Realtek is Not Showing Up in Device Manager [Solved]

If your computer has no sound, and you’ve discovered that the Realtek audio driver is not showing up in Device Manager while troubleshooting, don’t worry. You can easily resolve this issue using the following methods.

Try these methods

Method 1: Update the Realtek audio driver
Method 2: Add legacy hardware
Method 3: Restore BIOS to default

Method 1: Update the Realtek audio driver

To fix the Realtek audio driver not showing up in Device Manager, the first method you can try is to download and install the latest Realtek audio driver.

You can directly go to your motherboard’s website (Not sure what motherboard you have?) to download the latest version of Realtek audio driver. Usually, drivers can be downloaded from the Drivers, Support, or Download section.

Alternatively, you can search “motherboard model + driver” using your preferred search engine, then you can find the driver download page easily from the search results, where you can download the audio driver.

Tip: If it’s not easy for you to update the drivers manually, you can use Driver Easy to help update the drivers. With Driver Easy, you can update drivers with just a few clicks. Go to the vendor’s website to download Driver Easy.

After updating the driver, restart your computer and check to see if the error persists.

Method 2: Add legacy hardware

Adding legacy hardware from Device Manager can get the missing devices back. To get the Realtek audio device back, you can try this method. Here’s how to do it:

1) Right-click on the Start menu button and select Device Manager.

how to open device manager

2) Click Action in the top and select Add legacy hardware.

select add legacy hardware

3) Click Next.

4) Select the radio button next to Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced), and click Next.

5) Select Sound, video and game controllers from the list, and click Next.

select the sound category

6) Select Realtek from the “Manufacturer” list on the left and then select the latest version from the “Model” list on the right. Click Next to continue.

select the latest version of realtek audio driver

7) Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions to finish the install.

8) Go back to Device Manager and check if the Realtek audio entry shows up.

TIP: If you see a yellow mark next to the driver, updating the driver can resolve the issue.

Method 3: Restore BIOS to default

The problem can be caused by the incorrect settings in BIOS. To fix the problem, you can try to restore BIOS to default. Regarding how to do it, you can refer to the below steps:

1) Enter BIOS.

For all laptops or desktops, entering BIOS starts with a reboot. After booting your computer, on the load screen, you should see a notification telling you what key you can press to access BIOS. Keep pressing that key to enter BIOS settings.

For most machines, it’s the F2 key but some laptops use DEL or F8 instead. If you have no idea what the key is, consult your computer manufacturer for the answer.

2) Once you’re in BIOS, you can press F9 or F5 to bring up the Load Optimized Defaults prompt. Or find the option under the Security tab or the Exit tab.

Information: The name of the option allowing you to restore BIOS varies depending on what motherboard you have. It could be Reset to Default, Load Factory Defaults, Load Setup Defaults, etc.

3) Use the arrow key to select Yes, then BIOS will be restored to default.

4) Once done, press the key next to Save and Exit.

5) Reboot your computer and check to see if the problem persists.

Above are the effective methods you can try to fix the Realtek not showing up in the Device Manager issue. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to drop a comment below. I’ll get back to you ASAP.

10 thoughts on “Realtek is Not Showing Up in Device Manager [Solved]”

  1. Hey Camilla,

    I really appreciate all your help. It’s really well put together and is getting me somewhere, at least, I think.

    Please help. I’ve read a lot of threads looking for solutions to this question but none seem to work for me.

    I have a Lenovo Yoga 730-13IWL.
    Motherboard is Lenovo LNVNB161216
    Running Windows 10

    I was silly and followed some online advice to use an external device tool (Driver Booster – https://www.iobit.com/en/driver-booster-pro.php?AFF=76246&__c=1) to deal with a slow external monitor following this advice.

    This messed with a number of drivers. I’ve been able to fix some but I CANNOT get Realtek working/visible again.

    The realtek driver is not showing up, even when enabling view hidden drivers. It used to be there as hidden. But following Aaron Sum’s advice (Microsoft Agent), I tried to update this (which didn’t fix anything) and so deleted it since Aaron said Windows 10 would automatically update this on restart, but it didn’t.

    I can still see Realtek HD Audio Universal in the startup Task Manager (which I’ve enabled on start up).

    I have downloaded and installed the Realtek audio driver offered on my manufacturer website: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/yoga-series/yoga-730-13iwl/81jr/81jr0068uk/mp1hfl2q/downloads/driver-list/component?name=Audio
    but still can’t see anything after restarting.

    I then tried downloading the driver directly from the Realtek website (ALC894).

    Restarted the computer and nothing changed.

    Lenovo’s online Automatic Driver Update search says I’m up to date.
    Update&Security -> Window’s Update also says that I’m up to date.

    When I try playing audio nothing happens, all of the speakers say they are disabled. And there is no activity in the level meter if I try and play audio.

    I also tried to Add legacy hardware -> Realtek -> latest version , but when I do this the computer crashes. I tried again and it crashed again.

    Do you have any advice I can follow.

    Reply
    • Hi Kris,

      I’m sorry that your audio problem is not resolved. It seems you’ve tried most solutions that I could recommend.
      I’m not sure if you have tried the BIOS method. Check and ensure your audio device is enabled in BIOS. Also, you can try restoring BIOS to default.

      Reply
          • Windows Key + X ==> device manager ==> system devices ==>Smart Sound Technology intel(R)……… could be two of them, you will see ⚠️ on one of the two. right click and update the driver that should restore back your sound.

  2. I went to my motherboard’s site (Gigabyte) and found the RealTek driver for my Windows 10 version (2004). I downloaded it and ended up with a zip file. I extracted the contents of the zip file and ended up with an exe file but no README file. Using a Windows Explorer type program I have, the exe file appears to be an executable zip and among the the many files the exe’s zip file contains, it appears there is a setup.exe file. I tried running the zip-extracted exe file but had no joy. I have contacted the motherboard’s support to find out what to do with the un-Zipped exe. When I get an answer that works, I will post the successful procedure.

    Reply
  3. I ended up fixing mine, my sound kept telling me to plug headphones in. Spent 4 hours trying to figure it out, doing all the steps you did, but then I thought I might as well use CCleaner and uninstall it.

    Asked for a restart and it started working again

    Reply

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