Is the Dolby Atmos sound system not working on your new Windows devices? Don’t worry. Sometimes outdated drivers or non-exclusive control over the speakers cause the non-functionality of Dolby Atmos. But before you delve into the software side of troubleshooting, take a look at some of the quick workarounds that you can perform.
Workarounds –
1. Disconnect the headphones and connect them to another Dolby Atmos-supported device (like iPhone or Ipad) and test.
2. Windows Store has a dedicated Dolby app (premium) that should help you resolve the problem.
NOTE – Dolby Atmos is the highest level of sound quality Dolby technology offers. It is only available with a handful of premium headphones with Windows (though you can use Dolby Access from MS Store). So, if you see Dolby Atmos is not working on your system, do check the compatibility of both devices.
Fix 1 – Run the Sound troubleshooter
Use the dedicated sound troubleshooter to identify and fix the problem.
1. Look on your taskbar and you will find the speaker icons.
2. Now, right-click the speaker icon, and you will find the “Troubleshoot sound problems“. Click it to directly open the sound troubleshooter panel.
Wait until the troubleshooter detects the problem. The troubleshooter will automatically diagnose the issue and prescribe a solution to the issue.
Now, try to play some Dolby Atmos content (via Netflix or anything else) and test.
Fix 2 – Reset/Repair Dolby Access
The Dolby Access app lets you enjoy Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos content. So, try repairing and/ or resetting the app to troubleshoot the issue.
1. On your screen, right-click the Windows icon once.
2. Then, click “Installed apps” from the context menu.
3. Here, you will find all the installed apps on your computer.
4. Look for the “Dolby Access” app here. Just scroll down to find it.
5. Then, click on the three-dot menu and tap “Advanced options“.
6. Next just scroll down to find all the associated settings. Here, tap “Repair” to repair the app.
Wait till the Dolby Access app is repaired. Then, just open Dobly Access and enable it.
Try streaming some supported Dolby Atmos content and check whether this works.
If you still can’t stream Dolby Atmos, you have to reset the app.
7. Come back to the same Settings page. There, click “Reset” to reset the app.
8. Further, tap “Reset” to reset it.
Once you have reset the app, you can easily play some Dolby Atmos content on your Windows device.
Fix 3 – Set the Exclusive Control
You can allow your speakers or headphones to play the Dolby Atmos sound exclusively.
1. There is a shorcut to open the Sound Panel. Press Win key+R quickly opens up a Run box.
2. Next, write this there and click “OK“.
mmsys.cpl
3. Once the Sound panel appears, go to the “Playback” tab.
4. This section groups all of the speakers and headphone devices. So, right-click the headphone you are using to stream Dolby Atmos content and click “Properties“.
5. After that, head on to the “Advanced” section.
6. Next, you will find the Exclusive Mode.
7. Now, make sure to check these two options.
Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device Give exclusive mode applications priority
8. On the next step, head on to the “Spatial sound” area.
9. There you will see Spatial sound format section. Now, choose the “Dolby Atmos for headphones” from the drop-down menu.
10. Once you have done all these changes, click “Apply” and “OK” to save.
After this, try using your Dolby Atmos-enabled headphones or speakers to check whether you can use them or not.
If the problem still persists, uninstall and reinstall Dolby Access.
Fix 4 – Reinstall Dolby Access
You just have to uninstall Dolby Access from your computer and reinstall and relog in to use Dolby Atmos again.
Steps to Uninstall
1. Just hit the Win key and the I keys together.
2. This will launch Settings. Then, go to “Apps“.
3. After this, tap “Installed apps” on the right-hand pane.
4. Find the “Dolby Access” app by just going down through the list of apps.
5. Then, click on the three-dot menu and tap “Uninstall“.
6. Now, you have to confirm this action. So, tap “Uninstall“.
Steps to reinstall
Now, you can easily reinstall Dolby Access from Microsoft Store.
1. Open Microsoft Store.
2. There, search “dolby” using the search box at the top.
3. Then, click “Dolby Access” to open that.
4. Now, just click “Install” to install the app on your device.
When this app is installed, open it and log in using your Microsoft account.
Now, plug in your headphones and enjoy Dolby Atmos sounds.
Fix 5 – Update the sound driver
Sometimes old driver modules can create this scenario. So, install the latest sound driver on your system.
1. Use the Windows key and the X key to pull up the context menu.
2. There, click on “Device Manager“.
3. There, you have to expand the “Sound, video and game controllers“. Here you will notice several sound adapters.
4. Just right-click on the sound card and click “Update driver“.
5. Then, click “Search automatically for drivers“.
Windows will now install the driver or if the latest driver is already installed, it will throw up a message that reads like this –
The best driver for the device is already installed.
Device manufacturers release the latest version of the driver through the Windows Update channel. You can find those in the Optional Update section.
1. Open Settings and visit “Windows Update“.
2. After that, tap “Advanced options“.
3. After this, click “Optional updates” to view all the optional updates.
4. Here you can find several driver updates. Look for any sound/USB driver updates.
5. Check all those updates and click “Download & Install” to download and install the update.
After this, restart your computer.
Dolby Atmos should start working again on your system.
Fix 6 – Rollback the sound card
If the sound card has received an update and Dolby Atmos is not working since then, roll back the sound card.
1. At first, press the Windows key+X keys together and tap “Device Manager“.
2. Again, click on “Sound, video, and game controllers” to view all the sound adapters.
4. Just right-click on the sound card and click “Properties“.
5. Now, tap “Rollback driver” to roll back the driver to the older version.
Wait until Windows restarts and roll back the sound card.
Doby Atmos should start to work again.
Fix 7 – Reinstall the sound adapter
The last option on the card is just to uninstall the sound adapter and reinstall it.
1. Open Device Manager.
2. Then, look for the sound adapter card again.
3. Next, right-click on the device and tap “Uninstall“.
4. When a warning message pops up, click “Uninstall“.
Once it is uninstalled, you may close Device Manager.
Restart your computer after this. When the system restarts, Windows will automatically reinstall the uninstalled card driver.
After restarting the system, test whether this works.
Otherwise, you can download and install the latest driver from the device manufacturer’s website or the speaker/headphone creator’s website.
Hope you can enjoy Dolby Atmos sounds after this.