Realtek HD Audio software installs a red-colored speaker icon on the system tray of the Windows taskbar. This icon allows you to access the Realtek HD Audio device settings.
But, for some reason, if it is bothering you then you might want to know how to remove Realtek HD Audio Manager from taskbar?
You can easily get rid of the Realtek HD Audio manager icon by accessing the sound manager option and unchecking the Display icon in the notification area tick box.
A redundant speaker icon on the taskbar may seem useless to you. It might seem like nothing but a distraction to many users.
But it might just be a better idea to keep it there rather than removing it. I will touch more on that later on in the post.
What Is Realtek HD Audio Manager?
The Realtek HD Audio Manager is a free tool developed by Realtek for audio applications. It consists of a mixer, sound card, and a volume control module. Realtek Audio Drivers are common in Windows computers.
Many laptop computers have a Realtek HD Audio chip, which provides exceptionally high-quality sound playback and processing.
Even if you built your own desktop PC, the chances are high that the motherboard includes a Realtek HD Audio chip on it.
This usually handles all of the computer’s audio functions.
Disabling the Realtek HD Audio Manager Icon
The good thing about the Realtek HD Audio Manager icon in your Windows taskbar is that you can remove it if you want to.
Although the process might seem a bit clunky and technical at first, it’s reasonably straightforward if you break it down into some simple steps.
Here’s a basic rundown of the whole process:
- Locate the Realtek Audio icon and right-click on it.
- Wait till a menu appears.
- Find the Sound Manager option and select it.
- Wait till the Realtek application opens.
- Locate the small i button (stands for information) in the lower right corner of the application.
- Find the option in the pop-up menu called Display icon in the notification area.
- Uncheck the option.
- Click OK and exit the application.
How to Bring Back the Realtek HD Audio Manager Icon
If you are a Windows 10 user, you may find your Realtek Driver gone missing after an update of Windows 10. This is a common problem many people are facing in new Windows 10 updates.
Unfortunately, Realtek hasn’t been much active lately in addressing this problematic issue. Although there are some fixes buried within the layer of Windows to bring back the Realtek HD Audio Manager, it would be great to see the developers giving an update on the issue.
If your Realtek HD Audio Manager is missing after a Windows update, you can restore it quite easily. Here’s how:
- Go to the control panel. You can find it by typing on the search bar.
- Look for the option Hardware and Sound on the Control panel. Click on that.
- Click on the Realtek HD Audio Manager there.
Note: You can find the application in the C:\Program Files\Realtek\Audio\HDA\RAVCpl64.exe directory as well. So, be sure to check there if you haven’t found the app shortcut in the control panel.
How to Completely Remove Realtek HD Audio Driver
Realtek hasn’t been paying much attention to its software support and bug fixes. That’s why many PC users have been having trouble installing the new audio drivers. The user experience is becoming buggy and laggy.
One of the most common problems users face is the installation loop for the Realtek audio driver. The driver just continues to install and restart the computer and starts installing again.
This has happened due to recent Windows updates, where the OS automatically installs a generic audio driver every time after a restart. So, the Realtek driver just keeps uninstalling the driver over and over again after each restart.
You may want to altogether remove the Realtek HD Audio Manager from your PC in that case. So, a general fix to the problem is by removing the Realtek installation package.
Here are the steps to completely remove Realtek Audio Driver:
- Go to the start menu and search Device Manager.
- Find the Sound, Video & Game Controller list.
- Right-Click on Realtek High-Definition Audio.
- Press uninstall.
- Remove the generic Windows driver by choosing to Delete the driver software for this device.
- Begin the removal procedure, click OK.
Do not restart your computer until the process completes. The generic driver should now be installed without any trace of the Realtek HD Audio Driver.
Do You Need the Realtek HD Audio Manager?
Of course, you need the Realtek HD, sound manager. Without the Realtek HD Audio Manager, your sound card won’t work right, and you’ll not get any sounds from your speakers or headphones.
You can update the driver using the icon too. It has a bunch of other cool features to go with it as well. So, it’s best if you don’t remove the driver but rather update it instead. A good habit is continuously checking for updates and keeping your drivers up to date for flawless performance.
Why Should You Keep the Realtek HD Audio Manager in Your Taskbar?
When you put the Realtek HD Audio Manager in your taskbar, it becomes much easier to access all of your sound settings because it is always present.
Using the icon, you can configure hotkeys that will allow you to change the volume quickly and easily. It will also let you easily monitor the sound card, see a visual representation of what is happening on your speakers, etc.
The prime benefit of having the icon is that you can do all of these functions without having to open any other software programs at all. However, since it is a Realtek driver, you must be running Realtek audio drivers for it to function correctly.
Final Words
Realtek HD Audio drivers are standard in almost all motherboards and laptops. However, the developers are not staying up to date to fix their drivers, which is a bummer for many users. If you are lucky, your audio driver should be up and running.
Many users can’t seem to find a way on how to remove Realtek HD Audio Manager from the taskbar. It’s a simple job, yet tricky to find the option. So, we hope this article helps you to solve the problem.
