Why can't I play music through my USB?

Many people encounter issues when trying to play music, videos, or other media files from a USB drive or USB peripherals like headphones or speakers. This can be frustrating as USB devices provide a convenient way to enjoy multimedia content across different devices. This article provides an overview of common troubleshooting steps to resolve various USB playback problems on Windows computers. We’ll explore driver updates, media format compatibility, software settings, hardware connections and more to help identify the root cause and restore seamless media playback from USB devices.

Check USB Compatibility

One of the most common reasons for issues playing audio through USB is incompatible USB standards. There are several different USB standards that have different speeds and capabilities:

USB 1.0 – Up to 12 Mbps transfer speed. Too slow for quality audio.

USB 1.1 – Up to 12 Mbps. Also too slow.
USB 2.0 – Up to 480 Mbps. The minimum standard for decent audio quality.
USB 3.0 – Up to 5 Gbps. More than fast enough for high quality audio. (source: {})

For playing audio through USB, you’ll want at least USB 2.0 to avoid glitches, clicks, and dropouts. If your USB device or cable is USB 1.0 or 1.1, it simply can’t transfer audio data fast enough. Upgrade to USB 2.0 or later. Also make sure your computer’s USB ports and cable connectors are USB 2.0 or higher.

Higher bandwidth USB standards like 3.0 and later are backwards compatible with USB 2.0, so they will work. But you need at least USB 2.0 speed.

Update Drivers

Keeping your audio and USB drivers up to date is critical for enabling USB audio playback. Old drivers can become incompatible with updates to Windows or your hardware. Outdated drivers are a common cause of USB devices failing to work properly.

To update your audio drivers, you can visit the website of the manufacturer of your sound card or motherboard to check for the latest drivers. Alternatively, you can use the Device Manager in Windows. Right click on your audio device, select “Update driver,” and then choose to automatically search for updated drivers [1].

For USB drivers, a similar process can be followed. Using Device Manager, right click on the USB device in question, choose to update the driver, and search online. Windows Update can also help install the latest USB drivers [2].

If updating through Device Manager does not work, you may need to manually download the latest audio and USB drivers from your hardware manufacturers’ websites and install them.

Change Default Audio Device

Setting your USB audio device as the default playback device allows all audio from your computer to be routed through it. Here are the steps to change the default audio device on Windows:

On Windows 10 and 11:

Open Sound Settings

Under “Output,” select your USB audio device
Click “Set Default”

This will set your USB device as the system-wide default audio output. All apps and system sounds will now play through your USB speakers/headphones instead of your onboard audio. You can switch back to your onboard audio at any time by selecting it and clicking “Set Default” again.

According to discussions on Apple support forums, Mac users can set USB audio devices as the output by going to System Preferences > Sound > Output and selecting the USB device. The default output will switch to the USB audio device for playback (source).

On Linux, use the pactl tool to view available audio devices and switch the default output device like so:

pactl set-default-sink

See the ArchWiki for more details on using pactl to manage pulseaudio devices (source).

Verify Media Format Support

The USB port on most car stereos and infotainment systems supports common audio formats like MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, WAV, and AIFF. According to Sony (source), supported formats include:

WMA
WAV
FLAC

AIFF
ALAC
DSD

If you are trying to play an unsupported audio format like OGG or MIDI, it will not work. Try converting the files to a supported format like MP3 or AAC.

Also, make sure the files are not corrupted. Re-encode or re-export the files and try copying fresh versions onto the USB drive.

USB Port Issues

One common cause of USB music playback issues is related to the USB port itself. The power and bandwidth of different USB ports can vary, which may prevent proper audio output.

Some older computers may have USB 1.0 or 1.1 ports, which do not provide enough power or bandwidth for smooth audio playback from a USB device (1). USB 2.0 ports or higher are recommended for playing audio from a USB device.

Additionally, not all USB ports are created equal even on the same computer. Front USB ports often provide less power than rear ports, so try using a rear USB port if possible (1). The USB port should provide at least 500 mA of power for reliable USB audio output.

