How to Turn Off Speakers When Connecting Headphones

When listening to audio through a PC or laptop, we generally have two options: using connected or built-in speakers, or using headphones. However, while this device change should be straightforward, some users have trouble disabling the speakers when connecting headphones.

By default the system is supposed to detect a new device like headphones once they are connected.

The problem is that on some devices, this doesn't happen as we expect.

Sometimes you may connect headphones to your laptop or speakers connected to your PC and the sound is not heard through the headphones or is played through both the headphones and the speakers.

If this has happened to you and you need a solution to the problem and disable speakers when connecting headphones, you have come to the right place.

We will tell you about some methods to solve this problem.

Disable speakers when connecting headphones

Knowing how to disable speakers when connecting headphones can be a bit tricky because in many cases the steps will depend on the type of device you have. For this reason, and in an effort to help you solve this problem, we will show you several methods that you can try until you find one that works for you:

Method 1

The first method to disable speakers when connecting headphones that we present to you takes us directly to the device's sound settings:

1. With your device on, go to Control Panel.
2. There, follow the route Control Panel > All Control Panel Items
3. Select option Hardware and sound
4. Once there, choose Sound
5. Making this choice should open a dialog box labeled Sound
6. There you will see 4 tabs labeled Playback, Recording, Sound, and Communications.
7. Go to the Playback tab and while you're there, plug in and unplug your headphones while looking for the speakers to go from Not Connected to Ready. Click on the speakers once you find out which option disables them when you plug in headphones.
8. Choose Set Default at the bottom
9. Click Apply

Method 2

This is another method to solve the problem of disabling speakers when connecting headphones that we will work from the Control Panel but using a different way:

1. Connect the headphones to the headphone jack you use
2. Click the start button
3. Go to Control panel
4. Enter the option Hardware and sound
5. Look for Sound and select it there Manage audio devices
6. Choose Speakers; a green check mark should appear
7. Select option Properties
8. Be sure to select the 3,5mm jack and enable the use of the device
9. Click ok

You might be interested in: My Headphones Don't Work on Windows 10. Solutions

Method 3

If you are unable to follow the steps above due to your OS or device type, you can try this step-by-step guide to disable speakers when connecting headphones:

1. Go to Control panel from your device
2. Open the option Sound
3. Enter the tab Reproduction
4. Once there, click on the device you are trying to repair
5. Then select the button Setup and follow the instructions.
6. You can also click on the button Try to check what is happening
7. Once you have found what you are looking for, click on the button Properties
8. Once you're done with those changes, in Properties, select Apply and then OK
9. Finally click OK again in the Main Sound Window.

NOTE: If these options do not appear there, right-click on the white background of that window and make sure that both "Show disabled devices" and "Show disconnected devices" are checked.

If you still don't see them, right-click on "Speakers" - only while headphones/speakers are connected - and disable them. This may resolve the issue. Make sure to test that the internal speakers work again when you unplug the headphones.

Method 4

When it comes to disabling speakers when connecting headphones, this is one of the simplest methods you can try. However, it may not be available on all devices:

1. Right click on the speakers icon on the taskbar
2. Choose playback devices
3. There, choose Headphones (many times this option will only appear when headphones are connected)
4. Once there, select the headphones as the standard device

Method 5

This last method for disabling speakers when connecting headphones may seem like the most basic, but sometimes problems have simple solutions. The problem may be that your headphone jack is not connecting correctly.

To test this, try repeatedly inserting and removing the jack from the corresponding port several times and wiggling it. You might get lucky and this will be the problem. If you think this might be the cause, you can also borrow a pair of headphones and see if a different pair connects properly to your device's audio.

Final words

The problem of audio connections is quite common for many users, both those with mobile phones and those who connect external speakers to a PC. However, there are several ways we can try to solve the problem of disabling speakers when connecting headphones.

We wanted to give you a variety of solutions to try to help you leave this problem behind you and be able to continue enjoying audio on your computer without any inconvenience other than the minutes it will take you to follow these steps.