[ Guide / Windows audio ]
How to turn off audio ducking in Windows 10 and 11
Audio ducking is when Windows automatically lowers the volume of one app because another app started making noise. Your music drops when a Discord call comes in, or when a notification chimes, and then fades back up a second later.
There is no single switch for this, because four different things cause it and most guides only cover the first one. Work through them in order. Step 1 fixes it for most people.
[ 01 ]
Turn off the Communications setting
This is the built in Windows feature. When Windows detects that an app is using your microphone or speakers for a call, it turns everything else down.
- Press
Windows key+R. - Type
mmsys.cpland press Enter. - Open the Communications tab.
- Select "Do nothing".
- Click Apply, then OK.
That is it. No restart needed. If your music still drops, the cause is somewhere else and you should keep reading.
One thing worth knowing: this setting only controls whether Windows ducks. Apps can still duck your audio on their own, which is step 4.
[ 02 ]
Turn off audio enhancements
Loudness Equalization and similar processing will pull your volume around in a way that feels exactly like ducking. It is not ducking, but you cannot tell the difference by ear.
On Windows 11
- Open Settings, then System, then Sound.
- Click your output device.
- Set Audio enhancements to Off.
On Windows 10
- Open
mmsys.cplagain. - Select your playback device and click Properties.
- Open the Enhancements tab and tick "Disable all enhancements".
- Under the Advanced tab, untick "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device".
While you are here, turn off Spatial sound if it is on. It runs its own dynamics processing.
[ 03 ]
Check your audio driver software
Realtek Audio Console, Nahimic, Sonic Studio, Dolby Atmos and the audio suites that ship with gaming laptops and motherboards all have their own version of this. They often ship with something like "Voice Leveler", "Smart Volume" or "Dynamic Range Compression" switched on by default, and they override the Windows settings you just changed.
Open whatever audio app came with your machine and turn off anything that mentions leveling, normalisation, compression or voice clarity. If you never use that software, uninstalling it is a reasonable option.
[ 04 ]
Turn off ducking inside the app that is doing it
This is the one people miss. Discord is the most common culprit by far, and it gets blamed on Windows constantly.
Discord
- Open User Settings, then Voice & Video.
- Scroll to Attenuation.
- Drag the slider to 0%.
- Untick "When others speak" and "When I speak".
Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet have similar noise and volume management under their audio settings. Browsers do not duck, but a browser extension can.
[ 05 ]
Windows 11 ducking between two loud apps
Some Windows 11 users see volume drop between two ordinary apps, with no call involved and no notification. Two apps play at once, and whichever is louder quietly pushes the other one down.
There is no setting for this, and the steps above will not stop it. Microsoft has described this behaviour as intended on Windows 11, which is not a satisfying answer. The workaround people land on is to open the volume mixer and level the apps against each other so neither one dominates, rather than leaving everything at 100%.
If you get this far and it is still happening, this is probably what you have.
One catch with that workaround: Windows often forgets the levels you set in the mixer and puts everything back to 100%. If that happens to you, see why the volume mixer keeps resetting.
[ 06 / When you actually want ducking ]
When you actually want ducking
Everything above assumes you want your audio left alone. Plenty of people want the opposite: music that drops when someone speaks in Discord, and comes straight back when they stop. The problem with the Windows version is not the idea, it is that you get no control over it. You cannot choose how far it drops, how fast it comes back, or which apps it touches.
That is what we built DuckDeck for. It sits in your tray, watches for voice, and lowers only the apps you pick. You set the level and the timing, and you can override it with a hotkey without leaving your game.
- Auto-ducking for Discord and your browser Pro
- Per game profiles, so each game gets its own level Pro
- An on screen indicator that stays out of your way Pro
- No background service eating your CPU
To be clear about what costs money: the ducking is the paid part. The free download gives you the volume and mute hotkeys and a tray slider. Pro adds the ducking, the per game profiles and the overlay for €5.99 including VAT, paid once, not a subscription. It runs on Windows 10 and 11.
Download DuckDeckFree, no card. Your email, then the download. Ducking unlocks with Pro.
[ 07 / Common questions ]
How do I stop Windows from lowering the volume when I get a notification?
Open mmsys.cpl, go to the Communications tab and select "Do nothing". Notification ducking is part of the same system feature.
Why does my music get quieter when someone talks on Discord?
That is Discord's Attenuation setting, not Windows. Turn it off under User Settings, then Voice & Video.
Why does Spotify get quiet when I open a game?
Usually audio enhancements or your driver software rather than ducking. Try step 2 and step 3.
Does turning off audio ducking hurt call quality?
No. Ducking only changes the volume of other apps. It does nothing to your microphone or to the call itself.
Do I need to restart after changing these settings?
No. All of them apply immediately, though some apps need to be restarted to pick up a new device setting.
Can I turn ducking off for one app but keep it for others?
Not with the built in Windows settings, which are all or nothing. That needs a separate tool.
Related: how to lower Spotify volume while gaming without alt-tabbing, which covers the built-in Windows shortcuts as well as hotkeys.
[ Still stuck? ]
If none of this fixed it, or your setup does something these steps do not cover, tell me what you are seeing and I will help you work it out. It is one person answering, not a ticket queue.
Send a messageOr email support@duckdeck.app. Same inbox either way.