How to Fix Volume Icon Missing in Windows 10
Written by Rimvydas Iliavicius on
Windows 10 Volume Icon Missing? Follow Our Instructions to Fix That
The Windows 10 taskbar is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) element that has many functions. The taskbar features the volume icon that allows you to change the sound volume in Windows. This article is dedicated to fixing the disappearing volume icon permanently.
One of the problems with the taskbar is that the volume icon sometimes goes missing. In General, the Volume and Network icons have a tendency to go missing from the taskbar.
It is not a new problem, and it can be easily fixed. One of the easiest solutions to this problem is to restart your computer, and the missing icons get restored. However, this solution is usually temporary because the icons go missing again after some time.
In this guide, we will show you several methods on how you can bring back your missing volume icon permanently. Read the article below to find the solution which works for you the best.
Video Tutorial on How to Fix Missing Volume Icon
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Restart File Explorer
- Check if the Volume Icon Is Turned On
- Change the Text Size
- Restore Your System Using Restore Point
- Reinstall/Update Your Audio Drivers
- Video Tutorial on How to Fix Missing Volume Icon
Restart File Explorer
According to users, restarting File Explorer helped fix the missing volume icon problem on their Windows operating system. You will need to run Task Manager: press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard.
When the Task Manager window is open, find "Windows Explorer" under "Processes" tab and right-click on it, select "End task" from the drop-down menu or simply click "Restart", and windows Explorer will restart/relaunch.
The volume icon should appear on your taskbar again, and your problem will be fixed. If this does not fix the missing volume icon problem, try other methods described below.
Check if the Volume Icon Is Turned On
The volume icon is one of the system icons you can choose which icons you want to see or hide. To see if your volume icon is turned on or off go to Settings and click "Personalization".
In personalization settings, you will see "Taskbar" on the left pane, select it and scroll down to find "Turn system icons on or off" under "Notification area", click on it.
You will see a list of system icons. Check if the "Volume" icon is on. If it is turned off, then toggle the switch to turn it on.
Now go back one step into the previous system Settings window by clicking on the arrow showing left. You should be directed to the Taskbar customization options. Click on "Select which icons appear on the taskbar".
You will see a list of icons, and you can select which icons appear on the taskbar. Make sure that "Volume" icon is turned on. If it is turned off, then toggle the switch to turn it on. After completing these steps, your volume icon should appear on your Windows taskbar again.
Change the Text Size
On Windows 10, you can make the text and other things like icons larger. You can choose to resize everything at once or temporarily resize it with the Magnifier. You can also just change the text size for certain items without affecting anything else. Changing the text size might help you to get your missing volume icon back.
To change the text size on Windows 10, simply right-click on your desktop's empty space and select "Display settings" from the context menu.
You will be directed to your display settings. Make sure that you are on the "Display" section on the left pane. You can change the size of text, apps, and other icons by clicking on the arrow icon under "Scale and layout" and selecting "125%" from the drop-down menu.
Close the Settings window, and now your missing volume icon should be shown on your taskbar again.
Restore Your System Using Restore Point
System Restore tool creates restore points. System Restore reverts everything to a saved restore point, but first, you must have one recorded. If a restore point does not exist on your computer, System Restore has nothing to revert to.
To use this tool, you must have created restore points. With a created restore point, this feature will bring your system back to the previous working state without affecting your files and data.
This solution is kind of a last resort, but if you have any system restore points that were created before you started experiencing this issue, you may be able to fix it by performing a System Restore.
To restore your system, you will need to launch Run. To start it press Windows Key + R and type "rstrui.exe" in the Run dialog box, press Enter, or click "OK".
In opened System Restore window, click "Next".
If there are restore points created, then you will see a list of restore points. Mark the "Show more restore points" checkbox, and it should display more restore points. Select the restore point which suits you the best (depending on the time created etc.) and click "Next".
Do not select a Restore Point where your volume icon was already gone. You certainly don't want to get back to that.
Now you will have to confirm your restore point. Your computer will be restored to the state it was in before the event in the "Description" field. If you are good with your choice, click "Finish", and the system restoration process will begin.
Reinstall/Update Your Audio Drivers
Outdated, incompatible, or corrupted sound card drivers may cause audio problems such as no sound, volume icon missing, etc. If an appropriate driver is not installed, the device may not function properly or at all. Maybe you have a faulty driver, and you need to update or reinstall it.
To do so, type "device manager" in Search and click on the "Device Manager" result to open it.
Find "Sound, video and game controllers" in Device Manager, expand it, and right-click on your audio device. Select "Uninstall" from the drop-down menu to uninstall it. Check the "Delete the driver software for this device" in the popped-up window and click "Uninstall".
Restart your computer, and Windows will automatically install the missing driver for you.
You can try updating your audio driver as well. Repeat the steps and select "Update driver" from the drop-down menu when right-clicked on your audio driver in the Device Manager window. You will be asked if you want to search for updated driver software automatically or to browse your computer for driver software.
If you select the first option, then Windows will search your computer and the Internet for the latest driver software for your device. If you choose to browse your computer for driver software, you will need to have the correct driver on your computer or USB drive. You can find it on your sound card's manufacturer's website.
Another way to update or install a new driver for your sound card is by using third-party software like Snappy Driver Installer. You will need a computer with a working internet connection to download it.
Snappy Driver Installer (SDI) is a powerful free driver updater tool for Windows that can store its entire collection of drivers offline. Drivers are downloaded through Snappy Driver Installer in called driverpacks, which are just collections (packs) of drivers for various hardware like sound devices, video cards, network adapters, etc. You can download Snappy Driver Installer from here.
We hope that one of the solutions mentioned above helped you fix the missing volume icon problem, and now you can use this icon without any issues.
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