The Device Is Being Used by Another Application Error in Windows 11/10 [Solution]

The Device Is Being Used by Another Application Error in Windows 11/10 [Solution]
If you get the error message “the device is being used by another application” in Windows 10 when using HIDM cables to connect devices to an external display, what should you do?

Here is the complete error message that you may be seeing on your Windows 10/11 screen — ‘The device is being used by another application. Please close any devices that are playing audio to this device and then try again.’ You may also see a partial message like ‘This Device Is Being Used by Another Application’. Usually, this happens when you are playing a video or audio, and you may be using an HDMI cable to do so.

Issues addressed in this tutorial:
the device is being used by another application
the device is being used by another application no sound
the device is being used by another application sound
the device is being used by another application audio
speakers the device is being used by another application
hdmi audio device is being used by another application
being used by another application
this device is used by another process
device is being used by another application
device is unavailable or used by another application
device is in use by another process
device already in use
this device is being used by another application
sound test the device is being used by another application
the device is being used by another application headset
headphones the device is being used by another application
can someone else use find my device

The Device is being used by another application error on Windows pertains to your device having audio or video problems, and they have something to do with an HDMI connection, more often than not. A High-Definition Multimedia Interface allows users to connect multimedia interfaces to stream TV or gameplay over a much bigger monitor. Other causes include corrupt drivers or files being installed incorrectly. In this tutorial, we look at how this error can be fixed in Windows 11/10.

This tutorial will apply for computers, laptops, desktops, and tablets running the Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems (Home, Professional, Enterprise, Education) from all supported hardware manufactures, like Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Toshiba, Lenovo, Alienware, Razer, MSI, Huawei , Microsoft Surface, and Samsung.