Windows 10: W10 seeing speakers and headphones as same device

My old Surface Pro/W10 setup saw the speakers and headphone as separate things; so when I plugged in my headphones it would revert to the settings previously in use. So I used to have my speakers muted to avoid annoying colleagues with system sounds, then W10 would automatically unmute when I plugged my headphones in.

My new Dell XPS appears to see the speakers and headphones as the same device ("Speakers/Headphones" in control panel, as opposed to separate devices on my SP). So I have to constantly remember to mute/unmute depending on what I'm doing.

Is this a limitation of the chipset of the Dell, or a setting in Windows, or something else? It's really basic functionality so I'm amazed it isn't available on my new machine.

Win ver 1909; build 18363.657

Thanks

:)

 

Speakers and headphones work at the same time

Hi.

Let us isolate your concern by answering these few questions.

• Have you tried connecting your headphones directly to your desktop?
• Does your speaker work normally when connected to your desktop?

You may try the following steps to help resolve your concern:

• Unplug or Disconnect your speaker from the desktop.
• Connect your headphone directly to the desktop.

If the headphone works properly when directly connected to the desktop, we suggest that you contact your speaker manufacturer for assistance.

Let us know how it goes.

 

Headphones and Speakers not showing up in playback devices

Hi Jonathan,

To help us identify the cause of the issue and then find the proper resolution for it, please tell us if you made any significant hardware or software changes on your laptop prior to this issue. Also, can you provide us the steps you have already taken to
try to resolve the issue? In the meantime, follow these steps on how you can enable your playback devices:

• Right-click on the speaker icon on the taskbar and select Sounds.
• Under the Playback tab, right-click on the default speakers and select
  Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices. Your headphones or speakers should now appear here.
• Right-click the headphones or speakers and select Enable.

Keep us updated with the results.

 

Speakers playing when headphones are plugged in


I have an HP laptop with windows 10. When my headphones are plugged in, the speakers are still playing. When I go to sounds, the only device listed is the speakers. How can I silence the speakers when the headphones are plugged in.