There can also be compatibility issues between your USB device, cable, and computer port. For example, some ports may only support USB 2.0 devices. Using a USB 3.0 device in a USB 2.0 port can cause connectivity problems. Make sure your device, cable, and port are all designed for the same USB specification.

If you have multiple USB ports, try connecting your device to different ports to isolate any issues specific to an individual port. Problems may occur in one USB port but not another.

(1) Troubleshooting USB Audio Problems on Windows

Software Settings

The software settings on your computer can prevent USB audio from playing properly. Start by checking your media players like Windows Media Player, iTunes, VLC Media Player, etc. Make sure the audio output is set to your USB audio device and not the default speakers or headphones.

Next, go into your Windows Sound settings by right clicking the speaker icon in the system tray and selecting Sounds. Under the Playback tab, check that your USB audio device is set as the Default Device. You may need to select it and test it to confirm audio plays. Also, under the Advanced tab, set the sample rate and bit depth to match the requirements of your USB device. Refer to your device’s documentation if unsure.

Finally, try updating your media player software and sound drivers to the latest versions. Outdated software can sometimes cause conflicts with USB audio playback. Visit the support sites for your specific media apps and device manufacturers to find updates. If the problem persists, you may need to reinstall or uninstall and readd the USB device to reset the audio driver and settings.

Sources:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/audio/usb-audio-not-playing

https://motu.com/techsupport/technotes/troubleshooting-windows-audio

USB Cable Problems

USB cables can sometimes be the culprit behind music playback issues through a USB device. Damaged, worn out, or incompatible USB cables may prevent proper communication between your computer and USB device, leading to problems with audio playback.

Check to make sure you are using the USB cable that originally came with your USB device. Third party cables, even if they fit, may not properly support data transfer and audio playback. If using an older USB cable, it’s possible the contacts have worn out over time, leading to connectivity issues.

Try swapping the USB cable with a brand new one known to be compatible with your device. Make sure it is not a charging-only cable and is capable of data transfer. This often resolves any issues caused by a damaged or incompatible cable.¹

Corrupted Files

Sometimes the reason you can’t play music from a USB device is due to file corruption. This can happen for various reasons like improper ejection, virus infection, bad sectors on the USB drive, or file transfer issues. When a music file gets corrupted, it may not play properly or at all. There are a few things you can try to recover and fix corrupted files on a USB drive:

First, try reformatting or re-encoding the corrupted files. Use a media player like VLC or Windows Media Player to attempt to reformat the file. You can also try re-encoding the file to a common format like MP3 or WMA. This may allow you to access the file again if the corruption was minor.

If reformatting does not work, you may need data recovery software to restore the corrupted files from your USB drive. Programs like EaseUS Data Recovery can scan the USB drive and recover lost, corrupted, or damaged files. However, recovered files may not play properly if the corruption is severe.

As a last resort, you may need to reformat the entire USB drive to fix major corruption problems. This will erase all data on the drive, so be sure to backup any important files first. Performing a full format removes any corrupted data sectors, allowing you to reuse the USB device.

To avoid corruption problems, always safely eject the USB drive before disconnecting it from your computer. Avoid physical damage to the drive, virus infections, and improper file transfers that could lead to corrupted files. Regularly backing up your USB music collection can prevent permanent data loss.

Conclusion

In summary, there are several reasons why you may not be able to play music from a USB device. The most common issues involve incompatible USB formats, corrupted files, outdated drivers, incorrect default audio settings, bad USB cables or ports, and problematic software and hardware configurations.

Here are some final tips for troubleshooting music playback from USB:

Try different USB ports on your computer, some may work better than others.
Plug your USB device into another computer to isolate the issue.
Use a USB cable that supports high speed data transfer.

Format your USB drive to FAT32 for maximum compatibility.
Update your USB and sound drivers to the latest available versions.
Scan your audio files for corruption and re-encode if needed.

Adjust your sound settings to use your USB as the default playback device.
Try different media player software if built-in players have issues.
As a last resort, back up your files and perform a clean reinstall of the OS.

With some systematic troubleshooting and testing, you should be able to resolve any USB music playback problems and get back to enjoying your tunes.

Why can’t I play music through my USB?