS drop, visual and sound lags.
Maybe try to install some sound driver now and check the computer again?!

• 24 Dec 2021

• #8

Do you download drivers from the official site?

gdyfnc wrote:

Maybe try to install some sound driver now and check the computer again?!

Click to expand. ..

Let’s try, but the problem is most likely not related to malware.

gdyfnc

New user

• 24 Dec 2021

• #9

akok wrote:

Let’s try, but the problem is most likely not related to malware.

Click to expand…

And what do you think it can be connected with?
Problem with the sound itself? After all, there are no problems with the drivers from microsoft, the fps is good, but the problem is that in the discord someone does not hear me, someone hears, someone hears weakly.
But everything is fine with the realtek drivers in the discord, but the fps in the game bye bye.

Yes, the last time I downloaded drivers from the site, the result is the same.

• 24 Dec 2021

• #10

Need to dig logs and logs after installing the drivers. But that is not the purpose of this section. Install the drivers and collect fresh logs FRST , if everything goes well there, we will move to the system partition.

gdyfnc

New user

• 25 Dec 2021

• #eleven

Installed sound drivers, this time through Windows Update.
Windows found this driver for me: Microsoft Update Catalog
In the Organization line: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. — Maybe it’s a matter of compatibility
Installed, restarted the computer, went to check the fps in the game and initially the fps was 70-80, but now the fps began to drop to 25-28 frames at times, and then again it can rise to the same 70-80. Those. the situation with the installed sound driver seems to have become better, it remains to figure out why it sometimes drops to 20-30 frames.
and logged again…

• 25 Dec 2021

• #12

no, I don’t see anything malicious. Colleagues will review the logs with a fresh look in the morning.

Sandor

• 25 Dec 2021

• #13

I don’t see anything bad (virus-like) either.
You have Malwarebytes version 4.5.0.152 installed
Do a full scan to be sure, save the report in text form and attach it.

gdyfnc

New user

• 26 Dec 2021

• #14

Guys, in general, such a picture. I checked the computer both in normal mode (i. e. from an account) and in safe mode, with such programs as: Malwarebytes antivirus, AdwCleaner from the same Malwarebytes, Dr. Web Cure It, TDSS rootkit removing tool by kaspersky, junkware removal tool, avz5. They all showed that my computer was clean, nothing was found.
I think you are right and the problem, in this case, is not in viruses, but in the conflict of drivers or devices.
Yesterday I found information that you can see the conflicts in the System Information. I’m attaching screenshots…

Tell me who to contact or where to dig, how to resolve these conflicts?!

• 26 Dec 2021

• #15

There is no problem here either. Public access only.

More users can reply to this section of Microsoft Windows 8 / 8.1.

How to update and reinstall Realtek HD Audio Manager

Realtek HD Audio Manager is one of the most common and useful programs that Windows users have on their PCs without even knowing it. HD Audio Manager is basically the end of the Realtek HD Audio Driver GUI, which is the default audio driver for most PC sound cards (including those integrated into the motherboard). Quite often it is on your computer, but you cannot find it even with Windows search.

Table of contents

Where is the Realtek HD Audio Manager?

How to update Realtek HD Audio drivers

Install Realtek HD Audio Driver manually

Conclusion

So, how to find Realtek HD Audio Manager and how to update and reinstall Realtek drivers? We have everything you need to know.

Where is Realtek HD Audio Manager located?

Before setting up Realtek HD Audio Manager, you need to know where to find it. The default installation directory for Realtek should be «C:Program Files Realtek Audio HDA». You will find a large number of seemingly executable files (.exe) here, but the most important one is «RtkNGUI64». Double clicking on it will open the Realtek HD Audio Manager.

Here you can make various changes to the sound settings that are not available elsewhere. (For example, click the gear icon, then Option, and you can turn on the handy feature of having two separate audio devices play sound at the same time — good if you want to use your speakers to listen to game sounds while talking to someone on the headset.

Another useful option is «Display Icon in Notification Area», which will allow you to access the HD Audio Manager from the notification area instead of its well-hidden directory.0007

Also click the gear icon, then About to see your driver version. This is important if you want to manually install Realtek drivers.

How to Update Realtek HD Audio

Drivers Updating Realtek HD Audio Manager should be easy. Click the Start button, then type «device manager» and click «Device Manager» when it appears.

Then click the arrow next to Audio Inputs and Outputs to display a list of your audio devices. You should see something like «Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)». Right-click it and select Update Driver. (Normally, Windows should update this driver automatically, but it has been known to not work.)

To reinstall the driver, right-click it in Device Manager, select Uninstall Device, then restart your computer.

If Realtek updates, that’s good news, but another caveat is that the latest driver isn’t always the best, and you might want to choose a different driver version. Or sometimes the latest drivers shipped with your motherboard are not the latest available and you may be missing out on the best sound quality.

Install Realtek HD Audio Driver manually

To update the Realtek HD audio driver manually, follow this thread on Tenforums where they regularly provide links to the latest Realtek audio drivers in the Microsoft catalog. (This thread does a good job of explaining the differences between Realtek Audio drivers). People have different opinions about which drivers sound best, so read them and make your own decision.

When it comes to installing the actual drivers from the Microsoft catalog, they come in the form of CAB files. After downloading the CAB file, you need to use an extraction tool like 7-Zip or WinRAR to extract the CAB file to its own folder.

Once extracted, go back to Device Manager, right-click the Realtek High Definition Audio driver, and choose Update Driver.

After that click «Find drivers on my computer» and then on the next screen click «I will choose from a list of available drivers».

Click Install from Disk, Browse, then navigate to the extracted CAB folder and select the first «.inf» file from there.

Once you’ve done that, click OK and the driver should install.

Conclusion

This should help you understand the mysterious workings of Realtek HD Audio Manager and its drivers.