How to Fix Equalizer APO Not Working [Guideline 2024]

If you are a music lover and a music enthusiast or love to tweak your sound, then you may want to have control over the equalizers on your computer. But the sad thing is that Microsoft does not allow us to play with these things, which leads us to use the Equalizer APO.

Well, I have been in this department for quite some time for my video editing purposes, and I have been through ups and downs with my APO equalizer. One of them being Equalizer APO is not working. If you face the same problem, you have arrived at the right place.

IN this article I will explain what may have caused this issue on your computer and what you can do about it to fix the problem. So without wasting any more time, let’s jump into the article.

Why is APO Equalizer Not Working?

There are mainly three causes why your equalizer may not be working correctly. To find out which one is causing you the hassle.

Here are the causes:

• Device Enhancements Disabled: Ensure that Device enhancements are enabled. Because sometimes, the disabling enhancement does not let the equalizer have access to sound controls resulting in error.
• Hardware Acceleration Of Audio: If Hardware acceleration is enabled, try disabling it. Because enabling them in some cases causes problems for the equalizer apo to work properly.
• Antivirus or Firewall: Sometimes windows defender or other thor party antiviruses see equalizer as a threat as a result, they do not let it work and other times even terminates the program totally. So try adding the equalizer apo to the exception list of your antivirus or firewall.

Also, check out our separate post on how to change equalizer on Spotify PC.

How to Solve Equalizer APO Problem?

I will tell you about all the working methods to fix the issue, so continue reading and try out the methods to find out which one works for you!

Method 1. Install as SFX/EFX

For many users installing SFX/EFX solved the problem.

Here are the steps to install SFX/EFX:

1. Press the Windows Key and type in Configurator and open the first option.
2. Check all the devices you want to install SF/EFX on in the Playback Devices section.
3. Check the box of Troubleshooting Options and select Install SFX/EFX (Experimental) From the dropdown menu.
4. Remember to uncheck boxes saying Use Original APO.
5. Now hit the OK button, and it will automatically install SFX/EFX on those devices.
6. Try closing and reopening Equalizer APO. 

Now you should be able to use your Equalizer, and if not, you can follow the following method.

Method 2. Disable Hardware Acceleration of Audio

There have been cases where users just needed to disable their Audio hardware acceleration to use their Equalizer APO. So, here I will show you the steps to disable it:

1. Right-click on the Speaker icon from your taskbar and select Sounds.
2. Right-click on the device speaker under the playback section and go to Properties.
3. Navigate to the Advanced section.
4. Uncheck Allow hardware acceleration of audio with this device under the Hardware Acceleration portion.
5. Hit apply and restart your Equalizer APO.

Now you should be able to use your APO.

Note: In some computers, Hardware Acceleration is not available. If you don’t find it in yours, you may proceed to the next method.

Follow our guide to fix Spotify stuttering on android devices.

Method 3. Check if Enhancements Are Enabled

If your Enhancements are disabled for specific playback devices, then Equalizer APO may not work. So what you need to do is make sure that your enhancements are enabled for playback devices.

Here are the steps to enable Enhancements for playback devices:

1. Right-click on the Speaker icon from your taskbar and select Sounds like before.
2. Right-click on the device speaker under the playback section and go to Properties.
3. Find the Enhancements tab, and there find a line saying  Disable all sound effects.
4. Uncheck the box and save the changes by pressing OK.

Now you should be good to go. Check if your APO is now working or not. It should work properly and if not, then continue to the next method.

Method 4. Allow Equalizer APO Through Firewall or Make It An Exception On Your Antivirus

Sometimes your Windows defender Firewall does not let APO work properly, taking it to be a threat. Even some antiviruses also do the same and do not allow Equalizer APO to operate.

Follow these steps to Allow APO through Firewall:

1. Go to your search box, type in Windows Defender Firewall, and open it.
2. Click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall, which will be on the left side of the window.
3. To edit the list, click on Change Settings.
4. Select the Equalizer APO, check both Private and Public boxes, and hit the OK button.
5. Press Allow another app if you don’t find Equalizer APO and select it to add it to the list.
6. Check the Private and Public boxes and hit OK.

Now your Windows Firewall will let Equalizer APO through, and now it should work fine.

Note: Private allows any program to work at home or work network, whereas Public allows the program to access the public network.

Follow our guide to know how much space does Spotify take up.

Method 5. Reinstall Equalizer APO

One of the most workable solutions for the problem is to uninstall the program and reinstall it freshly on your computer.

Here are the steps to reinstall Equalizer APO on your computer:

1. Press the Windows key and click on Settings which is the Cog icon.
2. Select Apps.
3. Search for Equalizer APO in the search box.
4. Click on the app and Uninstall the app.
5. Hit the Windows key again and search for Registry Editor and open it.
6. Click on Edit from the top left corner of the window and click on Find.
7. Type in Equalizer APO and press Find Next which will show you a list of files regarding Equalizer.
8. Delete those files and also search and delete the files from Edit and Find Next option in a similar manner.
9. Download the latest Equalizer APO and Install it freshly.

Pro Tip: To avoid the further hassle, reboot your system before reinstalling Equalizer APO.

Method 6. Delete A Registry Key

This is the last method you may want to try because it is crucial for your computer as you are working with your registry keys. As long as you follow the stated steps, you should be good to go. So without further ado, let’s dive in.

Here are the steps to Delete a registry key:

1. Press the Windows key and search for Configurator and open it.
2. Click on the device you need to use APO under the Playback section and click Copy Device Command to clipboard. Now paste it into a notepad to copy it later.
3. Press the Windows key and search Registry Editor to open it.
4. Follow this path in Registry editor HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\MMDevices\Audio\Render
5. Navigate to the destination of your copied address there and right-click on the destination folder to go to the Permissions.
6. Hit the Advanced option and click on Change sitting next to Owner to open the Select User or Group window.
7. Click on Advanced to select the user account, or you can also type your user account in the section saying ‘Enter the object name to select and hit the OK button. Add the Everyone
8. Change the owner of all subfolders and files inside the folder by giving a tick in the box beside Replace owner on subcontainers and objects in the Advanced Security Settings window.
9. Click the Add button and click the Select a principal button at the top. Now select the user account through the Advanced button or just type your user account in the section saying Enter the object name to select and hit OK. Add the Everyone
10. Under the Basic permissions section, Choose Full control in the Basic permissions section before applying the changes.
11. Apply all the changes. Now open the Registry Editor again and delete the key you selected before.
12. Restart your computer and reinstall APO using the Configurator, hopefully solving the issue and your Equalizer APO will start working properly.

But before that, if your Spotify isn’t letting you log in, quickly check our post to solve this issue immediately.

Conclusion

I am very optimistic about the solutions and hope one of the methods mentioned above will certainly solve your problem with your Equalizer APO not working. I have tried to give every possible solution to the problem.

If you have further queries or suggestions, feel free to share them with us. We will appreciate your response.