How to Disable Headphone Jack

When you are using your laptop or your phone, you will face some really annoying issues. One of the most irritating ones has to be when either of the two devices gets stuck in headphone mode. Many people often wonder how to disable headphone jack.

There are many reasons why this might be happening. It could happen because you are using the wrong settings on your device, or it could be a result of the operating system’s problems. Or, you might have accidentally broken the headphone plug, and it got stuck inside the actual audio port.

While this shouldn’t be an issue for someone who isn’t using headphones that often, it’s not rare for the device to get stuck in headphone mode. It doesn’t matter if you have already disconnected your headphones, your device might still be stuck in headphone mode.

This will create many problems when it comes to using your device. For starters, you will not be able to get the audio to come out of the speakers on your laptop or phone. This happens because your device thinks that you still have a pair of headphones connected to it.

This is why we decided to make the following guide. We will show you how to get your devices out of headphone mode, by disabling the headphone jack, whether you are on a computer, phone or laptop. This way you will finally be able to play your favourite tracks through any output device you choose.

Why Should You Disable Your Headphone Jack

If you believe that this isn’t a common issue that many users face, then you’re unfortunately wrong. There are tons of people out there who want to learn how to disable their headphone jack. This is mostly a result of the headphone jacks being really fragile.

Whether you’re using a mobile device, or a laptop, or even a desktop, you will have your reasons for wanting to disable the headphone jack. The most common ones are related to the headphone plug, which usually breaks off, or gets broken. You might also want to get rid of the headphone mode on your device, because you only want to play audio from an output device like the speakers or a Bluetooth device.

Keep in mind that before you try disabling the headphone on any of your devices, you should check if it is covered by the warranty.

How To Disable Headphone Jack On Windows

Before we go on, we need to mention that disabling the headphone jack on a Windows PC can be done in a few different ways. Some of these methods require you to simply tweak some of your PC settings, whereas others might need you to have some administrator rights on the computer, so that you can access some settings which will help you disable the headphone jack.

Every method we mention below was done on Windows 10, so the instructions for earlier versions of Windows might differ.

Using Sound Output Settings

This way of disabling the headphone jack on your PC is the most simple and easy one to perform. There are two different ways you can alter the sound output settings. You can either use the “Device Properties” or the “Manage Sound Devices” tabs.

If you decide to disable the headphone jack through Device Properties, you will need to firstly navigate to the Settings tab on your PC. To do that, you need to press the Windows Key along with the S button (Windows Key + S). You should then input settings in the search box, followed by you clicking the Settings app. You could also press the Windows Key and click on the Settings Icon that is located at the lower left part of the screen, right above the power icon.

When you are on the Windows Settings screen you will need to navigate to the System tab. You can do that by simply clicking on the System Icon.

Once you’re there, you will need to click on the Sound tab which can be found on the left part of the screen. When you are on that tab, you will need to pick the Sound Output Device, which you want to disable. When you have selected that device, you should click on the Device properties option.

The last thing you need to do is check the box that says Disable, in order to disable the output device, which in this case should be the headphone jack.

If you decide to disable the headphone jack through the Sound Devices, you will need to navigate to the Windows Settings screen and then the System tab. We’ve already mentioned how you can do that above.

Once you’re there, you will need to click on the Sound tab, that can be found on the left part of the screen, and then click on the Manage sound devices option.

The last step you need to take is to choose the Output Device (in this case the headphone jack) and disable it by clicking on the Disable option.

Using Device Manager

In order to use this method, you will need to have administrator rights on your Windows PC.

You will need to simultaneously press the Windows Key along with the S button and input “device manager” in the search box down left. You will need to select the Device Manager option that pops up.

Once you’re there you should search for the Audio inputs and outputs tabs, which you will need to expand by clicking on the little arrow next to the tab. There, you should right click on the device that you want to disable and choose the Disable device option.

Using Windows Registry Editor

This method is the hardest one, and you should not opt for it if you aren’t an expert. If you make any wrong edits, your PC might end up having really bad issues.

You will firstly need to press the Windows Key along with the R button in order to open the Run command. There, you should input regedit and then click OK, or hit Enter.

You will then need to navigate to the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\MMDevices\Audio\Render” part of the registry.

Once there, you must expand the Render key which can be found on the left part of the editor, and then expand the Properties subkey of every single GUID until you find the headphone jack one.

Once you have found that one, you should click on the GUID and then select the DeviceState. You will need to change the value of this from 1 to 10000001.

Using Realtek HD Audio Manager

Before you use this method, keep in mind that you must have the Realtek HD Audio Manager driver installed on your computer. If you’ve already got that installed, then go ahead and open it up.

To open up the Realtek HD Audio Manager, you will need to either do that through the system tray or the Control Panel.

Once you have the driver open, you should find the Connector Settings on the bottom right of the program. It should be the wrench icon.

Once you’re there, all you need to do is simply click on the Disable front panel jack detection option, and you’re set.

How To Disable Headphone Jack On Mobile Devices

The methods mentioned below will help you get your phone out of the headphone mode if it’s stuck there, even if you don’t have any headphones connected. Before you read the following methods, we would suggest that you restart your device as well as try to reconnect your headphones, as this often fixes the issue.

Make sure your headphone jack is clean

It is very common for your mobile device to be stuck in headphone mode due to some debris or dirt being stuck inside the port. So, you shouldn’t only clean your headphones but the headphone jack as well.

To do that, all that you’ll need is a cotton swab, a toothpick and rubbing alcohol. You should remove the big chunk of cotton on one of the sides of the swab and just leave a small amount of cotton on the swab. The swab should be small enough to get into the headphone jack.

Once you’ve done that, gently insert the swab inside the port of your mobile device and clean it as much as you can. Make sure to pull out as much dirt and debris as you can.

Afterwards, gently insert the toothpick in the audio port and scrape the inside with care. You should do this step very gently, so that you don’t damage the inside of the jack.

You should then insert the cotton swab again, this time with a little bit of rubbing alcohol, and you’re set.

Install apps to turn headphone mode off

If that didn’t work, then you can install some apps which let you disable the headphone jack. There are tons of these around, but our favourite ones are Disable Headphones, Lesser AudioSwitch and Headphone Mode Off.

 All of the aforementioned apps are really simplistic and easy to use, so you can choose any of the three to disable headphone mode, if you don’t have any other way.

Conclusion

These were some of the best ways to disable the headphone jack on mobile devices and Windows 10 PCs.

We hope that this article was helpful! Do check out Red Diamond Audio  for more helpful articles and guides.