The Realtek HD Audio Manager is not a crucial software to have on your Windows computer, but it can help to boost your PC’s sound system. Compared to the default Windows Sound Settings, the Realtek HD Audio Manager boasts of more advanced audio and playback device management capabilities. The Realtek HD Audio Manager is present on almost all Windows PC, but not all users are aware of its existence on their devices. At times, it is hidden in plain sight. The HD Audio Manager software comes as a 2-in-1 package with the Realtek HD Audio Driver. On Windows, the Realtek HD Audio Driver powers your PC’s audio card and is a necessity for your computer audio to properly function. It makes your computer’s audio work. The Realtek HD Audio Manager, on the other hand, is more of a management interface and control panel for the driver. It allows users to get more out of their PC’s Realtek HD Audio Driver and your PC’s audio at large. The HD Audio Manager isn’t exactly required. Still, when present and used, its inherent features and tools can be utilized efficiently to boost your PC’s sound system, fix sound issues, manage audio devices, and do a whole lot more. Specifically, with the Realtek HD Audio Manager, you can enhance your PC’s microphone capabilities, use customized sound effects, efficiently manage audio equalizer, etc. Despite its many benefits, the Realtek HD Audio Manager comes with its issues. Sometimes, the software could mysteriously go missing on a computer. It is also not uncommon for the Realtek HD Audio Manager to get uninstalled, either due to a bug or an unsuccessful update. In the paragraphs below, we’ll walk you through some ways to properly install and update the Realtek HD Audio Manager on your Windows computer.
1. Updating the Realtek HD Audio Manager
Since the Realtek HD Audio Manager comes fused with the Realtek HD Audio Driver, updating or reinstalling the driver does the same to the HD Audio Manager. Here’s how to (indirectly) update and reinstall the Realtek HD Audio Manager through the Windows 10 Device Manager.
Through the Windows Device Manager
Step 1: Tap the Windows Key + X keyboard shortcut from anywhere on your PC to open the Quick Access menu. Step 2: Select Device Manager from the menu options. Step 3: Double-click ‘Sound, video, and game controller’ or tap the drop-down arrow button to expand the option. Step 4: Double-click the ‘Realtek High Definition Audio’ option to show the driver properties. Step 5: On the Driver Properties window, navigate to the Driver tab. Step 6: Tap the Update Driver button. Alternatively, while on the Device Manager dashboard, you can right-click on ‘Realtek High Definition Audio’ and then select ‘Update Driver Software’ from the menu. Step 7: Select the ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’ option. That will prompt your PC to search your entire computer and also crawl the internet to determine if there is an available update for the Realtek HD Audion Driver and Manager. If there is, it’ll be automatically downloaded and installed on your computer. Note:
2. Reinstalling the Realtek HD Audio Manager
If your Realtek HD Audio Manager is malfunctioning or goes missing, reinstalling it could help. Here are some effective ways to reinstall the audio manager.
Manually
You can download a stable version of the Realtek HD Audio Driver from Realtek’s official website or trusted third-party sources and manually install it on your PC. And by stable version, we’re talking about the v2.81. The latest Realtek HD Audio Driver version (v2.82) is quite buggy, and you might have the Realtek HD Audio Manager go missing often if you install it on your device. Therefore, it is advisable that you install the version 2.81 of the Realtek HD Audio Driver because it comes with a much stable, functional, and problem-free HD Audio Manager. Download Realtek HD Audio Driver (v2.81) from Filehippo Download the driver from the link above and follow the steps below to reinstall the Realtek HD Audio Manager on your PC. Step 1: Right-click on the downloaded setup and select Run as administrator. Step 2: Follow the installation prompts and restart your computer after installing the Realtek HD Audio Driver. Step 3: Launch your File Explorer and navigate to this location — C:\Program Files\Realtek\Audio\HDA. Alternatively, you can press the Windows + R keys to launch the RUN window and paste this location — C:\Program Files\Realtek\Audio\HDA. Then, tap the Enter button on your keyboard. That will immediately open the folder where the Realtek HD Audio Manager app is located in your File Explorer. Step 4: Right-click on RAVCpl64, tap Send to, and select Desktop (create shortcut). Note: That creates a shortcut for the Realtek HD Audio Manager on your desktop. Step 5: On your desktop, right-click on the RAVCpl64 shortcut and tap the Pin to taskbar option. The Realtek HD Audio Manager will be pinned to your taskbar. Also, it will appear on your system tray and notification area. And that’s it. The Realtek HD Audio Manager is now back to your PC. You can launch the app from the taskbar, system tray with a single mouse click.
Addendum: Third-Party App Managers
There are effective third-party apps known as App Managers or Software Updaters that automatically help users update the software on their Windows PC. We tried a couple of third-party software updaters/app managers like Patch My PC, CCleaner, FileHippo App Manager, etc., to update the Realtek HD Audio Manager. However, none of the reliable ones were able to detect and update the app successfully.
Fix up Your PC’s Audio
At least one of the methods mentioned above should help you to get your PC’s Realtek HD Audio Manager working again. Ensure you bookmark this page, though. We’ll keep researching more troubleshooting options and apps that would fix all issues you might encounter using the Realtek Audio Driver and Manager on your computer. Next up: Do audio devices produced distorted or uneven sound on your Windows 10 PC? Check out how to fix it (by adjusting your device’s audio balance) in the article linked below.
