How to Fix Audio Crackling and Popping During Gaming on Windows

What Causes This?

Audio crackling and popping during gaming usually happens when Windows can’t process sound data smoothly in real time. Common causes include outdated or buggy audio drivers, high DPC latency from drivers or background apps, incorrect sound format settings, and CPU or disk overload while a game is running. USB headsets, wireless audio devices, and audio enhancement features can also introduce instability.

Common Symptoms

• Crackling, popping, or static sounds only while gaming
• Audio cuts in and out during intense scenes or loading screens
• Sound problems get worse when CPU usage is high
• Headset or speakers work fine outside of games
• Discord, music, or game audio stutters at the same time

How to Fix It Manually

1. Restart your PC and close background apps

   • Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
   • In the Processes tab, look for apps using high CPU, Memory, or Disk, such as browsers, RGB software, overlays, launchers, or recording tools.
   • Select anything unnecessary and click End task.
   • Restart your PC before testing the game again.

2. Update or reinstall your audio driver

   • Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
   • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   • Right-click your audio device and choose Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
   • If the issue started after a recent update, right-click the device, choose Properties > Driver tab > Roll Back Driver if available.
   • If updating doesn’t help, right-click the device and choose Uninstall device, then restart Windows to reinstall it.

3. Disable audio enhancements and change sound format

   • Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar and select Sound settings.
   • Under Output, click your active playback device.
   • Find Audio enhancements and set it to Off.
   • Then click Additional device properties or More sound settings if shown.
   • In the Advanced tab, change the Default Format to a common setting like 16 bit, 48000 Hz or 24 bit, 48000 Hz.
   • Uncheck Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device, then click Apply.

4. Turn off unnecessary overlays and background recording

   • Open Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar and turn it Off if you don’t use it.
   • Go to Settings > Gaming > Captures and turn off Record what happened.
   • Disable overlays in apps like Discord, Steam, GeForce Experience, or AMD Software.
   • Test the game again after disabling them.

5. Check for system overload and power issues

   • Open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc and watch CPU, Memory, and Disk usage while the game is running.
   • If usage is maxing out, lower in-game settings, especially ray tracing, shadows, or background streaming features.
   • Open Control Panel > Power Options and select High performance or Best performance in Windows power settings.
   • If you use a USB headset, plug it into a different USB port, preferably a rear motherboard port instead of a front-panel hub.

6. Install Windows and chipset updates

   • Open Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates.
   • Install available updates, including optional driver updates if relevant.
   • Also install the latest motherboard chipset, USB, and audio drivers from your PC or motherboard manufacturer’s support page.
   • Restart your PC after updates finish.

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