Failed to Play Test Tone on Windows 10? Easily Fix It Now!

Error Failed to Play Test Tone Windows 10

For a lot of users of the Windows system, this issue appears and affects many versions of the Windows system. No computer should experience this thing – having no sound since it is one essential thing that the computer should do.

This error message indicates that there is a problem between the Windows system and the sound device of your computer. Usually, it could be caused by invalid sound configurations, corrupted Windows files, damaged audio drivers, etc.

The test tone is usually used to check the right-left balance of speakers and headphones on your computer. If you cannot use it, there are some options you can check out to fix this issue. One of them should meet your needs and all these solutions apply to Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista.

How to Fix Windows 10 Failed to Play Test Tone

Restart Windows Audio Related Services

Audio services can start by itself on every system boot. However, they may sometimes fail to start, leading to headphones/speakers failed to test tone. To fix this issue, you should start audio related services manually by following the guide:

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1. Input msc to the box of the Run window that is opened by pressing Win + R.
2. After clicking OK and entering the main interface of Services, find these two services – Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.
3. Double-click one and see if the Service status is Running and Startup type is Automatic. If not, choose Start and Automatic.
4. Finally, click Apply.

Change the Default Test Tone Rate and Bit Depth

Based on your speaker or headphone, Windows chooses a default test tone rate and bit depth so you can find the best sound quality from an audio output device. The failed to play test tone error could appear if the default settings have some problems.

To get rid of this issue, change the settings by following these steps:

1. Right-click the sound icon in the taskbar and click Playback devices.
2. In the new window, click Properties.
3. Under the Advanced tab, choose a different rate and bit depth from the list.
4. Click Apply and then OK.

Disable Audio Enhancements

Microsoft and third-party manufacturers offer audio enhancement packages, for example, Audio Enhancements for Windows 10, to make some specific hardware sound perfect.

However, sometimes they cannot improve the sound or audio quality but cause problems like the error mentioned in this post. So, you can try disabling these audio enhancements by following the guide below.

1. Right-click the sound icon to choose Playback devices.
2. Go to Properties > Enhancements.
3. Check the box of Disable all enhancements.
4. Click Apply and OK.

Run System File Checker (SFC)

If some system files are corrupted, perhaps the error – failed to play test tone happens in Windows 10. So, you should perform an SFC scan to look for and fix damaged system files.

1. Open Command Prompt in Windows 10 with administrative rights.
2. Input sfc /scannow to the window and press Enter.
3. Wait a few minutes until the scan completes and then check if the error is solved.

Run the Audio Troubleshooters

Running the audio troubleshooters may be helpful to fix Windows 10 failed to play test tone. Do as these steps say:

1. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
2. Go to Recording Audio and run the troubleshooter.
3. Go to Playing Audio and run the troubleshooter.

Reinstall Audio Driver

The failed to play test tone issue can be caused by a corrupted driver, so reinstalling it is helpful.

1. Go to Device Manager from the Start menu of Windows 10.

2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers, right-click High Definition Audio Device and choose Uninstall device.

3. Click Uninstall.

4. Restart your PC, then Windows will install the audio driver automatically and check if your issue is fixed.

The End

That is all the information on how to fix failed to play test tone in Windows 10. If you are having such an issue, now follow these methods above to get rid of the trouble.