How to Disable Laptop Speakers But Not Headphones?

The integrated laptop speakers are great and all, but sometimes, the speakers do not get disabled with some headphones. And when you turn the volume slider, it will mute both the headphones and the speakers simultaneously. Does this sound familiar to you? Well, we must agree that this issue can be annoying.

But did you know that if you knew how to disable laptop speakers but not headphones, the issue could get solved within a couple of minutes? Yes, you do not have to go through the hassles of opening up your laptop and disconnecting the speakers manually.

Want to know the entire process? You got to read through the whole article for that!

Table of Contents

How to Manually Disable the Laptop Speakers?

How to Disable Laptop Speakers But Not Headphones

Whenever you connect a sound system, whether a wired external speaker, wireless speaker, or headphone, it will appear as a sound device. Because of showing up as an independent devices, the operating system can isolate each of them and holds the ability to run them individually.

That leaves the option to disable one if you want to. And to do that, you would need to follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Remove All of the Other External Sound Devices

You might have loads of external sound devices connected with your system. And the first step would be to determine which one is the internal speaker unit on your operating system. To make things simple, we would recommend disconnecting all of the external sound systems. That will minimize the confusion.

Step 2: Go to Settings and Find the Internal Speaker

Now that you have disconnected all of the external devices, it would be time to get into the settings. For windows, you can press the Windows button on your laptop along with the button I to get into the settings page quickly. Other than that shortcut, you can just search for settings on the search bar.

After that, head over to the sound tab of the settings. It should be right below the display tab. Click on it, and you will be greeted with the simple controls of the sound settings. But, here, you will not find the direct option to disable the internal speakers of your laptop.

Step 3: Head Over to the Sound Devices Management Section

Once you are in the sound tab, you need to find the “Sound Devices Management” button. It should be just below the master volume slider. Click on it, and you will see all of the sound devices that are connected to your device.

If you have disconnected all of the external devices before, it would be now time to insert your headphones. Check which sound system pops up after inserting the headphone and which one stays as it is. The one that stays as it is would be the internal speaker system of your laptop. You would need to disable that.

Just click on the internal speaker, and two options should pop up. One would say test, while the other one would say disable. Click on the disable button, and you will successfully disable the internal speaker unit of your laptop. The headphones would not work, but the internal speaker should not make any sound.

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How to Disable the Internal Speaker Through the Control Panel?

The manual system might seem a bit tricky. And it might sometimes not work as expected. Well, in that cases, you would need to approach the control panel solution. And the steps that you should follow for that are as follows:

Step 1: Head Over to the Control Panel

The control panel is the heart of the operating system. It has all of the internal and external devices connected to the laptop. And there are control options for all of them. Nonetheless, to get into the control panel, you can simply search for it in the search bar. Click on it, and you should end up on the tab.

Step 2: Get into the Sound Tab

After getting into the control panel, you need to find the sound device that you want to disable. For that, search for the Sound and Hardware option. It should have a printer and a small speaker logo. And you would usually find it right beneath the Network and Internet option.

Click on it, and you should see a lit of the sound devices connected to the laptop. If you are confused about which one is the internal speaker system, you should disconnect all of the external speaker systems. That will clear up the confusion.

Step 3: Disable the Internal Speakers

Once you find the internal speaker system, right-click on it and click disable. To save the settings, you need to press the apply button. That test out whether things worked or not by playing some audio. Then, connect the headphones and test whether sound plays on both the devices or not.

If everything seems okay, you can get out of the control panel by closing the tab. Do note that after following these steps, the laptop would recognize the external headphone as the default sound system. And without connecting it, you will not be capable of listening to any audio.

How to Disable Speakers Through BIOS?

The internal speakers might not be deactivated through the internal settings of the operating system. In that case, you need to opt for the BIOS. Yes, you can disable the internal speaker by getting into the UEFI settings that appear on the laptop screen right after you turn it on. These are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1: Go to Settings

First, you need to go to the settings of your operating system. As usual, search it using the search bar and then click on Update and Security. If you can not find this option, take the help of the search bar at the top of the settings tab. Click on recovery and scroll down.

Step 2: Find the UEFI Firmware Settings

You should see something called “Advanced Startup” on the Update and Security tab. Get into that and click on the Fix option. You will find Advanced Options written in blue. Click on it, and you will be greeted with the UEFI Firmware Settings.

There, you will need to press restart. It will allow you to get into BIOS without you having to press the F8, Del, or F10 button during the startup.

Step 3: Disable the Internal System

Once the computer restarts, you should end up on the BIOS instead of the regular lock screen. Find Expand System Configuration tab. There should be all of the settings related to the hardware inside the laptop. Choose the Audio tab on that page and find the option that states Enable Internal Audio. Deselect that.

After that, you need to find the option that states save and reset. It might even prompt you to press a button such as F10. Click or press on it. Also, if there is a tab that says apply, click on it and exit the BIOS.

That should disable the internal speaker for good. It will not turn on automatically, and if you like to re-enable it. Follow the same process but click on enable the internal speaker.

How to Update the Audio Drivers?

It is essential to keep the audio drivers up to date if you want to get optimal performance. Sometimes, the latest drivers fix the previous bugs and performance issues already present on the current sound system. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Hover into Device Manager

First and foremost, you need to get into the Device Manager. To do that, Right-click on the start, which is the big windows button on the home screen. There should be a lot of options available. Find Device Manager and click on it.

Alternatively, you can just search for it in the Windows search bar. It will show up on the top. Click on it and get into the Device Manager. It might open in the minimized form, but we would recommend you to expand it. By expanding it, all of the options will show up on the tab.

Step 2: Select the Driver Update Option

Once the device manager is expanded, search for the Audio Device option. Click on it, and a contextual menu should pop up. Select the Driver Update option.

Step 3: Update the Driver

There will be two options available. One would state Auto-seek, and the other would make you manually choose the driver. Auto-seek will work for most of the cases, but if it does not update the driver, you need to down the driver manually and select it using the second option.

Once the driver updates, you need to restart the computer.

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Conclusion

As you can see, learning how to disable laptop speakers but not headphones is pretty simple and straightforward. You do not need to pop open the laptop. Instead, follow the steps we have mentioned properly. That should get the laptop speakers disabled.

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Mohiuddin Alamgir

Hi there! My name is Mohiuddin Alamgir and I’m the man behind of “Laptopvine”. I love learning about all sorts of technology, especially laptops. I find it fascinating how laptops have evolved over the years and how they’ve become essential tools for both work and play. I strive to provide information that is both accurate and helpful to those looking for a new laptop.