Enabling sound on Windows VPS

What this is#

Windows Server, and therefore your Windows VPS, ships with audio disabled by default. Turning it on takes a minute, and sound then plays through your Remote Desktop connection.

The easy way#

1. Right-click the volume icon (the one with the red X) in the system tray, then click Sounds.
2. Windows asks whether to enable the Windows Audio service, accept.
3. Close and reopen your Remote Desktop connection.

Sound should now work.

If that didn't do it: enable the service manually#

1. Right-click the Start button and open Computer Management.
2. Expand Services and Applications, then click Services.

3. Scroll to Windows Audio, double-click it, set Startup type to Automatic, and click Start.

4. Click OK, then close and reopen your Remote Desktop connection.

Two things to keep in mind#

• Whichever method you use, sound only starts working after you reconnect the RDP session, the audio device is provided by Remote Desktop, and it's negotiated at connection time.
• Sound does not work in the browser Console in your client area; it comes through RDP only.

Still need help?#

You can open a support ticket. So we can help on the first reply, it's worth mentioning:

• the VPS hostname or IP,
• whether the Windows Audio service is running and set to Automatic,
• whether you reconnected the RDP session after enabling it.

Related questions#

• "Why is there no sound on my Windows VPS?"
• "How do I enable the Windows Audio service?"
• "Does audio work over RDP?"
• "Why is there no sound in the Console?"