Whatever happens to be the cause of the problem, you\u2019ll get rid of it once you apply the right fix.<\/p>\n
How to Fix the Rex X on Sound Icon<\/h2>\nFix 1: Restart your system<\/h3>\n
There\u2019s plenty that a good old system restart can resolve. You must have experienced the magic of reboots before now.<\/p>\n
Restarting your system can clear a backlog of issues, including those that are affecting your audio device.<\/p>\n
Some applications that may be using the audio service might have encountered issues, taking your system\u2019s audio with them.<\/p>\n
In other cases, it could be that the processor can\u2019t get to communicate with the audio adapter driver properly.<\/p>\n
When you restart your system, these issues will be cleared and, hopefully, the red mark will be gone.<\/p>\n
Fix 2: Run the Windows Audio Troubleshooter<\/h3>\n
The troubleshooter is a built-in tool designed to find and resolve problems affecting your audio output.<\/p>\n
It primarily checks for conflicts that are preventing the audio service from running properly and promptly gets rid of them.<\/p>\n
Although the troubleshooter can\u2019t fix every issue that affects the device, it does a pretty good job in resolving common bugs and glitches.<\/p>\n
In certain cases, when it finds a problem, it will notify you and ask for your permission to get rid of the problem. If you don\u2019t know how to run the troubleshooter, the steps below will guide you.<\/p>\n
On Windows 10:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Go to the taskbar and right-click on the Start button.<\/li>\n
- Once you see the Power User<\/em> menu on top of the Start button, select Settings<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- This should open the Settings application. You can also use the
Windows + I<\/code> keyboard shortcut to summon Settings.<\/li>\n- After the home page of Settings is displayed on your screen, click on the icon for Update & Security<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- When the next window appears, go to the left pane and select Troubleshoot<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Your next action should be going to the right side of the page (the Troubleshoot tab).<\/li>\n
- Now, click on Playing Audio<\/em> under Get up and Running<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Once the Run the Troubleshooter<\/em> button fades out under Playing Aud<\/em>io, click on it.<\/li>\n
- The troubleshooter will now try to detect possible audio issues.<\/li>\n
- If it finds any problem, it will ask you to apply the fixes.<\/li>\n
- Agree to the solutions, and then check if the problem has been resolved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
On Windows 11:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Simultaneously press the
Windows key + X<\/code> to bring up the Power User menu.<\/li>\n- Select Settings<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Select System<\/em> on the left hand pane once the Settings application opens.<\/li>\n
- Scroll down the System menu on the right and select Troubleshoot<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- When the Troubleshoot page opens, click on the Other trouble-shooters<\/em>\u00a0tab.<\/li>\n
- Next, click on Run<\/em> on the Playing Audio<\/em> tab to launch the Windows Audio Troubleshooter<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\r\n\r\n![\"Next,]()
Run<\/em> on the Playing Audio<\/em> tab to launch the Windows Audio Troubleshooter<\/em>\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n- \n
- The troubleshooter will scan the system for possible audio issues.<\/li>\n
- If it detects any issues it will ask whether you want to apply the fix.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\r\n\r\n
![\"The]()
\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n- \n
- Choose the option to apply the fix and check if the sound issue has been resolved.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\r\n\tPRO TIP<\/div>\r\nIf the troubleshooter doesn't resolve the issue, keeping your system's drivers up to date is essential. Auslogics Driver Updater<\/a> can help by automatically identifying and updating outdated audio drivers. This tool ensures that your hardware functions optimally and can prevent future audio problems.<\/div>\r\n\r\n Download for Free<\/a>\r\n Learn More<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n
Fix 3: Disable and enable the audio device in the device manager<\/h3>\n
This is another case of a restart. However, in this solution, you\u2019re restarting the audio device\/driver. The reason this could work is that the driver might be stuck while trying to communicate with the device.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve performed this action, things will free up and return to normal. The process isn\u2019t difficult. You just have to run the Device Manager and select a few options.<\/p>\n
The steps below will show you what to do.<\/p>\n
On Windows 10:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Launch the Run dialog box by right-clicking the Windows logo in the taskbar and selecting Run once the Power User menu appears. Pressing the Win keyboard button and R together is another way to launch the Run dialog box.<\/li>\n
- After run appears, type
devmgmt.msc<\/code>, and then press the Enter<\/em> keyboard button.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\r\n\r\n![\"Run]()
\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n- \n
- Once the Device Manager opens, locate Sound, Video and Game Controllers<\/em>, then click on the arrow beside it.<\/li>\n
- Your audio devices will now appear.<\/li>\n
- Right-click the audio device and click on Disable Device<\/em> in the context menu. Do the same if you have other audio device entries in the menu.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\r\n\r\n![\"Right-click]()
Disable Device<\/em> in the context menu\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n- \n
- Now, right-click on the device again and, this time, select Enable Device<\/em> from the context menu. Remember to do the same for the other audio devices.<\/li>\n
- Once you\u2019ve don that, reboot your PC, then check if the problem has been resolved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
On Windows 11:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Use
Windows + X<\/code> to open the Power User menu.<\/li>\n- Select Device Manager<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Navigate to Sound, Video and Game Controllers<\/em> option in Device Manager.<\/li>\n
- Double-click the option to expand it. Your audio devices will appear here.<\/li>\n
- Right-click a sound device and select Disable device<\/em>. Do this for all the sound devices you see here.<\/li>\n
