What is causing the “Headphones not working on iTunes issue”?
We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that they used to get the error resolved. Based on our investigations, there are several potential culprits that might trigger this particular error message: If you’re you’re looking for ways to resolve this particular error message, this article will provide you with several troubleshooting strategies that other users in a similar situation have used to get the issue resolved. For the best results, follow the methods below in the order that they are presented since they are ordered by efficiency and severity. One of them is bound to resolve the issue in your particular scenario.
Method 1: Plugging headphones before launching iTunes
If you’re looking for a quick fix, starting (plugging in) the headphones before launching the iTunes app might resolve the issue automatically. This forces the application to recognize the audio output that is currently active during the initialization process. Several affected users have confirmed that this procedure is effective for both the desktop app and the UWP (Universal Windows Platform) version. However, this is is merely a workaround and you’ll have to remember to do this every time you want to listen to music through the Windows iTunes app. If you want a permanent fix which ensures that iTunes sound is coming out of your headphones as soon as you plug them in, move down to the next method below.
Method 2: Changing the default Audio to Direct Sound
Several affected users have reported that they managed to fix the problem by going to the Preferences menu and changing the default Play Audio platform to Direct sound. This forces the application to dynamically change to any new device that is plugged in during the playback session. This procedure is confirmed to be effective on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10. You should be able to follow the steps below regardless if you’re using the desktop or the UWP app. Here’s what you need to do: If you’re still unable to hear any sound coming out of your headphones while playing audio on iTunes, move down to the next method below.
Method 3: Changing the Default Playback device
Another potential reason that might cause the audio playback to fail on iTunes is if the headphones are not set as the default device inside the Sound settings menu. Several affected users have reported that the audio issue was resolved after they set their headphones as the Default Playback device. Here’s what you need to do: If you still don’t hear sound coming out of your headphones, move down to the next method below.
Method 4: Reinstalling the iTunes app
As it turns out, the audio playback component can also be affected if the iTunes folder contains corrupted files. This can occur if you’re dealing with a malware infection or after an antivirus scan has removed some files from the iTunes installation folder. In this case, you’ll be able to resolve the issue by reinstalling the iTunes application. However, the steps of doing this will be different depending on which version of the iTunes application you installed (the desktop version or the UWP version). Because of this, we created two separate guides that will help you reinstall the iTunes app. Make sure to follow the steps that are applicable to the iTunes application that you’re using.
Reinstalling the Desktop version of iTunes
Reinstalling the UWP (Universal Windows Platform) version of iTunes
If this procedure didn’t allow you to listen to iTunes music through your headphones, move down to the next method below.
Method 5: Reinstalling the sound driver and/or USB controller driver
If you’re encountering this particular issue (to some degree) with other applications, chances are you’re dealing with a faulty sound driver. Another potential scenario (if you’re using a headset that connects through USB) is that the USB controller driver is not properly recognizing the device. Several affected users have reported that the issue was resolved after they reinstalled the Sound driver and/or the USB controller driver. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:
Fix: Google Drive Not Playing Videos ‘There was a problem playing this video’Planar Magnetic Headphones vs Dynamic HeadphonesFix: Instagram Videos not Playing on Android DevicesFix: Discord Not Playing Notification Sounds on Direct Messages
