- Although Cortana is reliable, it appears that some Windows 10 users can’t hear Cortana speak.
- If you’re one of them, try to update your audio driver or set Cortana to respond only to you.
- Moreover, use one of these great microphones for Cortana to make the assistant hear you better.
- Similar issues may occur in the near future, so bookmark our Windows 10 Troubleshooting Hub.
One of the most anticipated features of Windows 10 was its virtual assistant Cortana. Even if Cortana is great, it seems that some Windows 10 users can’t hear Cortana speak.
So, let’s try to fix that. Users report that audio on Windows 10 is working without any problems on both speakers and headphones, but for some reason, users are unable to hear Cortana.
Fortunately for you, we have several solutions that might help you fix this issue.
What to do if you can’t hear Cortana speak in Windows 10?
1. Update your audio driver
- Firstly uninstall your audio driver. To do so go to the Device Manager, find your audio driver, right-click and choose Uninstall.
- After you’ve uninstalled your audio driver go to the Settings > Apps > Optional features and remove text to speech features.
- Now you need to update your audio driver. You can check your motherboard manufacturer’s website for the latest audio drivers. If there are Windows 10 drivers available make sure that you download them.
- After you’ve downloaded and installed the latest drivers go to the Settings > Apps > Optional features and install US and UK text to speech features.
If you can’t hear Cortana on your Windows 10 PC, the problem might be your audio drivers. If your audio drivers are out of date, you might experience this and other problems.
However, you can easily fix the issue by following the above procedure. Keep in mind to choose the right driver versions when searching for a driver on the manufacturer’s website.
In case you choose and install the wrong one, this may harm all your system. DriverFix will help you update drivers automatically and prevent PC damage caused by installing the wrong driver versions.
After all, device drivers are an essential piece of software that helps different hardware components work smoothly, so take no chances.
Here is a quick guide on how to use this lightweight tool:
- Firstly, download DriverFix and install it on your computer.
- Launch the tool. At this point, it will go through a complete scan of your system. All you need to do is wait for the scan to complete.
- It will then provide a detailed list of all out-of-date drivers. It is up to you to choose a single device driver to update or to download and install all device drivers at once.
- After the procedure is complete, restart your Windows 10 computer.
DriverFix
Neglecting your audio drivers can cause serious Cortana issues. Install DriverFix to correct this issue in no time!
2. Install both UK English and US English text to speech
- Go to Settings > Apps > Mange optional features.
- Now locate UK and US English text to speech features and install them all.
This is a simple solution, you just need to install UK and US English text to speech and you’ll be able to hear Cortana. To install UK and US English text to speech, do as described above.
In addition, users also suggest that installing .NET 3.5 and .NET 2.0 might help with this issue.
3. Change your different audio device
- Right-click the sound icon in your taskbar and go to Playback devices.
- Right-click any of the options that aren’t default and choose Set as Default device.
- Now, right-click the previously default device and choose Set as Default device.
- Save your settings.
In order to hear Cortana properly, you need to set your default audio device. Sometimes certain glitches can occur with your audio device and that can cause this issue to appear.
To fix the problem you need to set a new default audio device by following the above steps.
Cortana sometimes tends to use a non-default audio output device. We’re unsure why this happens, but in order to fix it, it’s recommended to disable all non-default audio devices.
To do that, just follow these steps:
- Open the Sound window as you did in the previous steps.
- Activate Cortana and send her a voice command.
- Cortana should now respond to you and you’ll see changes in the sound window. If the changes are shown on a non-default device, simply right click that device and choose Disable from the menu.
After doing that, the problem should be resolved. Many users reported that this method worked for them, so be sure to try it out.
4. Set Cortana to respond only to you
To do this go to the Cortana dashboard and find the option that allows Cortana only to respond to your voice.
You’ll be asked to read a few sentences in order for the application to learn your voice. After you’ve done that you should be able to hear Cortana.
5. Check your privacy settings
- Open the Settings app. You can do that quickly by pressing Windows Key + I shortcut.
- When the Settings app opens, navigate to the Privacy section.
