Effective Hacks to Fix Skype Can’t Access Sound Card Issue

A sound card is an integrated circuit that helps to produce sound on your device and you can hear this sound through speakers or headphones. This sound card is also needed for communication through the VoIP service like Skype. Skype is an instant calling and messaging app which uses onboard sound for microphone recording as well as for playing incoming sound. If there is a miscommunication between Skype and the sound card, then Skype can’t find the sound card of your device and you can’t be able to hear the other person’s voice. If you are encountering this issue, then you don’t need to worry. In this article, we are discussing some of the efficient hacks to fix Skype can’t access the sound card issue.

Factors Responsible for Skype Can’t Find the Sound Card Issue:

There are some major factors which can cause this issue. Before solving this issue, just check which is the possible reason for this Skype problem.

• Windows update.
• Changing the version of Windows.
• Old Sound card drivers.
• Incompatibility of  Sound card driver with the latest version of Skype.   

Simple Methods to Fix Skype Can’t Access Sound Card Issue Instantly:

If you face this problem, then this error will not allow you to make any call in Skype and you won’t be able to hear the voice of the other side. So, if you want to experience clear communication through Skype, just restart Skype again. If your problem is not solved, then follow these easy hacks which we have provided here.

Fix 1: Let Apps Use the Microphone

This setting is always turned on. But if you have updated or upgraded the Windows, then this can turn off this setting due to some security reasons. So, we are providing some steps to fix Skype cannot access Sound card for Windows 10. If you are a Windows 10 user, then follow this method.

1. Search for Settings or you can find this option on the left of Start menu.
2. Go to the Privacy section and click on it. Choose App permissions.
3. Under App permissions, you can find the Microphone option.
4. Check if this option is turned on or not. If not, just change it.
5. Go to ‘Allow apps to access your microphone’ option. Turn on this option.
6. Now, find Skype in the list of installed apps and turn on this option also.   

If you are using other versions of Windows, then follow these steps to do the same:

1. Go to the taskbar and click on the volume icon. Choose ‘Sounds’.
2. If you don’t find the ‘Sounds’ option in the taskbar, then you can find it in Control panel.
3. Under the Recording tab, make sure that the Microphone is enabled. If not, then click on this option and go to the Properties. You will find Device usage there. Make ‘Use this device’ option enable.  
4. Go to the Advanced tab and choose Exclusive mode.
5. Uncheck the boxes next to the “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device” and “Give exclusive mode applications priority”
6. Go through this same process again for the Speaker device under the Playback tab.
7. Restart Skype and check if you encounter this problem again or not.

Fix 2: Update the Sound Card Drivers

If you perform an update of Windows, but you can’t update the device drivers of the system, then there is a high chance of incompatibility issue. So, update the sound card drivers by following these guidelines.

1. Press Windows key and R key at the same time to open the Run box. Type devmgmt.msc to open the Device manager.
2. Expand this option and you will find ‘Sound, video and game controllers’ option. Go to this option and choose ‘Update driver’ option.
3. This process takes several minutes to complete. But, the update process is very important to get rid of this.
4. If Windows is not able to find a new driver by this process, then you can download and install the Drivers from the manufacturer’s website.

If you update Windows 10, then the drivers are automatically updated. But, if you want to check if there is any new driver’s update, then just go through the following instructions.

1. Type ‘Settings’ in the search bar.
2. Select the ‘Update and security’ option’ and select the ‘Check for updates’ option.
3. If any new version is available, then Windows will automatically start to download it. Install the update and check whether the problem is gone or not.  

Fix 3: Do an In-place Upgrade

If the automatic update feature is unable to solve this problem, then you can perform the update by Windows 10 Media Creation tool.

1. First of all, download the Media Creation tool. After downloading, Open Setup from MediaCreationTool.exe folder.
2. Now, go for the ‘Upgrade this PC now’ option and choose Next. This tool will scan your device first, and then check for any new updates.
3. Follow the instructions and accept all the terms of this tool if you want to install these updates.
4. You can see ‘Ready to install’. It will take some time to finish the update process.
5. When the process is finished, check if you encounter this Skype error still or not.

Fix 4: Reinstall the Skype

If all the above processes fail to solve this issue, then perform a clean reinstallation of Skype. First, you have to delete all the associated files with it. Then, just uninstall it and download it again. To do this whole process, follow the steps one by one.

1. Press the Windows key and R key at the same time on the keyboard. It will open the Run box.
2. Type ‘%appdata%\skype’ in the Run box and press the Enter key.
3. You can find ‘My Skype Received Files’. Copy the file and paste it onto the Desktop.

Now, uninstall Skype from your device. To uninstall this, follow the below procedures step-by-step.

1. Open the Control panel. If you are a Windows 10 user, then you can go Settings option which you will find at the left side of the screen.
2. In Control panel, go to the programs section and choose ‘Uninstall a Program.’ If you do this by using Settings, then click on Apps. You can see the whole list of programs that are installed in your device.
3. Find Skype and simply uninstall this by following all the instructions which will appear on the screen at the uninstallation time.

Now, make sure that you delete all the old files and registry keys of Skype which can hamper the new installation of Skype. So, follow these steps to delete the old files.

1. Open the Run box and type ‘%appdata%’ in box and press Enter key.
2. Find the ‘Skype’ folder and select the Delete option.

Now, you delete all the old files associated with Skype. Now, it’s time to remove the registry keys of Skype.

1. Type ‘regedit’ in Run box to open the Registry Editor.
2. Press the Ctrl and F key combination at the same time. Now, select Find under the Edit option.
3. Type ‘Skype’. Click on each found key and delete these one-by-one.

Now, you successfully uninstall Skype and delete all the files associated with this. You can reinstall Skype from the official site, and then check whether the error still appears or not.

Fix 5: Make Sure to Choose the Correct Audio Devices for Skype

Usually, there are multiple audio devices available on Skype. So, first, check that you choose the correct playback device for Skype. We suggest you choose the perfect playback device manually.

1. First, open Skype. Go to Options under the Tools.
2. Expand the Audio Settings option and choose Speakers.
3. Choose the perfect audio device and save it.
4. Now, see the troublesome is resolved or not.

Fix 6: Use the UWP Version of Skype

Through the Desktop version of Skype, if you are unable to connect with other people, then you can try the latest UWP version of Skype. If this version is not installed in your device, then install this version to get rid of this issue as this is the most stable version of Skype.

Fix 7: Delete the Audio Device

Sometimes this error occurs due to the problematic audio device driver of your device. So, it’s a worth try to fix Skype can’t access sound card issue.

1. By pressing the Windows key and X key at the same time, a list will open.
2. Find Device Manager from this.
3. Go to ‘Sound, video and game controllers’ option and find Audio device. Uninstall it.
4. Now, restart your device. Windows 10 will automatically install it again when your device is turned on.
5. Now, reopen the Skype to check whether the problem strikes again or not.

We hope you will be benefitted by these methods. So, give feedback on this article. If you have any doubt regarding these methods to fix skype can’t access sound card issue. Don’t waste your valuable time, just drop a comment for more info.