But what happens when you have multiple audio output devices connected to the same computer? Do they all play the sound simultaneously? The answer is “no.” The Windows operating system is designed to give output to only one audio device at a time. Thankfully, you can choose which audio device the sound should come from when multiple devices are connected. This allows you to switch devices without unplugging or disconnecting the rest. There are multiple ways you can switch your sound output device on a Windows 11 PC. You can also change your default sound output device, which means that the selected device will play the sound even if you restart your PC.
How to Switch Output Audio Device in Windows 11
From Quick Settings Menu
The “Quick Settings” menu is the flyout that appears when you click on the area on the taskbar containing the network icon, sound icon, and battery icon. If you have multiple devices connected, you can change your sound output preference using this menu. Here is how: The system sound will now play through the selected device. Note that this does not configure the selected device as the default output device.
From Volume Mixer
The volume mixer in Windows 11 gives you different options to manage, such as individual volume levels for different apps, etc. You can also manage the output sound device from the mixer. Here is how:
From the Sound Settings Page
Another way to go about it is through another Settings page that lets you choose your output sound device in Windows 11. Alternatively, you can also right-click on the volume icon in the taskbar and open the volume mixer.Open volume mixer from the taskbar
Using Xbox Game Bar
This method changes the default output audio device. The Xbox Game Bar provides various widgets for you to optimize your gaming experience. The Audio widget allows you to manage your audio output device. Perform the following steps to manage your sound output device using the Xbox Game Bar:
From Sound Applet
This method changes the default output audio device. Another way to change your output audio device is through the Control Panel applet named “Sound.” Note that changing your output device using this method switches the device from where the sound is coming, and also sets it as the default device. This will now switch your output sound device, and also configure it as default.
Closing Words
Now you do not need to disconnect your devices from your computer to get the sound from your preferred device. Instead, simply control it from Windows’ UI and switch any time you want, as many times you want, without using third-party utilities. That said, there are ample free third-party tools that also allow you to switch the output audio sources, but they won’t be needed as long as you are using Windows 11, or even Windows 10. Also see:
5 Ways To Open Volume Mixer In Windows 11/10How to Hear Yourself on Mic in Windows 10How To Improve Sound Quality On Windows PCHow To Use Different Audio Devices For Different Applications In Windows8 Ways to open Computer Management Console (compmgmt.msc) in Windows