- Go to the Microphone section in the left pane. In the right pane, in Choose apps that can use you microphone section be sure to enable Search.
Cortana is a great feature, but many users are concerned about Cortana spying on them.
In order to address these concerns, Microsoft added a privacy option that allows you to choose which applications can use your microphone.
If you can’t hear Cortana, the issue might lie in your Privacy settings. However, you can easily fix that by doing as described above.
After doing that, Cortana will be allowed to use your microphone and you’ll be able to hear her.
If you’re having trouble opening the Setting app, take a look at this article to solve the issue.
6. Use your microphone to send commands to Cortana
Many Windows 10 users reported that they can’t hear Cortana after typing their commands.
Even though Cortana can process their commands, they are still unable to hear her. This is not a bug or a problem, in fact, this is the default behavior for Cortana.
In order for Cortana to respond to you with voice, you’ll have to issue your command by using your microphone.
If you type your command Cortana will perform it, but it won’t respond with voice, instead, the results will be shown as text.
This is the default behavior and it can’t be changed, so if you want to hear Cortana, be sure to send your commands using the microphone.
7. Change TTS settings
According to users, if you can’t hear Cortana, the issue might be your TTS settings. To fix the problem, simply change TTS settings in Cortana and set the default voice to Microsoft Zera Mobile.
After doing that, the problem with Cortana should be completely resolved.
8. Check if your headset is paired properly
Several users reported that they can’t hear Cortana on their Bluetooth headset. If you’re having the same problem, be sure to try pairing your Bluetooth headset with your PC again.
This can be just a temporary glitch, but after reconnecting your Bluetooth device, the issue was completely resolved.
9. Try creating a new user profile
- Open the Settings app and go to the Accounts section.
- In the left pane, select Family & other people. In the right pane, click on Add someone else to this PC.
- Select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
- Now select Add a user without a Microsoft account.
- Enter the desired username and click on Next to proceed.
If you’re unable to hear Cortana, the issue might be your profile. Sometimes a user profile can get corrupted and that can cause this issue to appear.
To check if your profile is the problem, it’s advised to create a new profile on your PC. This is relatively simple, and you can do it by following the above steps.
After creating a new user account, switch to it and check if the problem still appears. If not, the issue is most likely caused by corrupted profile.
Unfortunately, you can’t repair a corrupted profile, but you can always switch to a new profile and move all your personal files to it.
10. Install the latest updates
- Open the Settings app.
- Once the Settings app opens, navigate to the Update & Security section.
- In the right pane, click on Check for updates button.
If you’re having problems with Cortana, the issue might be caused by missing updates. Cortana is one of the most popular features of Windows 10.
Microsoft is doing its best to keep this feature working properly. If you can’t hear Cortana on your PC, the issue might be a certain Windows glitch or a bug.
However, you should be able to fix the problem by installing the latest updates.
By default, Windows 10 automatically installs the missing updates, but due to certain bugs, you might miss an update or two. However, you can always check for updates manually by doing as detailed above.
Windows will now check for available updates. If any updates are available, they will be downloaded automatically in the background and installed once you restart your PC.
After updating Windows 10 to the latest version, check if the problem with Cortana still persists.
Cortana is a great feature, but some Windows 10 users reported issues with it. As for issues, users reported the following problems with Cortana:
- Cortana not speaking Windows 10 – This is a common problem with Cortana, and if you’re having this issue, try updating your Windows to the latest version and check if that helps.
- Cortana doesn’t talk – Many users reported that Cortana won’t talk at all on their PC. If you have that problem, be sure to install both UK English and US English text to speech features.
- Can’t hear Cortana voice, speak Windows 10 – Many users reported that they can’t hear Cortana speak on their PC. To fix this problem, be sure to disable any audio devices that you aren’t using.
- Cortana won’t speak – In some cases, Cortana won’t speak at all. If you encounter this problem, be sure to try some of our solutions.
We hope that these solutions were helpful to you. If you need more solutions, you can let us know in the comments area below.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2018 and has been since revamped and updated in September 2020 for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
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