Sudden audio volume change

Hi, good day!

When was the last time it worked properly?

Please let me know if you have tried the methods below.

• Press Windows key+R to open Run then type: control mmsys.cpl sounds

Press Enter then select Communications tab

Select "Do nothing"

Click Apply then Ok

• Press Windows key+R to open Run then type: services.msc

Press Enter

Double-click Windows Audio

If the Startup status lists Stopped, click Start and then click OK. If the status is Running, right click then select Restart

Right click the volume icon on the taskbar

Select Sounds settings > More sound settings

Double-click your Speakers in the list then select Advanced tab

Under Exclusive Mode, uncheck both options

Click Apply then Ok

• Open Device Manager

Click View > Show hidden devices

Expand the Sound, video and game controllers

Find the Realtek Audio driver in the list

Right click it and select Update

Click "Browse my computer for driver software"

Select "Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer"

Make sure to put a check mark "Show compatible hardware"

Select an older driver from the list

Click Next then Restart your computer

If the issue persists, what is the exact make and model of your computer?

Press Windows key+R to open Run then type: msinfo32

Press Enter

Please take a screenshot of the System Information window and post it in your next response. Note: Don't include any personal information or sensitive data as Microsoft Q&A is a public forum.

I look forward to your update and am happy to continue working with you until the issue is resolved. If you find the answer helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and consider upvoting it. Otherwise, please keep me posted by clicking "Add comments" below instead of selecting Yes or No.

Windows volume sliders are not linear in perceived loudness. Both the system master volume and legacy APIs such as waveOutSetVolume use values that are interpreted logarithmically, and Windows also supports “audio‑tapered” volume curves so that small changes near the low end of the slider cause large changes in perceived loudness.

This means:

• A small numerical change around low values (for example, from 8 to 9 or 9 to 10) can produce a disproportionately large jump in how loud the audio sounds.
• Above a certain point on the slider, equal steps (for example, 20 → 30 → 40) produce much smaller perceived changes than the same‑size steps near the bottom.

That behavior matches what is described for audio‑tapered controls and logarithmic volume levels and explains why the sound suddenly seems much louder even though the on‑screen volume only changed by 1 step.

To smooth this out in practice:

1. Use the app’s own volume control (for example, YouTube’s slider) to fine‑tune loudness at low system volume levels.
2. Keep Windows’ master volume a bit higher (for example, 20–30) and reduce volume inside Edge/YouTube so that 1‑step changes in the system slider are less dramatic.

References:

• Audio-Tapered Volume Controls
• Changing the Volume of Waveform-Audio Playback
• Fix low or quiet sound in Windows
• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows