How to Fix Dolby Atmos Not Working in Windows 11

Dolby Atmos is an innovative sound technology that takes home theater to an entirely new level. With this feature enabled, you can experience crisp and clear sound effects in your favorite movies and shows.

However, if you’re having trouble using Dolby Atmos in Windows 11, you’ve come to the right place. Follow the below steps to learn how to fix the issue and enjoy Dolby Atmos enabled music again.

What Causes Dolby Atmos to Stop Working?

Dolby Atmos not working in Windows 11 is a common problem for users who have recently updated their Windows versions. According to some reports, this problem can occur if you have outdated and faulty sound drivers installed on your device. Here are some possible causes of the error message.

• A misconfigured setting.
• An outdated or malfunctioning sound driver.

As these two are the major factors behind the problem, it’s time to figure out how to fix it.

1. Run Windows Playing Audio Troubleshooter

Before troubleshooting, restart your computer and check if a simple reboot resolves your issue. When that doesn’t work, ensure you are connected to a device supporting Dolby Atmos. If everything seems to work fine, you should now run the Audio Troubleshooter to see whether it makes any difference.

1. Press Windows + I to open the System Settings.
2. From the left pane, click on the System tab.
3. Click on the Troubleshoot option.
4. Select Other troubleshooters.

5. Click Run next to Playing Audio.

It will detect audio service problems and check their status. If the tool finds related issues, it will notify you and offer further assistance and recommendations.

2. Install the Latest Windows Updates

Sometimes the older version of Windows can cause problems with your computer’s functionality, so you should ensure you have the most recent version. Follow the steps to check the update status of your PC.

1. Right-click on Start and select Settings.
2. Select Windows Update from the left pane.
3. Click Check for updates to see if there are any updates

If you find any pending updates, install them and then restart your computer. When it starts up, check whether it resolves the problem of Dolby Atmos not working.

3. Update the Sound Driver

An outdated or malfunctioning sound driver can lead to problems with Dolby Atmos. In this scenario, update the faulty sound driver and check if it solves the issue. Here are the steps.

1. Press the Windows + R keys to open Run Command dialog box.
2. Type devmgmt.msc in the text box and press Enter to open the Device Manager.
3. Double-click the Sound, video, and game controllers tab to expand it.
4. Right-click on the devices you see there and select Update driver.
5. On the Update Drivers window, click Search automatically for drivers.

Windows will then determine the most suitable driver for your device and install it automatically.

4. Roll Back the Sound Driver

If the problem started after a driver update, you should roll back to the previous driver version that was working. Head to the Device Manager.

1. Right-click on Start and select Device Manager.
2. Locate Sound, video and game controllers and expand it.
3. Now right-click on your device and choose Properties from the context menu.
4. When the Properties window opens, go to the Driver tab and click on Roll Back Driver.

5. Select the reason why you are rolling back the driver.
6. Click on the Yes button to continue.

Once you’ve completed the steps above, you should restart your computer, so Windows can restore your driver and check whether it resolves the issue.

5. Enable Exclusive Mode

Exclusive Mode refers to an audio application that controls the driver of an audio device to prevent other applications from playing sound in parallel. Windows 11 has this feature by default, but if you turn it off accidentally, you’ll end up with this problem. Follow the steps below to enable it.

1. Press the Windows + I keys to open the Settings menu.
2. Select System from the left pane.
3. Click on the Sound category on the right.

4. Scroll down to the Advanced section, and click More sound settings.
5. On the Playback tab, right-click on your speaker and select Properties.
6. Switch to the Spatial sound tab in the Speaker Properties window.

7. Then click on the drop-down menu and select the Dolby Atmos for Headphones option.
8. Click Apply to save your settings.
9. Now go to the Advanced tab.

10. Under the Exclusive Mode section, tick both boxes listed there.
11. Click OK to save the changes.

After you’ve made the changes above, play some content to check if Dolby Atmos works. If it doesn’t, move on to the next solution.

6. Reset the Dolby Access App

Go directly to the source if the application does not work as it should. You must repair and reset the Dolby Access app on your Windows 11.

1. Right-click on the Start menu and select Apps and Features.
2. Under App list, search for the Dolby Access app.
3. Once you find it, click on the three dots next to it.
4. Select Advanced options from the menu list.

5. Next, scroll down to the Reset section and click the Reset button.
6. When the prompt appears, click Reset again.

It will take a while for the process to complete. Once that’s done, check to see if this method solves the Dolby Atmos issue on your computer.

Resolving the Dolby Atmos Issue in Windows 11

Dolby Atmos is a game-changing audio encoding technology that lets you enjoy your favorite video content differently. However, it may stop working when you have an outdated or corrupt sound driver. In such a case, the information provided above will assist you in resolving the issue. You must perform a system restore when none of the above steps helped you fix the problem.