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Kodi is one of the best free and open-source media players available in the market. Developed by XBMC Foundation in 2002, Kodi is available for a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, Mac OS, iOS, and Android. It uses a 10-foot user interface that provides a GUI that is highly effective on large televisions and display devices. Kodi is a feature-rich video and media player that allows you to play not only locally stored media but also streaming media such as podcasts, music, and videos from online services such as YouTube, Amazon Prime Instant Video, Pandora, Spotify, etc. with the help of plug-ins. It can play 1080p and 4K videos as well and also supports 3D videos on devices having a 3D capable GPU.
Some of the users have reported issues with sound while playing media locally as well as through the internet. This no sound issue has been reported by many of the PC users.
Reasons behind no sound issue on Kodi
There can be multiple reasons for this problem. A few of the most common issues are:
- Kodi audio settings – The audio settings on Kodi may need to be changed so as to be compatible with your audio output device. If the settings have a mismatch, it may cause no audio output problem. Also, some audio settings such as “Audio Passthrough” can mess up with your sound if these are tempered without much knowledge.
- Sound drivers – There may be a problem with the sound drivers (outdated or technical issue) that might be leading to no sound problem on Kodi.
- Outdated Kodi version – An old or outdated version of Kodi video player can lead to no sound issue due to any known bug or compatibility issues with a particular video format.
- Plug-in issue – If you are playing video from the internet using one of the plug-ins and the no sound issue occurs, there is a high probability that the plug-in is outdated or not fully compatible with the source. This can lead to a n sound problem as well.
- Corrupt video file – There are cases when the issue is not with the Kodi player, audio settings or device drivers but with the file being played itself. Often, converting a video file from one format to another can lead to corruption of the file. As a result, your player may not be able to play the audio of the file.
Fix for no sound issue on Kodi
Having known the various causes of the no sound issue on Kodi, you can follow various troubleshooting and debugging steps to fix this issue. Let us discuss the methods to fix it one by one.
Start with restarting the Kodi player and your system also once. Check sound volume in Audio Settings of the player or any connected USB cable to the system or device on which you are playing videos. Also, check for correct hardware configuration, clear out cache files in the player and if all above-mentioned settings are accurate, proceed with the below-explained solutions.
Install the latest version of Kodi
An outdated version of the video player can cause various issues including the no sound issue. Go to the official website for Kodi player download. Download and install the latest version of the software and try to play the video again. If the problem is still there, proceed to the next step.
Fix the Kodi audio settings
This method has been found to fix the issue for a majority of users. Often, by clicking on any shortcut through the keyboard or intentionally we change some of the default settings. Resetting the audio settings reverts any changes made to the audio settings knowingly or unknowingly.
- On the home screen of Kodi, click on the settings icon.
- Now, click on the System icon under the settings options.
- Click on Audio on the left.
- On the bottom left of the window, click on the Basic button thrice to move to Expert settings. The transition from Basic to Standard to Advanced to Expert is shown below.
- Now, on the right side of the window, all the audio settings will be visible. On the bottom of these settings, you would see an option for ‘Reset above settings to default.’ Click on this button to reset all the audio settings.
- A new window to confirm if you want to reset your settings will appear; click on Yes to confirm.
- Now, exit and restart your Kodi player and play the video.
Your problem should be fixed now. If not, there is a chance that the issue is not with the player settings but with the add-on or plug-in using which you are playing an online video. Proceed to the next method to update the plug-in.
- Go to the home screen of the Kodi player and click on the Settings button on the top left corner.
- Now, click on the Add-ons icon under the settings window.
- From the list of add-ons, select the one that you are facing no sound issue with.
- Right-click on the add-on and click on Information.
- You will see a new page that has all information for the add-on. It will also have an Update option on the bottom. Click on it and select the Kodi software version in the next window that appears.
- Once the add-on is updated, you will get a notification on the top right corner, informing the same.
- Now, restart your Kodi player and run the video again.
If the issue persists for you, you may want to check if you are able to play video and receive sound output on other players. If the same problem is experienced with other players as well, there may be a problem with your Sound Driver, and updating it can help fix it.
- Click on the Start icon on the taskbar and search for Device Manager. Select and Open the Device Manager by clicking on the icon in the search results.
- Once Device Manager opens, go to Sound, video and game controllers option and double click on it to expand. Under it, choose your audio output device, High Definition Audio Device, in most of the cases.
- Right-click on the device and select the Update Driver option.
- A new window to update the driver opens up. Select the option to ‘Search automatically for updated driver software.’ Alternatively, you can first download the latest driver online and then select the second option to install that driver.
- It will now search online for the latest driver for your device and provide the latest driver available. Select the driver, if any appears, and click on Next to install it.
- If there is no driver available, try uninstalling the device and installing a driver manually.
- Once the driver is fixed and upto date, you should be able to have sound in Kodi and other video players on your system.
Repair the corrupt video
If you are facing the no sound issue while playing a particular video file or a few videos, there is a high probability that the issue is with the video itself. The video file may have been corrupted. There are many reasons that can lead to the corruption of a video file such as issues during conversion, incomplete download, issues while copying from one device to another, etc. Such a file can have various issues while playing, such as jittering, causing the player to hang, etc. The absence of sound while playing is also caused due to file corruption.
Well, you can use the Kernel Video Repair software to fix a corrupt video. The software can repair a wide range of video file formats very effectively and efficiently. It is a powerful tool designed to fix your video file in simple steps and within a few minutes. So, go to the download page now and install this tool. You should be able to repair the video file and enjoy your movie with the audio in just a few minutes.
Conclusion
In this blog, we gave a brief overview of the Kodi media player tool and what makes it so popular. Then, we covered the no sound issue that has been reported by a significant number of users. We listed the major causes that can lead to this issue. Then, we moved to fixes for the issue and covered various methods to fix the issues with the Kodi player, including resetting audio settings. We provided step by step instructions along with snapshots to guide you through the process. We also covered other methods beyond the Kodi player, namely Sound driver update and more. In the end, we described how the issue can be related to the corruption of the video file and suggested Kernel Video Repair software to fix the issue. Be it MP4, Avi, MOV, or any other popular video file, this tool can fix them all. Learn here how to fix 4k video not playing issue with the detailed process.