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In Windows 11, open Start > Settings > System > Sound > Volume mixer. Under Apps, find the app and choose the device you want from its Output device menu. This changes where that app plays sound; it does not change the system-wide default. If sound is still missing, check the app’s volume and mute controls.
Choose an output device for one app in Windows 11
- Open Start > Settings > System > Sound.
- Select Volume mixer.
- Under Apps, locate the app whose sound you want to route. If it is not listed, open or play audio in the app, then check the mixer again.
- Open that app’s Output device menu and select the speakers, headphones, monitor, or other available endpoint you want it to use.
- If you are testing because the app is silent, confirm its individual volume is turned up and it is not muted.
The app’s selection can differ from the Windows default output. Microsoft describes the Volume mixer route in its Windows app-audio troubleshooting instructions.
How per-app output differs from the system default
A per-app output setting routes one application to its selected device. The system default is the general output Windows uses for audio that does not have a different app-specific selection. Changing the default is therefore not the same as changing one app’s output: other apps may follow the default while the selected app continues to use its own device.
If you intended to change where most Windows audio plays, open Start > Settings > System > Sound and choose the desired output in the system sound settings. If only one app is wrong, use its entry in Volume mixer instead.
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Windows 10: use the legacy audio controls
Windows 10 uses a different documented workflow from Windows 11. Microsoft support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025; these steps apply to existing installations, not a claim that Windows 10 remains supported.
- To check an app’s volume, right-click the taskbar Volume icon and select Open Volume mixer. Find the app and make sure its volume is raised and it is not muted.
- To check the output device, right-click the taskbar Volume icon and open Sounds.
- On the Playback tab, check that the intended device is enabled and set as Default if you want it to be the system’s default output.
- Return to Volume mixer and verify the app’s volume. If the app still uses the wrong route, remember that these legacy controls do not present the same per-app output selector as Windows 11’s Volume mixer.
For further Windows 10 sound checks, see Microsoft’s guide to audio issues when no sound plays from speakers or headphones.
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Troubleshoot when the app still uses the wrong device or has no sound
The app is playing through the wrong output
- Reopen the Windows 11 Volume mixer and inspect the affected app’s Output device. Do not assume it follows the system default.
- Check that the device you want is connected, detected by Windows, and available as an output choice.
- If you are on Windows 10, check the Playback tab and system default separately from the app’s volume in Volume mixer.
Only one app is silent
- In Volume mixer, check the app’s own volume slider and mute state.
- Confirm the app is open and producing audio while you inspect its mixer entry.
- Verify the app is routed to an output device that is present and usable.
The desired device does not appear
- Check the physical connection and whether Windows detects and enables the output device.
- If it remains missing, investigate device detection or the audio driver. Microsoft lists driver and detection issues among possible causes of missing output devices; buying new audio hardware is not a required step in the per-app configuration procedure.
No app audio remains after checking the route and volume
Use Windows’ additional audio troubleshooting paths, including the Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder services and audio drivers. These are follow-up checks rather than the first step for a single app routed to the wrong output.
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