Why does my computer randomly play music by itself without anything being opened?
Music randomly playing on your computer without anything open can be frustrating and confusing. This phenomenon has a few potential causes that are worth investigating. Briefly, the music could be triggered by corrupt audio drivers, malware infections, unintended keyboard shortcuts, connected devices, power settings, or browser extensions. To resolve the issue, you’ll need to troubleshoot based on the likely cause and then take preventative measures for the future.
Possible Causes
One common cause of music randomly playing from your computer is having a media player application running in the background. Programs like Windows Media Player, iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, and others are designed to remain open even when minimized or hidden from view. If you accidentally leave one of these apps open, it could begin playing music at any time, especially if it is set to shuffle or autoplay.
For example, if Spotify is open but minimized, it may start a playlist or radio station unexpectedly. Songs can also start playing in Windows Media Player if it was left open with a playlist or library selected. iTunes could similarly begin playing music randomly if it was not properly closed.
To prevent this, make sure to fully quit any media apps when you are done actively listening. Do not just minimize them to the system tray. Also check that auto-play and shuffle options are disabled if you want to avoid surprise songs.
Corrupt Audio Drivers
One potential cause of random music playing from your computer is corrupt or outdated audio drivers. Audio drivers act as the software interface between your operating system and the sound card/hardware. If these drivers become buggy or outdated, it can cause a range of odd audio issues.
According to an article on Microsoft Answers forum, corrupt audio drivers may loop small portions of audio files at random intervals or play garbled/distorted sounds (Microsoft Answers, 2022). This can occur even when no media player is actively running.
A post on Ask Ubuntu also describes random crackling or audio corruption happening spontaneously, especially when changing system volume. This points to a driver-level problem (Ask Ubuntu, 2013).
To fix this, try updating your audio drivers to the latest stable version from your sound card manufacturer. You can also try rolling back to a previous audio driver version. A clean re-install of the drivers may be required if corruption is severe.
Malware Infection
One of the most common causes of random music playing is a malware or virus infection. Malicious programs like the “Random Music Playing Virus” are specifically designed to play random audio files as a distraction technique (https://www.malwarefox.com/virus/remove-random-music-playing-virus/). The goal is to lure the user into clicking on fake security alerts and installation prompts to spread the infection further. Telltale signs of malware playing music randomly include:
- Music playing from the speakers even when no media player is open.
- Weird piano melodies, birthday songs or other odd audio tracks.
- Frequent pop-ups, redirects and suspicious behavior when browsing.
- New browser extensions, toolbars or programs that are difficult to uninstall.
Malware that plays music typically uses the Windows audio engine to queue up tracks in the background. The malware code injects itself into critical system processes to evade detection. A full system scan with an up-to-date antivirus program is required to isolate and remove such infections (https://www.enigmasoftware.com/randommusicplayingvirus-removal/). Stay vigilant against visiting suspicious sites and downloading questionable software to prevent malware from sneaking into your computer in the first place.
Keyboard Shortcuts
One possible cause of random music playing is accidental triggers of keyboard shortcuts programmed into Windows or certain applications. For example, the Windows key + Alt + G shortcut will start game bar recording [1]. Hitting these keys accidentally while typing or gaming could trigger music playback unintentionally. Some media players like Groove Music also have shortcuts like Ctrl + P to play/pause [2]. Brushing the Ctrl key while typing paragraphs could cause sudden music playback if Groove Music is running in the background.
Reddit users have reported accidental music triggers from dedicated media keys on keyboards as well. When applications like YouTube Music are open in the background, pressing skip track or play/pause buttons will control playback even if the app is minimized [3]. This can make it seem like music is randomly starting on its own when it was actually triggered by an accidental keypress.
To prevent music triggering randomly from shortcuts, you can disable any media-related shortcuts you do not use regularly. Also check that applications like music/video players are completely closed rather than minimized when not in use.
