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WakeSoundbar is a small Windows 11 utility that restores HDMI audio for a soundbar or AVR after logon when the device is configured as Remove display from desktop. It wakes the removed HDMI display path so the audio device returns, without changing the main display's 4K, HDR, high-refresh-rate, or VRR settings and without leaving a background process running.
Best for
- Gaming PCs or HTPCs
- HDMI-connected soundbars or AV receivers
- Systems where HDMI audio disappears after a reboot
Not for
- Bluetooth, USB, or S/PDIF audio
- Setups that do not use Remove display from desktop
Connect a monitor and a soundbar or AVR to the same PC over HDMI, and Windows treats both as displays. Extending the desktop leaves a phantom screen that can catch the pointer or confuse remote desktop software. Duplicating or mirroring sounds simpler, but the soundbar's video limits can hold back the main display, costing you resolution, refresh rate, HDR, VRR, or G-Sync. S/PDIF avoids the extra screen, but also gives up the lossless multichannel formats available over HDMI.
The cleanest setup is to select the soundbar in Windows and enable Remove display from desktop. The main display keeps its full capabilities, the soundbar no longer takes up desktop space, and the HDMI audio connection is preserved. The catch is that, in the setup this tool targets, every reboot leaves that removed HDMI path asleep. Until it is woken again, the soundbar does not appear as an audio device, so you would otherwise have to open Settings and toggle the option by hand after every restart.
WakeSoundbar automates that last, tedious step. At logon it finds the removed soundbar path, wakes it, and exits. You install it once; after that there is no Settings window to open, no display mode to toggle, and no background app left running.
This is the setup WakeSoundbar was built for: a gaming PC or HTPC keeping 4K, HDR, high refresh rate, and VRR on the main display while a second HDMI output handles Dolby Atmos, TrueHD, or multichannel LPCM. The soundbar can be connected to either a dedicated GPU or integrated graphics.
- Download and extract the ZIP from the latest release.
- Turn on the soundbar or AVR and connect it over HDMI.
- Open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display.
- Select the soundbar or AVR and enable Remove display from desktop.
- Double-click
install.bat. - When Windows asks for permission, select Yes.
- If a numbered list appears, enter the number for the soundbar or AVR.
- Wait for
[SUCCESS], then press any key to close the window.
That is it. WakeSoundbar will now run whenever this Windows account logs on.
Install it while signed in to the administrator account that will use it. If Windows asks for credentials for a different administrator, the automatic task will be created for that account instead.
- Windows 11 (tested).
- Windows 10 version 1809 or newer may work as well.
- Windows PowerShell 5.1.
- Administrator access for installation and removal.
- A GPU, driver, soundbar or AVR, and HDMI connection that support this setup.
Compatibility ultimately depends on the hardware and display driver. Success on one PC does not guarantee the same result on every system.
- Run the installer directly on the PC, not through Remote Desktop.
- Make sure the soundbar or AVR is on and connected over HDMI.
- Check that Remove display from desktop is still enabled.
- Give Windows a few seconds to detect the device, then run
install.batagain.
Run install.bat again. The installer will offer a fresh device list.
Open PowerShell and run:
Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName WakeSoundbar
Get-ScheduledTaskInfo -TaskName WakeSoundbarInstalled files are stored in %ProgramData%\WakeSoundbar. WakeSoundbar does
not create log files. A manual run prints the result in the terminal.
When opening an issue, include your Windows version, GPU and driver, soundbar or AVR model, and how the HDMI cables are connected. Leave monitor IDs and other private system details out of public issues.
- Double-click
uninstall.bat. - Approve the Windows permission prompt.
- Wait for
[SUCCESS], then press any key.
This removes the automatic task and every file installed by WakeSoundbar.
Run the script manually:
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\WakeSoundbar.ps1For troubleshooting, these options are also available:
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\WakeSoundbar.ps1 -NoSleep
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\WakeSoundbar.ps1 -IncludeStandardTargets-IncludeStandardTargets may act on ordinary desktop displays. Use it only
while you are at the PC and can restore its display settings.
To select one known target directly:
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\WakeSoundbar.ps1 -StableMonitorId RSR66621_0C_07E5_C6Exit codes are 0 for success or no action needed, 1 for startup or platform
errors, and 2 when a target was found but could not be activated.
- The script asks Windows for the currently connected display targets.
- It keeps only targets Windows marks as
SpecialPurpose. - If you selected a device during installation, it matches the saved
StableMonitorId. - It connects that target and calls
TryApply.
WakeSoundbar never guesses from a product name. That matters on PCs with a VR headset, capture card, or another special display attached.
Under the hood it uses Windows.Devices.Display.Core to wake the HDMI display
path. It does not decode audio, and it cannot promise that a particular GPU,
driver, or audio format will work.
Before the first release, the author's Windows 11 setup completed three full restart-and-logon tests successfully. That is a real hardware test, but only for one PC; other GPU and driver combinations may behave differently.
- Small project specification:
openspec/spec.md - Contribution guide:
CONTRIBUTING.md - Chinese release maintenance:
docs/CN-EDITION.md - Security policy:
SECURITY.md - Contact: qcsama@upwell.freeqiye.com
WakeSoundbar is licensed under AGPL-3.0-only. See LICENSE for the full license text.