The problem of Headphones not working in Windows 10 usually occurs after installing updates. You will find below the steps to fix this problem.
Headphones Not Working in Windows 10
If Headphones are not working on your computer, take a look at the bottom-right corner of your screen and see if the Speaker shaped Sound Icon is visible in the taskbar.
If the Sound Icon is missing, you can follow the steps provided in this guide: How to Restore Missing Volume Icon in Windows 10 Taskbar.
If the Sound Icon is visible, click on the Sound Icon and try to increase the volume. If this does not help, move to other steps as provided below.
1. Use the Sound Troubleshooter
To start with, try the built-in Audio Troubleshooter in Windows 10 to find and fix the problem of Headphones not working on your computer.
Go to Settings > Update & Security > select Troubleshoot in the left pane. In the right-pane, click on Playing Audio and then click on Run the Troubleshooter option.
Note: If the Troubleshooter is not listed, click on Additional Troubleshooters and you will find it listed on the next screen.
Follow the on-screen instructions as the Troubleshooter tries to find and fix problems on your computer.
In our case, we selected Play Test Sounds option and the Troubleshooter was able to fix the problem.
Note: You can also access the Sound Troubleshooter by right-clicking on Sound Icon in the Taskbar of your computer and then click on Troubleshoot Sound Problems option in the menu that appears.
2. Update Audio/Sound Drivers
Follow the steps below to Update the Audio or Sound Drivers on your computer.
Right-click on the Start button and click on Device Manager.
On Device Manager screen, expand Sound, Video and Game Controllers entry > right-click on the Audio Device and click on Update driver option.
On the next screen, click on Search Automatically For Driver Software option and follow the instructions to install driver software.
3. Restart Windows Audio Service
Right-click on the Start button and click on the Run option. Type services.msc in Run Command window and click on OK.
On the Services screen, right-click on Windows Audio entry and select the Restart option.
Restart the Computer and see if the Headphones are now working on your computer.
4. Reinstall Audio Drivers
The problem could be due to the Audio Drivers becoming faulty or corrupted.
Right-click on the Start button and select Device Manager.
On Device Manager screen, expand Sound, Video and Game Controllers entry > right-click on the Audio device and click on Uninstall device option.
Next, click on Action tab in top-menu bar and select Scan for hardware changes option in the drop-down menu.
Restart your computer and it should automatically install the right drivers.