How to Turn Sound Devices On and Off in Linux

To switch speakers or headphones in Linux, choose the output in Sound settings. Mute it for temporary silence. To disable a sound card’s audio routes, choose its Off profile in pavucontrol if available. This does not cut power to the hardware.

GNOME and KDE Plasma include basic sound controls; pavucontrol works across desktop environments. It also works with PipeWire’s PulseAudio-compatible server on many current Linux systems.

Choose what you want to turn off

• Switch output: Route audio to another detected device.
• Mute: Silence sound temporarily while leaving the device available.
• Off profile: Remove a card’s active audio routes; it does not power down hardware.

Use mute for a brief pause. Choose Off when you want the card’s routes unavailable until you select another profile.

Switch audio devices in desktop settings

GNOME

1. Open the Activities overview, search for Sound, and open the Sound panel.
2. Under Output, open Output Device and choose the speakers, headphones, monitor, or USB audio device you want to use.

GNOME’s Sound settings guide covers output selection and speaker testing. The menu lists devices currently available to the system.

Use Test when available to check the route. To silence audio without changing devices, mute or lower volume in the system menu; the sound card remains enabled.

KDE Plasma

Click the speaker icon in the panel to open the Audio Volume popup. Select the desired speaker or headphone under the device list. This changes which output receives sound; it does not switch off the unused device. KDE’s Audio Volume documentation covers the widget, output and input devices, and the Configuration tab.

To change a card profile, open Audio Volume settings and select Configuration. Choose an active profile, or check pavucontrol for an Off option. Available profiles vary by hardware.

Turn a sound card profile off with pavucontrol

Install pavucontrol from your software center or package manager. The upstream project also lists Flathub. Common commands are:

• Ubuntu or Debian: sudo apt install pavucontrol
• Fedora: sudo dnf install pavucontrol
• Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S pavucontrol

Open PulseAudio Volume Control from the app menu, or run pavucontrol in a terminal. The app works with PulseAudio and with PipeWire’s PulseAudio-compatible server; see the official pavucontrol project page and PipeWire compatibility documentation.

Disable or re-enable a profile

1. Open the Configuration tab and find the card you want to change. If the computer has several cards, identify the one by its displayed name.
2. Open that card’s Profile menu. Choose Off if it is listed. The card’s audio routes become unavailable; other cards, such as a separate USB headset, can remain active.
3. To turn it back on, return to the same menu and choose an active profile that includes the output or input you need, such as an analog stereo profile. The available names depend on the device.

An Off profile can disable several routes on one card, including its microphone. It does not power down USB hardware or disconnect Bluetooth. To switch speakers and headphones, select the other output instead.

Set a default output or mute a microphone

In pavucontrol, open Output Devices to inspect an output’s volume and port. If the device has a Set as Default control, select it to make that device the fallback for audio streams without their own saved destination. Choose the port that matches the jack or connection, such as Speakers or Headphones. The exact control label can vary by version.

For a microphone, open Input Devices and use its mute button. This silences that input through the sound server while leaving the input device listed. You can also lower its level or select a different input in the desktop’s Sound settings.

If a sound device is missing or silent

• Check that a USB headset is plugged in or that a Bluetooth device is connected, then reopen Sound settings.
• Confirm that the selected profile is active and includes an output. An Off profile cannot play sound.
• Check the system volume and the device’s mute button, then use GNOME’s Test control if it is available.
• If only one application is silent or still uses the old speakers, inspect its stream under Playback in pavucontrol. Applications can keep their own volume and output routing.
• If the device never appears, the desktop cannot route sound to it yet. Check the connection and your distribution’s hardware or Bluetooth troubleshooting guidance.