Why isn't sound on Teams coming through my headphones, when it is when I use other apps on my laptop?

Question

Why isn't sound on Teams coming through my headphones, when it is when I use other apps on my laptop?

Phil Cairns 0

I've tried 2 sets of bluetooth headphones with my laptop. I can't hear sound on Teams through either, even though when I play a youtube video, sound does come through my headphones on both.

When I test the speaker and mic, the mic on my headphones is working, but speaker isn't, so it seems like this must be something wrong in my Teams setup, rather than something wrong with my headphones.

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hello @Phil Cairns ,

Thank you for sharing what you've already tried. Since both Bluetooth headphones work with other applications and Teams detects their microphones, it's worth checking which device Teams is using for sound output.

The microphone and speaker settings are separate in Teams, so your headphones may be working as a microphone while Teams is sending audio somewhere else.

Let's check a few settings:

Check the speaker selected in Teams
Open Microsoft Teams.
Select Settings and more (...) in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings then to Devices.
Under Audio settings, find the Speaker dropdown.
Select your Bluetooth headphones as the speaker.
If you're using the Teams desktop application, select Make a test call to check whether you can hear the audio.
Check Windows sound output

If the problem continues:

Right-click the speaker icon on your Windows taskbar.
Select Sound settings.
Under Output, select your Bluetooth headphones.
Make sure the volume is turned up and isn't muted.
Check the Windows Volume Mixer

Windows allows individual applications to use different sound output devices.

Open Settings then go to System and to Sound.
Select Volume mixer.
Find Microsoft Teams under Apps.
Check that Teams isn't muted and that its output device is set to your Bluetooth headphones or the default output device.
Restart Teams

Once you've checked these settings, completely close Teams and reopen it. Reconnect your headphones if necessary, then test the audio again.

For additional guidance, these Microsoft articles may help:

Could you also clarify two things?

Are you using the Teams desktop application or Teams through a web browser?
When you open Settings then to Devices and then to Speaker, do your Bluetooth headphones appear in the available devices?

This will help establish whether Teams is selecting the wrong output device or whether the issue is occurring elsewhere in Windows audio settings.

Kind regards,

Answer 2

Since audio works in other apps, the headphones and Windows audio path are at least partly working. The most likely causes are Teams using the wrong speaker device, Windows routing call audio to a different Bluetooth profile, or a Bluetooth/Windows issue that shows up specifically during real-time calls.

Try this in order:

In Teams, check the selected speaker device.
- Open Teams > Settings > Devices.
- Under Speaker, make sure the expected Bluetooth headset is selected.
- Since the headphone mic works but speaker does not, confirm Teams did not select a different output than the headset.
In Windows, confirm the active output device while Teams is open.
- Select the speaker icon on the taskbar.
- Open the list of audio devices and make sure audio is going to the Bluetooth headphones, not laptop speakers or another device.
- If multiple Bluetooth entries appear, Windows may be sending call audio to the wrong one.
If using Surface Headphones, select the correct Bluetooth audio profile.
- For calls, use Surface Headphones Hands-Free.
- For music/media, use Surface Headphones Stereo.
- Teams call audio can fail if the wrong profile is active for the scenario.
Check Windows app-level audio routing.
- Go to Start > Settings > System > Sounds.
- Open Advanced sound options > App volume and device preferences.
- Find the app in the list and make sure the app input/output is set to Default or the expected headset device.
Turn off audio enhancements.
- In Windows 11: Start > Settings > System > Sound > select the output device > Advanced settings > Audio enhancements > Off.
- In Windows 10: Start > Settings > System > Sound > select playback device > Properties > Enhancements > Disable all enhancements.
- Audio enhancements can interfere with playback.
Reconnect the Bluetooth headset.
- Disconnect and reconnect the headset.
- Make sure it is charged and not actively connected to another device.
- If possible, remove and pair it again.
Run Windows audio troubleshooting.
- On Windows 11 or Windows 10, run the automated Audio troubleshooter in the Get Help app.

Important note for Bluetooth headsets in Teams:

Some Bluetooth devices, especially LE Audio–only devices, may not work correctly with Teams on Windows.
There are also reported cases where Bluetooth headsets disconnect or lose audio only during Teams calls after Windows updates, while wired headsets and built-in audio continue to work.
If both Bluetooth headsets fail only in Teams calls, test with:
- laptop speakers,
- a wired headset,
- or Teams on the web.

If wired audio or laptop speakers work in Teams but both Bluetooth headsets still do not, that points to a Windows Bluetooth call-audio issue rather than a general Teams speaker failure.