
It’s annoying when you open a Youtube video but can only see the message: Audio renderer error. Please restart your computer. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. These are just a few of the many options you have.
Fixes for audio renderer error:
You may not have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.
- Replug your audio playback devices
- Restart your computer
- Run audio troubleshooting
- Restart your Audio drivers
- Update your Audio driver
- Roll back your Audio driver
- Set the same sample rate for both audio driver and ASIO driver
Method 1: Replug your audio playback devices
You may plug your audio playback devices (e.g. headphones) in your computer and use them to watch Youtube video. The problem should disappear if you unplug your devices and plug them back in. But this method may work once, can’t last long. For permanent resolution, there are other options.
Method 2: Restart your computer
Rebooting your PC as suggested may help you solve the “Audio renderer error. Please restart your computer.” error. This could be temporary. It will likely return within a few minutes. For a permanent fix you can look into other options.
Method 3: Run audio troubleshooting
Windows 10 has a built-in troubleshooter to diagnose and automatically fix common problems. There are many troubleshooters available for various problems. You can run the audio troubleshooter for audio renderer errors.
- Press the Windows logo key + R to open the Run box. Type “ms-settings: troubleshoot” and press Enter.

- Click Playing Audio. Then click Run the troubleshooter. Wait until the investigation is complete.

- Select the device that is related to the audio renderer error. Click Next.

- If there’s an issue, you’ll see a repair strategy. Click “Yes” to fix it. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process.
- Check if the problem has been resolved by restarting your computer.
Method 4: Restart your Audio drivers
Sometimes the operating system may occupy some dynamic system files which may affect your audio device and cause the error. Restarting the audio driver may help to release the occupied system file and bring your audio device back into normal. You can restart the audio driver to fix the problem.
- Press the Windows logo key + R to open the Run box. Type “devmgmt.msc” and press Enter.

- In the Device Manager, click Sound, video and game controllers. Right-click and choose Disable device on every audio adapter.

- Wait for a few seconds, right-click and choose Enable device on every audio adapter.

- Restart your computer to confirm that the problem has been resolved.
Method 5: Update your audio driver
One reason for many computer errors is outdated drivers for your hardware devices. You should verify that your devices have the right and latest drivers, and update those that don’t.
There are two methods to obtain the correct drivers.
Download and install the driver manually – You can update your driver manually by going to the manufacturer’s website, and searching for the most recent correct driver. Be sure to choose only drivers that are compatible with your Windows version.
Automatically update drivers – If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct driver for your device, and your Windows version, and it will download and install it correctly:
- Download and install Driver Easy.
- Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will scan your computer and identify any problematic drivers.

- Click the Update button next to the selected driver to automatically download the correct version of that driver, then you can manually install it (you can do this with the FREE version). Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)

- Restart your computer, and verify that the audio renderer error was fixed.
Method 6: Roll back your audio driver
When you meet the error, you check your drivers and find they’ve already updated to the latest version. Check that your drivers are compatible with your system in this instance. It’s because sometimes the latest version of device driver doesn’t work properly on your system and start interfering with the computer’s normal start-up process. You can fix the problem by rolling back the driver to the earlier version.
- On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R together to invoke the Run box.
- Type “devmgmt.msc” and click OK.

- In the Device Manager, click Sound, video and game controllers, then right-click on your audio adapter device and click Properties.

- Under the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver, then follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process. Note: If the Roll Back Driver option grayed out, you can download a previous driver from the manufacturer’s website and install it on your PC. (*10*)
- Restart your computer, and see if the audio renderer error is fixed or not.
Method 7: Set the same sample rate for both audio driver and ASIO driver
If you have ASIO audio device setting software and the error appears when your Cubase is opened, you can try this method. It could be the conflict between the Windows Sound system and the ASIO driver settings, you could use the same sample rate in both systems to solve the issue.
- On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R together to invoke the Run box.
- Type “mmsys.cpl” and click OK.

- Under the Playback tab, select the audio device that meets the issue (if you have more than one audio device) and click Properties.

- Click the Advanced tab, select the sample rate that you wish to use. Then click OK. Back to the Sound window, click Apply > OK.

- Open your ASIO driver settings and choose the Audio tab. Select the same Sample rate that was used in the previous step.

- Try restarting your computer to see if it fixes the problem.
These techniques are hoped to be useful. You’re welcome to leave comments and questions below.
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