- Wait a minute. Then right-click the sound device and select Enable device<\/em>. Repeat this for the other sound devices previously disabled.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Reboot the machine and check if the sound issue<\/a> is resolved.<\/p>\n
If you find the red X mark still resting on the volume icon, move on to the next step.<\/p>\n
Fix 4: Set default audio output device<\/h3>\n
The X mark on your volume icon might be present because no device has been selected for audio output.<\/p>\n
The primary device might have been deselected after a major audio driver update or due to a rare system glitch. Some applications could also cause such problem.<\/p>\n
If you recently connected a different audio device and selected it as the default audio output device, removing it might cause this problem.<\/p>\n
Resolving the issue, in this case, isn\u2019t difficult. All you have to do is set your primary device as the default audio output device.<\/p>\n
There are different ways that you can do that, and we\u2019ll be walking you through all of them.<\/p>\n
Use the sound flyout<\/strong><\/p>\n
You can use the sound flyout where you adjust your volume.<\/p>\n
On Windows 10:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Just head to the far-right area of your taskbar and click on the volume icon. Once the flyout appears, click on the audio device and select another device.<\/p>\n
On Windows 11:<\/p>\n
Navigate to the far right corner of your taskbar and click the volume icon. Click the arrow at the end of the volume indicator to display the list of available sound devices.<\/p>\n
Simply select the audio device you wish to use as your default sound device going forward.<\/p>\n
\r\n\r\n![\"Use]()
\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\nUse Settings<\/strong><\/p>\n
On Windows 10:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Go to the taskbar and right-click on the Start<\/em> button.<\/li>\n
- Once you see the Power User menu on top of the Start button, select Settings<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- This should open the Settings application. You can also use the
Windows + I<\/code> keyboard shortcut to summon Settings<\/em>.<\/li>\n- After the home page of Settings is displayed on your screen, click on the icon for System.<\/li>\n
- Go to the left pane of the next page and click on Sound.<\/li>\n
- Next, navigate to the Sound tab on the right, go to Output, and then select your desired audio device from the Choose your Output Device drop-down menu.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You can go ahead to check the condition of the device. Follow these steps:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Click on Manage Sound Devices<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- On the Manage Sound Devices page, click on your audio device, and then click on Test<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- If it makes a sound, then the speaker is fine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
On Windows 11:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Use
Windows + I<\/code> to quickly launch the Settings app in Windows 11.<\/li>\n- Select System on the left hand pane and select Sound on the right.<\/li>\n
- On the Sound page, you will view all available devices grouped under Input Devices<\/em> and Output Devices<\/em> respectively.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\r\n\r\n![\"On]()
Input Devices<\/em> and Output Devices<\/em> respectively\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n- \n
- Under Output, your current default sound device will be listed on the Choose where to play sound<\/em>\u00a0tab.<\/li>\n
- To change the default audio device, simply tick the checkbox beside the device you wish to use going forward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Tip: You can go ahead to check the condition of the device. Follow these steps on Windows 11:<\/p>\n
- \n
- On the Sound page, click the device you’ve chosen to open its Properties page.<\/li>\n
- Click the Test button under Output Settings.<\/li>\n
- If it has the desired sound volume and quality, the speaker is alright.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n
- To change the default audio device, simply tick the checkbox beside the device you wish to use going forward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- On the Manage Sound Devices page, click on your audio device, and then click on Test<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Once you see the Power User menu on top of the Start button, select Settings<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Select Device Manager<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Once you\u2019ve don that, reboot your PC, then check if the problem has been resolved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Once the Device Manager opens, locate Sound, Video and Game Controllers<\/em>, then click on the arrow beside it.<\/li>\n
- Choose the option to apply the fix and check if the sound issue has been resolved.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Select Settings<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- This should open the Settings application. You can also use the
![\"Next,](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/run-the-windows-audio-troubleshooter.webp\")
Run<\/em> on the Playing Audio<\/em> tab to launch the Windows Audio Troubleshooter<\/em>\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/do-you-want-to-apply-the-fix.webp\")
\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"Run](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screenshot-2024-04-29-232659.png\")
\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"Right-click](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screenshot-2024-04-29-232938.png\")
Disable Device<\/em> in the context menu\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"Use](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/use-the-sound-flyout.webp\")
\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"On](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/use-windows-11-settings.webp\")
Input Devices<\/em> and Output Devices<\/em> respectively\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"After](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screenshot-2024-04-29-234944.png\")
control panel<\/em>, and then press the Enter<\/em> keyboard button\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"Click](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screenshot-2024-04-29-235158.png\")
Hardware and Sound<\/em>\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"On](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screenshot-2024-04-29-235437.png\")
Manage Audio Devices<\/em> under Sound<\/em>\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n