Solved Bluetooth Headphones Connecting but no Voice or Audio

I'm having some problems with my Bluetooth headphones Sony Wf-1000 XM4's, they are showing up as connected to my PC, but they are not connecting as audio outputs or voice inputs. I do not think it is the headphones, as they are connecting to my phone for audio and voice just fine. I have tried most of the common things, updating drivers and running the troubleshooters for audio and Bluetooth devices. I have removed them from my system completely and paired them again. I even did a factory reset on the headphones but still no luck. What I don't understand is that they were working fine until a few days ago.

Welcome to the forum. I am assuming you are getting sound through your speakers. Right? If not, check device manager for your sound driver. Also make sure audio is not muted.

Things to try if you haven't already.

With the device connected, open Settings > System > Sound > More sound settings > Playback tab, find the Bluetooth device (you should find it 2 devices, Headphones and Headset), if it shows disconnected right click and select Connect, if it shows as connected, right-click and select Set as default device (in this case select the Headphones device).


Press Windows Key + R
-Type Services.msc and hit enter
-Look for "Bluetooth Support Service"
-Set it to start then Automatic. Start the service if it is not already started.


-Go to Device Manager
-Expand the Bluetooth
-Look for Bluetooth driver that was installed
-Right click and Update
-Look for "Browse my computer for driver
-Let me pick drivers available drivers
-Choose an old driver and use it.
Restart your device, then check the Bluetooth


Settings>System>sound>all sound devices>select your headphones >make sure is set to allow

If none of those help you run thru these articles to see if any of the suggestions help you. Some may be repetitive of what I have written or what you have already tried..

NotBono123 said:

What I don't understand is that they were working fine until a few days ago.

Click to expand...

Perhaps they are connected to another device.
My Sony C500's won't connect to 2 devices simultaneously...

glasskuter said:

Welcome to the forum. I am assuming you are getting sound through your speakers. Right? If not, check device manager for your sound driver. Also make sure audio is not muted.

Things to try if you haven't already.

With the device connected, open Settings > System > Sound > More sound settings > Playback tab, find the Bluetooth device (you should find it 2 devices, Headphones and Headset), if it shows disconnected right click and select Connect, if it shows as connected, right-click and select Set as default device (in this case select the Headphones device).


Press Windows Key + R
-Type Services.msc and hit enter
-Look for "Bluetooth Support Service"
-Set it to start then Automatic. Start the service if it is not already started.


-Go to Device Manager
-Expand the Bluetooth
-Look for Bluetooth driver that was installed
-Right click and Update
-Look for "Browse my computer for driver
-Let me pick drivers available drivers
-Choose an old driver and use it.
Restart your device, then check the Bluetooth


Settings>System>sound>all sound devices>select your headphones >make sure is set to allow

If none of those help you run thru these articles to see if any of the suggestions help you. Some may be repetitive of what I have written or what you have already tried..

Redirecting

How to Fix Bluetooth Audio Not Working on Windows 11

If your Bluetooth speakers or headphones are leaving you in silence, get them fixed with these Windows 11 tips.

www.makeuseof.com

Click to expand...

Hi, thank you for your help; unfortunately, I am still having trouble after trying your suggestions and the fixes in the article. Any other suggestions would, of course, be welcome.

Edwin said:

Perhaps they are connected to another device.
My Sony C500's won't connect to 2 devices simultaneously...

View attachment 61444 View attachment 61445

Click to expand...

They aren't connected to a different device.

I see your headphones are Connected. However, they should show Connected mic, audio.

Above and to the right click on the three dots. Select Remove device. Try to pair the headset again to see if that makes a difference.

Just a final update to this thread. I reinstalled Windows and that appears to have fixed the problem. Thank you all for your helpful tips as to what might have been happening!

Sometimes they show as connected but Windows forgets tho change over.



Selecting the quick access in system tray select the sound output



Even though it shows connected above I sometimes need to change it in system tray.

I'm having a very similar issue. I have an HD Bluetooth receiver to my vintage stereo so I can steam music. It has always worked flawlessly. Now it won't show up when connected as an output device. I've removed it, repaired it, gone into the more sound settings and tried to make it connect or change it to a default audio device. Says it's working but it's greyed out and won't connect. Right after adding it I can go into all sound output devices but hitting allow won't do anything. The volume is muted and won't un-mute. It's so weird. I also have one set of headphones that will connect but the volume is so low you can't hear it and they won't turn up. When hooked to my phone (a Samsung Galaxy S22) they're fine. My bose earbuds also work fine on the laptop but not the receiver for my stereo. Some devices work. Some don't. I even did a complete reset on my computer thinking I must have some corrupted files but now I could strangle myself because after a fresh reinstall the same thing happens. All drivers up to date. My Acer laptop isn't new but it worked before. I even tried another bluetooth receiver with the stereo and they all connect but no output to my stereo speakers although I can hear the "pairing" comment through my stereo speakers. I can't figure out anything else to do? I'm fairly tech savvy. So weird.