Default and Communications Devices

You may notice that the same audio device appears multiple times in the device list. This occurs because the operating system assigns distinct roles to each device—one for general audio playback and another specifically for communication tasks.

The Default device handles all regular audio: music, videos, games, system sounds, and most applications. When you play a YouTube video or launch a game, sound goes to this device.

The Communications device is specifically for voice calls and conferencing apps like Zoom, Teams, Skype, and Discord. This lets you use headphones for calls while keeping speakers for everything else.

How roles are assigned

If you have a single audio device, your system assigns both roles to it. That's why you might see entries like:

Default - Speakers (Realtek Audio)
Communications - Speakers (Realtek Audio)

Both entries point to the same physical device — they just indicate the roles assigned to it.

With multiple devices, you can assign different roles to each:

Speakers as Default — for music and videos
Headphones as Communications — for private calls

Or for microphones:

Studio microphone as Default — for recording and streaming
Headset microphone as Communications — for quick calls

How to change device roles

Windows 11:

Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar
Select Sound settings
Under Output or Input, click More sound settings
In the Sound window, right-click a device
Choose Set as Default Device or Set as Default Communication Device

Windows 10:

Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar
Select Open Sound settings
Click Sound Control Panel on the right
Right-click a device and select the desired role

Tip: A green checkmark indicates the Default device, while a green phone icon indicates the Communications device.

macOS doesn't have separate Default and Communications roles like Windows. Instead, you simply select your preferred input and output devices:

Click the Apple menu → System Settings
Go to Sound
Select your devices under Output and Input tabs

Tip: Option-click the Sound icon in the menu bar for quick device switching.

Some apps (like Zoom, Teams) let you choose specific devices within their own settings, giving you similar flexibility to Windows' role system.

On Linux with PulseAudio/PipeWire, you can set default devices:

Open Sound Settings or pavucontrol
Go to the Output/Input tabs
Click the checkmark next to your preferred device to set it as default

Per-application routing: In pavucontrol's "Playback" tab, you can route specific applications to different output devices.

Common issues

Many applications (especially games, media players, and communication apps) have their own audio device settings that override system defaults. If sound is going to the wrong device:

Open the app's settings or preferences
Look for Audio, Sound, or Output settings
Select the correct device from the dropdown

Windows can automatically reduce other sounds during calls. To disable this:

Right-click the speaker icon → Open Sound settings
Click More sound settings or Sound Control Panel
Go to the Communications tab
Select Do nothing

macOS doesn't automatically adjust volumes during calls. If you experience volume changes, check the settings within the specific app you're using for calls.

The device might be disabled. To show hidden devices:

Open Sound Control Panel
Right-click in the empty area of the device list
Enable Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices
Right-click the device and select Enable

If a device isn't appearing, try disconnecting and reconnecting it. For Bluetooth devices, remove the pairing in System Settings → Bluetooth, then pair again.

Check all available devices and their status:

# List all sinks (output devices)
pactl list sinks

# Enable a muted device
pactl set-sink-mute [sink-name] 0

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