Which Windows update broke USB audio devices?

KB5124008, the Windows 11 security update released on 8 September 2026, which brings the OS to build 26100.9445. Microsoft confirmed the problem on 11 September after reproducing it. Devices affected show "This device cannot start (Code 10)" in Device Manager, produce no sound, or fail only in multichannel modes.

How do I know if my USB audio device is a Class 1.0 device?

USB Audio Class 1.0 devices work without any manufacturer driver, because Windows handles them with its own built-in usbaudio.sys driver. Budget USB headsets, USB-to-3.5mm dongles, older DACs and entry-level audio interfaces are usually Class 1.0. Anything that required you to install a vendor driver, or that is advertised as USB Audio Class 2.0, is not on Microsoft's affected list.

How do I fix the Code 10 error on my USB audio device?

There is no official fix yet. Microsoft notes that some people restored sound by switching the device from a multichannel layout to 2-channel stereo in the Sound control panel, under the device's Configure option. If the device fails outright with Code 10 rather than only in multichannel mode, that workaround may not help.

Should I uninstall KB5124008 to get my audio back?

It is not recommended. KB5124008 is the September 2026 security update, so removing it leaves the PC without a month of security patches in exchange for restoring one device. Microsoft has not suggested uninstalling it and has not issued a safeguard hold to block the update. Waiting for the fix, or using a different audio device meanwhile, is the safer choice.

Windows 11 KB5124008 Breaks USB Audio With Code 10 Error

Q: Does this affect Windows 10 or Windows Server?

No. Microsoft lists only three affected client versions: Windows 11 version 26H1, version 25H2 and version 24H2. No Windows Server release is affected, and Windows 10 does not appear on the affected platforms list for this issue.

What actually goes wrong

The fault does not always present the same way. Microsoft lists several symptoms on affected machines, and a device may show one or several of them:

Device Manager shows the error "This device cannot start (Code 10)."
No audio output at all.
Volume controls do not respond, or stay pinned at zero.
The Sound settings page is unresponsive or unavailable.
The device works in plain stereo but fails in multichannel modes, including 8-channel and 3D audio.

That last case is the important one for anyone whose hardware has not died outright. Some owners of affected gear got sound back by switching the device from a multichannel layout to a straight 2-channel configuration, and Microsoft has repeated that report in its own documentation.

Only one class of device is affected

Microsoft says the problem is limited to USB Audio Class 1.0 hardware. That is the older of the two USB audio standards, and Windows drives it with its own built-in usbaudio.sys driver rather than anything the manufacturer supplies. In practice it covers a lot of cheap and long-serving kit: budget USB headsets, USB-to-3.5mm dongles, older desktop DACs, entry-level recording interfaces and some powered USB speakers.

Newer devices built to USB Audio Class 2.0 are not on Microsoft's affected list. Neither is anything that ships its own vendor driver. If a USB audio device carried on working after Patch Tuesday, it almost certainly falls outside the class that breaks.

Which Windows versions are hit

The originating update is OS Build 26100.9445, and Microsoft lists three client versions as affected: Windows 11 version 26H1, version 25H2 and version 24H2. No Windows Server release is affected, and Windows 10 does not appear on the list either. This is worldwide — KB5124008 is a standard monthly security update, so it has gone out through Windows Update everywhere rather than to any one region.

What you can do right now

Microsoft has not published a proper workaround, and it has not offered a mitigation or a safeguard hold that would stop the update installing. The steps below are the practical ones available today:

Confirm the fault. Open Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers, and look for a warning triangle on the USB device. A Code 10 entry in its properties matches this issue.
Try stereo. In the classic Sound control panel, select the playback device, choose Configure, and set the channel layout to Stereo. This is the one thing Microsoft repeats as having worked for some people.
Check the other end. Swapping to a different USB port or cable rules out an unrelated hardware fault before you blame the patch.

Rolling KB5124008 back is possible but a poor trade: it is the September security update, so removing it strips a month of patches from the machine to restore a headset. If the device is essential, a Class 2.0 replacement or a vendor-driver device is the less risky route until a fix lands. Microsoft says only that it is working on a resolution and will update its release health documentation when there is more to say.

The third problem in one update

The audio bug is not travelling alone. Microsoft has opened two other known issues against KB5124008: Remote Desktop Services becoming unstable, which it has since marked Mitigated, and Plan9 host folder shares failing to appear inside Hyper-V-based Linux virtual machines, which breaks shared folders for Windows Subsystem for Linux users. Both of those land mainly on developers and IT departments. The audio fault is the one that reaches an ordinary desktop.

It also follows a familiar pattern. Last month Microsoft spent weeks tracing game crashes after the August update to RGB lighting drivers rather than the patch itself. This time the cause sits inside Windows' own audio stack, which should make it faster to fix — though Microsoft has not committed to a date.