How to Disable Monitor Speakers

By Jacob Michael

Turn off the monitor's built-in speakers after upgrading to an external speaker set.
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Built-in speakers can be a convenient feature in a computer monitor, but if you’ve upgraded to an external speaker set or simply don’t want to use the monitor speakers any longer, you probably want to disable them. Usually disconnecting the audio cable from the back of a monitor will shut off the monitor’s built-in speakers, but some models -- such as USB- or HDMI-enabled monitors -- transmit audio without the need for an audio cable. In these cases, disable your monitor speakers completely from the Windows sound control panel.

Step 1

Hover the mouse pointer over the top right corner of the screen, right-click the volume control icon and click "Playback Devices." If you are in desktop mode or are using Windows 7, right-click the volume control icon in the notifications panel of the task bar and click “Playback Devices.”

Step 2

Right-click the audio output that corresponds to the monitor speakers and click “Disable.” If you’re not sure which audio output that the monitor speakers are using, right-click the device and click “Test” to play a sample sound.

Step 3

Click the “OK” button to close the control panel.

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