Does Windows cause sound volume changes? That's how you fix it.

Making calls or video calls from our computer has become a much needed task in recent times. Whether for telework reasons, academic reasons or simply to communicate with our friends, the use of programs such as Skype or Discord, among others, has skyrocketed. During its use, we may have noticed how the volume of the sound goes up or down automatically.

This can be very frustrating and many users have been upset by this seemingly random volume alteration problem. Luckily this is not a random problem and it is easy to fix. That is why we will see why this happens and how to prevent it from happening again.

Why Windows changes only the volume

Sometimes, we may find that when making a call or video call from an application in Windows 10 or Windows 11, the system is responsible for changing the volume automatically, so that it uploads or lowers it without us doing anything.

There are several causes that can cause this problem. The first thing is to rule out a hardware failure, so we have to check if the volume control of our headphones or speakers is defective.

In the event that it is a software problem, this can be from an incorrect sound setting, to the faulty volume control, the Realtek audio drivers are malfunctioning or we have activated the Dimming feature in the Discord application. All of them can cause automatic changes in sound.

Regardless of the reason, solving this problem should be relatively easy. Next, we will see how to solve this problem on our Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer.

Troubleshooting Steps

Next, we will see different actions that we can take to fix Windows 10 or Windows 11 to automatically raise or lower the sound volume.

Turn off the automatic volume adjustment feature

This is a feature that incorporates Windows by default by which it automatically adjusts the volume when we use the PC to receive a call. In the event that we have it installed, we may encounter the problem that the volume drops automatically when making calls or video calls on applications such as Skype or Discord, so we can solve it by disabling the function. The process is similar in both Windows and Windows 11.

The first thing we are going to do is press the Windows + R key combination to launch the Run command, type mmsys.cpl and press Enter. This will cause the Sound Sounds window to appear we will click on the Communications tab.

Here we find that there are several options that allow us to decide what Windows will do when it detects "communications activity," that is, when it believes we are making a call or video call. By default, the option to Reduce the volume of other sounds by 80% is checked, so we select the Do Nothing box.

After you click Apply and OK to close the "Sound" window and the changes will be saved. The next time we make or receive a call through our Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, the sound will not shrink while the other person speaks.

Disable sound effects and audio enhancements

The Realtek audio driver features a variety of additional enhancement features designed to adjust bass booster settings, headphone display, and volume equalizer. However, these improvements have as a counterpart that the volume of the system can change automatically without our intervention.

That's why disabling all these enhancements can help us fix the problem of Windows automatically uploading or lowering the sound. To do this we press the Windows + R command shortcut, type mmsys.cpl and press Enter. This will cause the Sounds window to appear where we will click on the Playback tab.

Then we right-click the affected sound device and select the Properties. Here we click on the Enhancements tab and select the Disable all enhancements box. We're just left to click Apply and OK to save the changes and reconnect the headset to check for sound improvements.

Uninstall Realtek audio drivers

It is possible that the volume automatically goes up or down on Windows are the Realtek drivers installed, so we can try to uninstall them to see if this solves the problem.

To do this, we press the Windows + X keyboard shortcut and select the Device Manager option from the menu. Later, we expanded the section on Audio and video controllers and gaming devices, to right click on the section of Realtek (R) Audio.

In the new menu that appears we select Uninstall device. We click OK to confirm the operation and wait for the uninstallation to complete. Once finished, we restart the system and verify if Windows continues to produce automatic changes to the volume.

Run Windows Troubleshooter

Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 have a tool called Troubleshooter, with a dedicated function for audio, with which you can fix any problem with sound, so we can test it to try to fix why Windows automatically changes the volume of sound when making calls and video calls.

To do this we press the Windows + I key combination and open the Settings menu. In Windows 10 from the Settings menu, click on the Update and Security section and in the left column click on Troubleshoot and Additional Troubleshooters. If we use Windows 11, from the Settings menu, click System, then click Troubleshoot and Other Additional Issues.

Then we click Audio Playback and then click Run Troubleshooter. This way to start the Windows audio troubleshooter. You will immediately scan our system for possible audio problems.

If we have multiple audio devices connected, we select the affected one and click Next. Follow the on-screen instructions and apply the recommended solution. Once finished, we connect the device and check if the problem of increasing and decreasing the volume in the calls has been solved.

Turn off the dimming feature in Discord

The problem of Windows uploading or lowering the sound volume automatically can occur when we use the Dimming function in Discord is enabled, so we must disable completely.

To do this, we open Discord and click on the gear-shaped Configuration icon located at the bottom left. Within the Settings window we click the Voice and Video section in the left column. Then on the right we scroll to find the Fade section and move the bar to the left until you dial 0% to completely disable the fade.

Once finished, we restart Discord and see if this solves the problem.

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