Connected Devices
One common cause of random music playing is connected devices like phones or tablets that are paired via Bluetooth. When certain devices connect to a Bluetooth audio system, they may automatically begin playing music even without a user intentionally starting playback.
For example, some iPhones are known to automatically play the most recently listened to song when connecting to a Bluetooth device (1). This usually happens because the iPhone still has an app like Music or Spotify open in the background. To prevent this, make sure to fully close any music apps before connecting your iPhone to Bluetooth.
Android devices can exhibit similar behavior if a user was previously streaming music from their phone to a Bluetooth speaker using casting, and then simply said “stop” to pause playback instead of fully disconnecting the cast session (2). This leaves the cast session still active in the background, which can cause music to randomly start again when reconnecting to that Bluetooth device.
The best way to prevent this automatic music playback is to completely close any apps you were using to stream music before disconnecting from the Bluetooth device. You may also need to manually disconnect or “unpair” the Bluetooth device connection when not in use to fully reset its status with your phone or tablet.
Sources:
(1) https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254507168
(2) https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/mw73te/home_device_starts_playing_music_randomly/
Power Settings
Power settings can sometimes trigger music to play if they are configured to “wake” the computer from sleep or hibernation. Specifically, a feature called “Wake on LAN” [1]allows a computer to be woken remotely over a network. When the computer wakes, it may automatically resume media that was paused before sleeping. If Wake on LAN is enabled in your power settings, network activity could be inadvertently waking your PC and playing music.
To prevent this, navigate to your Power Options control panel and disable “Wake on LAN” or “Allow this device to wake the computer” under any network adapter settings. You can also disable the option to resume media playback when recovering from sleep. With Wake on LAN disabled, your computer should remain asleep until manually woken, preventing unexpected music playback.
Browser Extensions
Sometimes browser extensions can cause random music playback if they have permissions to alter audio settings or inject code into web pages. For example, some extensions like Random Song are specifically designed to play random audio clips. Other extensions may inadvertently trigger audio playback through their code.
To troubleshoot, try disabling all extensions one by one to identify any culprits. If random music stops after disabling a particular extension, then that extension was likely the cause. You can then remove the problematic extension. Also check the permissions of your installed extensions – any with access to audio, media or your microphone could potentially manipulate audio playback.
Troubleshooting
If your computer is playing random music when nothing is open, there are some steps you can take to diagnose the root cause:
First, check if any programs like media players or web browsers are running in the background that could be the source of the music. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to open the task manager and view background processes.
Next, scan your computer for malware using trusted antivirus software like Windows Defender or Malwarebytes. Malware infections can sometimes cause random audio to play. Run a full system scan to detect and remove any potential threats 1.
You can also try updating or reinstalling your audio drivers. Corrupt drivers can cause glitches like random music playback. Search for any available driver updates through Windows update or your hardware manufacturer’s website.
Finally, check your keyboard shortcut settings to see if any multimedia keys are mapped to play music or sounds. Disable any unintended shortcuts that could be triggering the audio.
Following these troubleshooting steps should help uncover what is causing the unprompted music and point you towards a solution.
Preventing Recurrences
There are several tips you can follow to prevent your computer from randomly playing music when nothing is open.
First, make sure your computer is free of malware. Run a full system scan with your antivirus software and remove any threats it detects (Source: https://www.thewindowsclub.com/computer-playing-music-by-itself-randomly-when-nothing-is-open). You can also use a malware removal tool like Malwarebytes for an additional check.
Also, go through your installed programs and browser extensions and remove anything unfamiliar or unnecessary. Some browser extensions can cause random music without your knowledge (Source: https://www.techserviceguru.com/5-ways-to-stop-computer-from-playing-music-randomly/).
Make sure your audio drivers are up-to-date too. Outdated drivers can become corrupt and lead to glitches like random music playback. Check for driver updates through your device manufacturer.
Finally, adjust your power settings so no audio plays when your computer wakes from sleep/hibernation. Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options and disable “Play Windows Startup sound” under “System settings.”