Microsoft Surface Headphones ANC Not Working: Fix Guide Dubai

If the noise cancellation on your Surface Headphones has stopped working, start with Microsoft's own sequence: power them off and listen for "Goodbye", do a firmware reset if you do not hear it, then update the firmware and factory reset if the dial still does nothing. Weak noise cancellation is often fit or worn ear cushions rather than a fault. If the dial is still dead after all of Microsoft's steps, it needs a hardware check.

How Noise Cancellation Works on Each Model

On every Surface Headphones model, noise cancellation is controlled by the dial on the left ear cup. Turn it forward for more noise cancellation and backward for less. Microsoft's how-to page names these settings along the dial:

• Surface Headphones 2 and 2+: High, Medium, Low, Passthrough and Ambient.
• Surface Headphones (first version): High, Medium, Low and Ambient, with no Passthrough.

Ambient turns noise cancellation off and amplifies the sound around you. In the Surface app on Windows it appears as "Enhanced". Microsoft's product pages describe 13 levels of active noise cancellation on Surface Headphones 2 and 2+, with up to 30 dB of active and up to 40 dB of passive noise cancellation.

That matters for troubleshooting. If the dial is turned fully back, you are on Ambient and outside sound will be louder, not quieter. Turn the dial all the way forward before deciding anything is wrong.

Quick Checks First

1. Check the dial position. Turn the left dial fully forward to the highest setting and listen with music paused in a noisy room.
2. Check the fit. Microsoft's own steps say to place the headphones directly over your ears, move any hair out of the way and press the ear cups gently towards your head. Glasses arms, hair and a loose headband all let outside sound in.
3. Look at the ear cushions. Flattened, cracked or torn cushions stop the ear cups sealing. Passive isolation drops, and active noise cancellation has more to do. Microsoft lists ear pads as a replacement part for Surface Headphones 2+.
4. Charge them. A low battery can make features behave oddly. A full charge takes less than 2 hours.
5. Restart them. Turn them off, wait 10 seconds and turn them on again. You should hear the battery level and connected devices.

Microsoft's Steps When the Dial Does Nothing

This is Microsoft's sequence for the case where the noise cancellation dial does not work but everything else does:

1. Wear the headphones and turn the left dial to change the setting.
2. Press and release the power button to turn them off. Listen for "Goodbye".
3. If you do not hear "Goodbye": do a firmware reset. Plug the USB cable into a Windows PC or USB power adapter, hold the power button, connect the USB-C end to the headphones while still holding it, then release. Turn them on and try the dial again.
4. If you hear "Goodbye": wait 10 seconds and turn them on. If the dial still does nothing, update the firmware in the Surface app (Device information, then Firmware update).
5. If it still does nothing, do a factory reset: hold the power button for 20 seconds, or use Reset now in the Surface app. This clears pairing, equalizer and language settings.
6. If the problem continues, Microsoft directs you to Device Service and Repair.

When the Dial, Touch and Auto-Pause All Stop

If music plays but the dial, the touch controls and auto-pause all stop at once, Microsoft treats it as a separate case tied to the wear sensors:

1. Put the headphones on, play music, then take them off and look at the LED next to the mute button.
2. If the LED stays off, turn them off, wait 10 seconds and turn them on. Put them on properly, wear them for about 10 seconds, take them off and check the LED again.
3. If it is still off, place them on a table with the ear cups facing each other for 10 seconds, then put them on for 10 seconds and check again.
4. If it is still off, use the "Goodbye" test and the firmware reset, update and factory reset steps above.

Surface Headphones 2+ has wear detection and touch sensors on the ear cups, according to Microsoft's specs. When several features fail together, the sensors or the board that reads them are a likely place to look.

Is It Weak ANC or a Fault?

Noise cancellation depends on microphones in the ear cups picking up outside sound. Damage to a microphone, a liquid splash or a drop that cracks an ear cup can weaken or unbalance it in ways no reset will fix.

When It Needs a Repair

Book a check if:

• The dial still does nothing after the firmware reset, firmware update and factory reset.
• There is a constant hiss, whine or crackle when noise cancellation is on.
• Noise cancellation works on one ear cup but not the other.
• It changed after a drop or after the headphones got wet.

The repair page for Surface headphones ANC repair covers the work in detail, and Surface Headphones and Earbuds repair in Dubai covers every audio fault. For other symptoms, read the Surface Headphones repair guide and the one side not working guide.

Every repair starts with a free diagnosis and a written quote before any work, with free pickup anywhere in Dubai and a 90-day warranty on the repair. Message us on WhatsApp or use the quote form on this page.