Under certain circumstances, the Bluetooth speaker or headphones volume control might not work forcing you to use the volume controls on the Bluetooth device itself. This article shows you how to fix the Bluetooth speaker volume control not working problem on Windows 10/11.
There are several reasons why the Windows volume control doesn’t work on Bluetooth speakers. Some of the reasons include but are not limited to problems with Bluetooth service, Windows absolute volume, conflicting default speaker options, etc.
Whatever the reason, follow the steps given below to fix the volume control not working for Bluetooth speakers on Windows 10/11.
Fix Bluetooth speaker volume control not working
When facing problems with volume control when using Bluetooth speakers or headphones, follow these suggestions to fix it:
- Set Bluetooth speaker as the default sound output device
- Restart the Bluetooth support service
- Enable Absolute Volume in Registry
- Re-pair the Bluetooth speaker/headphones
- Update Bluetooth driver
- Run Bluetooth troubleshooter
- Run the DISM RestoreHealth command
Let’s see each step in detail.
1. Set Bluetooth speaker as the default sound output device
Setting your Bluetooth speaker as the default sound output device allows you to control its volume with the Windows volume control slider. Here’s how to set your Bluetooth speakers as the default device.
Step 1: Right-click on the volume icon on the taskbar and choose the “Sound Settings” option.
Step 2: In the Sound settings page, scroll down and click/tap on the “More sound settings” option. This will open the win32 sound settings window. You can also open it using the “mmsys.cpl” Run (Win + R) command.
Step 3: Click on the “Playback” tab, find the Bluetooth device, right-click on it, and choose the “Set as default” option.
Step 4: The Bluetooth speaker/headphones are set as default as soon as you select the option. From now on, you can use the Windows volume control to change the Bluetooth speaker volume.
2. Restart the Bluetooth support service
After setting the Bluetooth speaker as the default sound output device, restart the Bluetooth support service. Here’s how.
Step 1: Open the run dialog box with the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut.
Step 2: Type “services.msc” in the Run box and click/tap on the “Ok” button.
Step 3: Right-click on the “Bluetooth Support Service” option and select the “Restart” option.
Step 4: After restarting the Bluetooth Support Service, you will be able to use the volume control to change the Bluetooth volume level.
3. Enable Absolute Volume in Registry
If you or some other program disabled the absolute volume feature, it might be the main cause of why you cannot use Windows volume control on your Bluetooth speaker. In that case, you must disable absolute volume. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press the Start key on your keyboard, start typing “Registry Editor” and click on the appropriate result to open the Registry Editor application.
Step 2: Paste the “Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Bluetooth\Audio\AVRCP\CT” path in the address bar of the Registry Editor and press Enter on your keyboard.
Step 3: Double-click on the “DisableAbsoluteVolume” value on the right pane. You can also right-click on the value and select “Modify.”
Step 4: Type “0” in the Value Data field and click on the “Ok” button.
Step 5: Close the Registry Editor and restart the system.
After restarting, the Bluetooth speaker volume control works as expected.
4. Re-pair the Bluetooth speaker/headphones
After setting Bluetooth speakers as the default device and enabling the absolute volume feature, re-pair your Bluetooth speakers/headphones.
Step 1: Launch the Settings app on your Windows 10/11 computer. Next, go to the “Bluetooth & devices” page.
Step 2: Click on the “Devices” option to open the devices settings page where you can manage all your hardware devices.
Step 3: Click the three dots icon (…) icon next to your Bluetooth device under the Audio section and select the “Remove device” option.
Step 4: Click the “Remove” or “Yes” button to remove the Bluetooth device from your computer.
Step 5: Put your Bluetooth speaker/headphones into pairing mode.
Step 6: Go to the Settings > Bluetooth & Devices page and click the “Add device” option.
Step 7: Select the “Bluetooth” option and select your Bluetooth speaker/headphones to pair them with Windows.
Step 8: After pairing, the volume control works as it should and you can change Bluetooth speaker volume using the volume slider.
5. Update the Bluetooth driver
You should update the Bluetooth driver to make sure you can use the volume control. Here’s how.
Step 1: Open the Power User menu with the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut.
Step 2: Select the “Device Manager” option in the power user menu.
Step 3: Expand the Bluetooth option and it will show all the connected Bluetooth devices.
Step 4: Next, right-click on your Bluetooth speaker/headphones and select the “Update driver” option.
Step 5: Click on the “Search automatically for drivers” option.
Selecting the option forces Windows searches and update the Bluetooth speaker drivers.
6. Run Bluetooth troubleshooter
When facing Bluetooth device related problems, running the Bluetooth troubleshooter allows you to narrow down and fix the problem. Here’s how.
Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon on the taskbar and select the “Settings” option. This will open the Windows 10/11 Settings app.
Step 2: Go to the “System > Troubleshoot” page in the Settings app.
Step 3: Go to the “Other troubleshooters” page and click on the “Run” button next to “Bluetooth.”
Follow the Bluetooth troubleshooting wizard, answer any question, and Windows will troubleshoot and fix the volume control problem.
7. Run the DISM RestoreHealth command
Running the DISM /RestoreHealth command is quite helpful to fix most Windows problems. Here’s how.
Step 1: Open the Windows Terminal as admin from the Windows key + X (Power user) menu. You must select the “Terminal (Admin)” option.
Step 2: Run the “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” command. It scans and fixes any problems with the system image.
Note: The command might appear stuck or take a bit longer to complete. It is quite normal. Give it some time and the command will be executed successfully.
Step 3: After successfully running the command, close the terminal window and restart the computer.
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That is all.
It is that simple to fix the Bluetooth volume control issue on Windows 10/11.
I hope this simple and easy Windows guide helped you.
If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.
