There are a few reasons why your audio and video can fall out of sync in Windows 10. Old audio drivers, inappropriate sound settings, or a slow internet connection can all be the cause. However, sometimes there’s nothing wrong with your computer or browser, and it’s the streaming service you’re using that causes the audio-video problem.

However, as for things in your control that you can fix, our guide will walk you through your possible solutions.

1. Try These Easy Solutions

Before we dive into your PC and begin changing up its settings, try these quick and easy fixes to see if they resolve the problem:

• Restart your computer. If you haven’t shut down your computer in a while, you should restart it. This way, you allow it to flush its memory and end some of the processes that are running in the background.
• Restart the app. Try closing the multimedia player and launching it again if you notice the audio and video are out of sync. Additionally, you can switch to a different program.
• Check how many system resources you are using. If you have too many apps running at the same time, it might cause the audio and video to lag. Open Task Manager and check the CPU usage. This usually happens when you are installing a new software so it might be better to wait until the installation is complete.

Related: How to Fix High CPU Usage in Windows

2. Run the Audio Troubleshooter

Windows 10 comes with multiple built-in troubleshooting tools that you can use anytime you run into a problem. If the audio and video are out of sync, you should give the Playing Audio troubleshooter a chance to fix it. Here is how you can do it:

1. Open the Start menu and go to Settings.
2. Click Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
3. Select Additional troubleshooter.
4. Click Playing Audio > Run the troubleshooter.

The troubleshooter will now scan your computer for any issues. Once it detects them, it will fix them automatically.

3. Check Speaker Properties

There are a few speaker settings that will cause your system’s audio to stop working as usual. For example, the Exclusive mode might cause some applications’ audio to lag, making the audio and video out of sync. As such, turning it off may fix the problem.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. From the View by menu, select Small icons or Large icons.
3. Click Sound.
4. Select the device you are currently using for audio output and click Properties.
5. Open the Advanced tab.
6. Below Exclusive Mode, uncheck the Give exclusive mode applications priority option.

Additionally, changing the audio format might help. In the Speaker Properties window, head to the Advanced tab as shown above and select DVD Quality from the list below Default Format. The last step of reconfiguring speaker properties is to open the Enhancements tab and uncheck the Disable all sound effects option.

Now, click Apply > OK to save your new speaker settings and restart your computer.

Related: How to Improve or Fix Sound Quality in Windows 10

4 . Restore Default Settings for Playback Devices

If none of the above solutions helped you fix the audio problem, you can try restoring the playback device settings to defaults.

1. Head to Speaker Properties as shown above.
2. Open the Advanced tab.
3. Click the Restore Defaults button.
4. Restart your computer.

5. Update Audio Drivers

Usually, Windows detects and installs new updates on its own using the driver library together with the Windows Update services. However, there are times when you need to update your system drivers manually. In this case, you can use Device Manager to fix any outdated or corrupted drivers.

1. Right-click Start and head to Device Manager.
2. Expand the Sound, video and game controllers menu.
3. Open the speaker driver.
4. Select the Driver tab and click Update Driver.

Windows will let you know if the best drivers for your device are already installed or if there are any available updates.

6. Change Your Power Plan

If you are using the Balanced power plan or if you’ve enabled Battery saver mode, it could lead to audio and video being out of sync. To change the power plan, right-click the battery icon from the taskbar and select Power Options. Then, select the High performance option.

If you want to turn off Battery saver mode, head to Settings > System. From the left menu, open Battery. Then, turn off the toggle below Battery saver.

7. Change Minimum Processor State Percentage

If you decide to try this solution, you shouldn’t use it as a long-term fix. Increasing the Minimum processor state percentage will produce more heat and will shorten your battery life span.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Head to Hardware & Sound > Power Options.
3. Click Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings.
4. In the Power Options window, navigate to Processor power management > Minimum processor state.
5. Set a higher percentage for On battery or Plugged in depending on how you are currently using your laptop.
6. Click Apply > OK.

How to Fix Audio And Video Out of Sync When Watching Online

The solutions mentioned above will help you fix the audio and video out-of-sync issue regardless if you are watching movies or videos online or offline. If you notice this only happens when you are using an online streaming service, try the following solutions.

Check Your Internet Connection

It could be difficult to figure out if your internet connection or the streaming service is causing the problem. You can test your Wi-Fi speed to find out if you have a fast, stable connection. Alternatively, you can use an Ethernet cable.

Use Another Browser

A quick fix to this solution is to switch to using a different browser. Sometimes, your browser might encounter issues because the cache is full. So clearing the cache should fix the problem.

Disable Hardware Acceleration

Sometimes, the hardware acceleration feature might cause your browser to lag, freeze, or even crash. Turning it off should fix the audio and video sync issue.

If your preferred browser is Google Chrome, head to chrome://settings/system and turn off the toggle next to Use hardware acceleration when available.

If you prefer Mozilla Firefox, navigate to about:preferences and scroll down to Performance. There, uncheck the Use hardware acceleration when available option.

In Microsoft Edge, head to edge://settings/system and turn off the toggle next to Use hardware acceleration when available.

Get Audio and Video In Sync

Now you know how to fix the audio and video out-of-sync issue. While it might be difficult to identify the exact cause, with a little bit of patience you will sort it out.

If you keep your computer up to date and don’t go too crazy when it comes to configuring sound settings, you should be able to watch any movie or video without problems. Also, a good internet connection helps a lot.

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