How to Fix Audio Crackling in Windows 10 – Easy Steps

Easy Steps to Fix Audio Crackling  in Windows 10:  Users report that the audio in their Windows 10 ‘crack‘ while playing is caused mainly by internal system settings. However, in rare circumstances, the computer’s sound hardware is the issue. According to user reviews, the audio output was heavily distorted and produced a distinct “crackling or popping” sound anytime it was used. In addition, your audio drivers may be outdated, or your processor status may need to be changed. We will explain the process of resolving these issues and getting your audio back up and running in no time.

Solution 1: Changing Minimum Processor State

Your processor’s minimal state might cause audio crackling in Windows 10. Windows 10 has an inbuilt power-saving technique that reduces CPU use to save energy and extend battery life. Although this may be a positive for most individuals, it might directly impact your audio quality. When the CPU usage decreases, the audio output may not remain constant, and you may encounter distortion and terrible quality. We’ll see whether increasing the minimum processor state to 100% addresses the issue.

1. To open your start menu’s search bar, press Windows + S. Open the first result after typing “Power and Sleep” into the dialogue box.
2. Once in the Power and Sleep settings, go to the right side of the screen and choose “Advanced power settings.”
3. You will see the many power plans that your computer has. Choose the one you currently use and click “change plan options.”
4. A new window will appear, with information such as when to turn off the display. Ignore everything else and click “Change advanced power settings,” which is at the bottom of the page.
5. Now a little window will appear with many advanced settings that you may change. Navigate through them until you come to “Processor power management.” Select “Minimum processor state” from the subheadings.
6. In all situations, increase the value from 5% to 100%. (on battery and plugged in).
7. Save your changes, and then quit. Restart your computer without changing the power plan. Keep it where we changed it. Check to see if your audio cracking issue gets resolved.

Solution 2: Changing your Sound Format

Windows allows you to adjust the sound quality based on your speakers. You may choose between CD quality, DVD quality, and Studio quality. All of these alternatives have different frequencies. The highest frequency is 192000 Hz, while the lowest is 44100 Hz. Setting high sound quality might cause popping in your audio if you don’t have high-quality speakers or if the speakers aren’t configured appropriately. We can experiment with changing your sound quality and see whether the audio crackling in Windows 10 issue get resolved.

1. To open your Run dialogue, press Windows + R. To start the program, enter “Control Panel” in the dialogue box.
2. When you’re in the control panel, put “sound” into the search box at the top right of the screen. Then, open the sound return choices in the search result.
3. When the sound choices appear, choose the audio device linked to your computer: Right-click and select Properties.
4. Choose the Advanced tab at the top of the screen. There is a “Default Format” section here. After clicking it, a drop-down menu will display.
5. Choose CD quality (the first choice available) and save changes.
6. Even if the results are instantaneous, you may wish to restart your computer. But first, check to see if your problem has been resolved.

Note: You may always experiment with alternative sound formats and see if it solves audio crackling in Windows 10.

Solution 3: Uninstalling drivers

It is also possible that your sound drivers are not installed correctly or are out of date. Drivers are at the heart of your audio system’s performance. They provide information to your speakers and, in effect, operate them and produce sound. Again, we can try reinstalling and upgrading them to see if it resolves the audio crackling in Windows 10.

1. To open the Run program on your PC, press Windows + R.
2. Enter “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box. It will open the device manager on your PC.
3. All connected devices to your computer will be organized into categories and listed here. For example, select the “Audio inputs and outputs” category.
4. Right-click Speakers and choose Properties.
5. At the top of the screen, choose the Driver tab. You will discover an option to remove your sound driver here. Click on it.
6. Windows will now confirm your activity. After you confirm, the driver will be removed from your system.
7. Restart your computer. When you restart your computer, Windows will install the default drivers for your speakers.
8. Just like us, go to the sound selections. Right-click Speakers and choose Properties.
9. Now choose the “Update Driver” option. You can choose between if you want to install the drivers manually or automatically. Select automatically to allow Windows to look for and install drivers.

Check to see if your sound quality has improved.

Solution 4: Editing the Registry

We can change the registry settings to fix audio crackling in Windows 10 on your computer to see if it improves the sound quality and resolves the issue. To save power and energy, your sound chipset shuts down after a defined period of inactivity. It is most likely the source of the popping sound and high-pitched tone. It is readily configurable by editing the registry settings.

1. Press Windows + R to enter “Regedit” in the dialogue box. It will open your PC’s registry, allowing you to make necessary changes.
2. Navigate to: HKEY CURRENT USER\Software\Realtek\RAVCpI64\Powermgnt

The settings are as follows:

1. Delay time: Is the time in seconds when the chipset is turned off.
2. The default setting is 10.
3. Enabling this option allows power management. The default setting is 0. Please set it to 1 to deactivate and prevent the popping noises from occurring.
4. Only Battery: If you have activated power management, set this option to 1 to deactivate power management only while the laptop is plugged in.
5. If your laptop is on battery power, you will still be able to hear the popping noises.

Solution 5: Turn off Audio Enhancements and Exclusive mode.

Some sound drivers use to improve the quality of your sound. If these characteristics are incompatible or your CPU is often overworked, this might cause serious difficulties. We can disable the audio improvements and see if the sound quality improves. Unfortunately, all sound drivers do not provide this feature. They may have rebranded the Enhancements tab as a sound blaster. In such a scenario, we may turn off all audio effects to fix audio crackling in Windows 10.

Some sound drivers also have a problem with the “Exclusive mode” option, which lets other apps control your sound card completely. It shouldn’t be an issue, but it’s worth a shot to see whether it solves our problem.

1. To open your Run dialogue, press Windows + R. To start the program, enter “Control Panel” in the dialogue box.
2. When you’re in the control panel, put “sound” into the search box at the top right of the screen. Then, open the sound return choices in the search result.
3. When the sound choices appear, choose the audio device linked to your computer: Right-click and select Properties.
4. Now go to the Improvements tab and uncheck all the enabled enhancements (you can also tick the option that reads “Disable all enhancements“).
5. Select the Advanced tab and deselect the exclusive mode, which allows programs to override the settings—exit after saving your settings.

Note: If this does not provide any results in fixing Audio crackling in Windows 10, you may always reactivate all of these choices.

Solution 6: Purchasing a USB to 3.5mm adapter

If you hear popping noises from your external speakers, it’s likely that your audio jack is broken or not operating correctly. A USB to 3.5mm jack may be purchased. Plug USB adapter cable into your PC’s USB port and the other into your audio device. In this manner, Windows will identify that an external speaker is attached, and it will be able to bypass your audio port. Sometimes changing USB adapter cable may helps to fix Audio Crackling  and popping sound in Windows 10.

Final Words Audio Crackling in Windows 10

External interference such as malfunctioning hardware, faulty ports, and sometimes even the medium of connection may create crackling and popping noises from your audio output device.

This page lists the best possible solutions to fix Audio Crackling in Windows 10. In most cases, the problem is with the hardware. However, various software errors might cause crackling audio from your speakers. You can address this annoying problem by changing Windows settings. In addition, unplugging and replugging your equipment may reduce the possibility of a temporary failure caused by a one-time interference. If your device works again after replugging it, inspect the audio jack for corrosion, obstruction, and wear. Also read how to fix Windows Update Error.