Windows 11’s September patch breaks USB audio, and there’s no fix yet
Microsoft recently confirmed that the September Patch Tuesday security update (KB5124008) is causing problems with USB audio on some Windows 11 systems. However, Microsoft did not disclose how many users are affected, only stating that some computers with USB Audio Class 1.0 devices are reportedly affected.
On the support page for the update, Microsoft has listed this under its “Known issues in this update” section:
After installing the September 8, 2026, Windows security update, some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices might fail to start or produce audio. Affected devices might experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- The device displays an error in Device Manager: “This device cannot start (Code 10).”
- No audio output.
- Volume controls are unresponsive or remain at zero.
- Sound settings are unresponsive or unavailable.
- Some devices might function in standard stereo configurations but fail when using multichannel audio features, including 8-channel or 3D audio modes. Some customers have reported that they’re able to restore audio in these cases by switching to 2-channel mode.
This issue is limited to USB Audio Class 1.0 devices.
Unfortunately, there’s no known workaround for this problem as of this writing. The issue affects Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2, as well as 26H1 via update KB5124012. Microsoft says it’s working on a resolution and will update the support page once more information is available.
