How to Fix “Failed to Play Test Tone” Error

You may see this Failed to play test tone error if you perform a speaker tone test from the Sound settings when your audio isn’t working properly. Typically, users who receive this error message experience poor or no audio output.

This can happen if there are some issues with the sound drivers or if the audio settings are not tuned correctly. Generally, updating the drivers and toggling with the sound configurations solves the problem for most users.

In this article, we have comprehensively discussed these fixes that can get rid of the problem for you and bring back your device’s sound.

Reasons for the Failed to Play Test Tone Error

How to Fix “The Failed to Play Test Tone” Error

Perform basic troubleshooting by restarting the computer. This error can sometimes generate due to minor system bugs, which get resolved with the device restart. 

Windows updates can sometimes fix the existing flaws in the system that can initiate such errors; therefore, ensure you have the system up to date. Also, perform a Malware scan as these troublemakers can be the reason for the problem with your audio. 

Restart Windows Audio Service

Windows Audio service is responsible for handling all the audio devices on Windows. This service, by default, loads up on startup. Because of some minor glitches with this service, the Failed to Play Test Tone error can pop up. To resolve this, restart this service from the Windows Services. 

1. Press Windows Key + R, type services.msc and hit enter.
2. In the services list, search for Windows Audio and open it.
3. Set the Startup type to Automatic.
4. Now click on the Stop button.
5. Once the service is stopped, click on the Start button.
6. Finally, click on Apply and restart the computer. 

 Disable Audio Enhancements

The Audio Enhancements features boosts the audio capabilities of the devices, which are by default enabled on Windows Devices for some audio devices. However, the system may not comply with these adjustments properly, and thus, the Failed to Play Test Tone may be generated.

You can try disabling these enhancements and see if the issue persists. 

1. Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings.
2. Go to System > Sound.
3. Find the Advanced section and click on More Sound settings.
4. Select the Audio device and click on Properties. 
5. Go to the Enhancement Tab.
6. Uncheck the Disable all enhancements and click on Apply button to save changes.
    

Update the Audio Drivers

Updating fixes the malfunctioning drivers and ensures compatibility with the system. Since issues like the Failed to Play Test Tone appear most likely due to the issues in the audio drivers, updating it offers a high chance of resolving the issue. Here’s how to update the drivers.

1. Press Windows Key + X and open Device Manager.
2. Click on Audio inputs and outputs to expand the drivers under it.
3. Right-click on the audio device and select update driver.
4. Click on Search Automatically for drivers option to make the Windows search for the audio drivers. If you already have the drivers on your disk, choose the option Browse my computer for driver. 
5. Follow the prompt and update the drivers. 
6. Use this same process to update the drivers of the High Definition Audio from the Sound, video, and game controllers.

You can manually update the audio drivers by downloading them from the manufacturer’s website. The drivers from the manufacturer are pretty stable and free of bugs and can get rid of Failed to play test tone error. 

In order to update manually, download the driver from the download center, extract the file, run the installer and restart the system when finished.

Change the Sample Rate and Bit Depth

The sample rate and the bit depth determine the quantity and precision of audio samples. If the sample rate and the bit depth are mismatched or misconfigured, you will get audio issues like distorted audio and even the Failed to Play Test Tone error.

1. Press the Windows key + I and launch Settings.
2. Go to System > Sound.
3. Find More sound settings under the Advanced section.
4. Select the Audio hardware, and click on the properties. 
5. Go to the Advanced tabs and change the default format to a different sample rate and bit depth. 
6. Click on Apply to save the changes.  

Use Audio Troubleshooter

The Windows operating system has a feature to troubleshoot the common issues of the network, system updates, and other hardware and software-related problems. You can also use the Windows troubleshooter to fix the common audio issues of the audio driver, headphones, and speakers.   

1. Press Windows key + R, type control.exe /name Microsoft.Troubleshootingand hit enter. 
2. Click on Other Troubleshooters.
3. Click on the Run button next to the Playing Audio. This will launch the Audio Troubleshooter.
   
4. Follow the prompt and troubleshoot the issue with the audio.

Run DISM and SFC scans

These type of issues can be generated if the system files related to the audio has suffered corruption. To deal with it, you can run the DISM and SFC scans. The DISM scan restores the Windows image, which contains the basic components to operate the Windows, including the audio configurations and files. 

While the SFC scans can diagnose and fix the integrating issues with the system files related to audio.

1. Press Windows Key + X and Open Windows Terminal (Admin).
2. Execute these commands one by one. 
   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
sfc /scannow

Perform System Restore

If any newly installed application, system updates, or configurations have caused this audio issue, performing system restore can revert them to their restore point and fix the problem. The system restore does not remove the user’s data and is a safe process to take the system back into its working state.

1. Press Windows Key + R,  type rstrui.exe, and hit enter.

2. Click on Next. You will now see the saved restore point.

3. Select the preferred restore point and click on Next.

4. Finally, click on Finish to start the restore process.