If you’ve recently tried upgrading to Windows 11 but encountered an unexpected block due to Voicemeeter drivers still lurking in your system — even after uninstalling the application — you’re not alone.
Voicemeeter is a powerful virtual audio mixer used by content creators, streamers, and audio enthusiasts. However, it installs virtual audio drivers that don’t always get removed with the standard uninstallation process. These leftover drivers can cause conflicts, prevent system upgrades, or interfere with your current audio setup.
This article walks you through a complete and safe removal process to ensure every trace of Voicemeeter is gone from your Windows system.
🎯 Why Voicemeeter Drivers Cause Problems
Even after uninstalling Voicemeeter via the Control Panel or Settings app, its virtual audio drivers and startup services may remain active on your PC. These can:
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Block Windows 11 upgrades
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Cause conflicts with your sound settings
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Interfere with other audio software
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Show up as ghost devices in Device Manager
Let’s go through a detailed step-by-step guide to completely remove Voicemeeter drivers.
✅ Step-by-Step Guide to Uninstall Voicemeeter Driver Completely
1. 🛠 Use Autoruns to Disable Startup Entries
Autoruns is a free utility by Microsoft that shows every startup item on your system — including hidden drivers.
How to Use:
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Download Autoruns from the official Microsoft Sysinternals website.
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Extract and launch the
Autoruns64.exefile (run as administrator). -
Go to the Drivers tab.
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Search for entries related to Voicemeeter or VB-Audio.
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Uncheck these entries to disable them from starting with Windows.
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Next, switch to the Everything tab and search for any additional Voicemeeter entries. Uncheck or remove any related entries you find.
🔄 This step prevents Voicemeeter’s drivers or services from reloading when you restart your PC.
2. 🚮 Use Driver Store Explorer to Remove the Drivers
Standard uninstallation won’t remove drivers stored in Windows’ Driver Store, but Driver Store Explorer can help.
How to Use:
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Download Driver Store Explorer (RAPR.exe) from GitHub.
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Run the tool as an administrator.
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Let it scan all installed driver packages.
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Look for anything related to:
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Voicemeeter
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VB-Audio
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Select those entries and click Delete Package.
⚠️ Be cautious not to delete unrelated audio drivers like Realtek, Intel, or NVIDIA — only remove Voicemeeter/VB-Audio drivers.
3. 📤 Clean Up Device Manager
Even after removing the driver packages, ghost devices may remain in Device Manager.
How to Clean:
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Press
Windows + Xand open Device Manager. -
Expand the following sections:
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Sound, video and game controllers
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Audio inputs and outputs
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Look for any devices named Voicemeeter, VB-Audio, or any suspicious unnamed/unknown devices.
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Right-click → Uninstall Device
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If available, check the box that says “Delete the driver software for this device” before confirming.
4. 🔁 Restart Your PC
Once you’ve removed all entries, perform a full system restart to allow Windows to refresh device settings and apply the changes.
5. 🧹 Final Checks
After rebooting:
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Open Device Manager again and check if any Voicemeeter or VB-Audio drivers have returned.
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Open Sound Settings via
Settings > System > Soundand ensure there are no Voicemeeter virtual devices listed as input/output devices. -
Open Autoruns again (optional) and verify that nothing Voicemeeter-related is still checked.
🧰 Tools You’ll Need
Here are links to the recommended tools (always download from official sources):
📝 Final Thoughts
Completely removing Voicemeeter drivers can feel tricky — especially when they silently remain active in the background and block essential updates like Windows 11. By following this guide using Autoruns, Driver Store Explorer, and Device Manager, you can safely and thoroughly clean your system of all Voicemeeter components.
Once everything is removed, your audio settings should return to normal, and your system should be ready for any upgrades or configuration changes.
