How to Fix Audio Crackling on Linux?

[WonderNomad]

Hi all,

I’m pretty new to Linux audio and I’m having a small problem:
When I play music or watch videos, sometimes the audio crackles or pops.

I’m using Ubuntu (latest version) on a laptop with onboard audio.
Is there an easy way to fix this?

Do I need to install any special drivers or change settings?

Any simple tips would really help — thanks a lot!

 

[theLegionWithin]

there's a few threads around from recent months but we need more info - install inxi if you dont already have it and paste to us the output of

inxi -SAxx

 

[zhangheng]

you can take a look at my comments on this thread.

Z

Post in thread 'Audio bursts at beginning of videos & self adjusting sound'

Jan 23, 2026

sudo vim /etc/default/grub

GRUB-CMDLINE_LNUX_DEFAULT: Add snd_hda_intel.power_save=0 and snd_hda_intel.power_save_controller=N inside the double quotation marks at the end of the line.

sudo update-grub2
After restarting, check if it is cat /sys/module/snd_hda_intel/parameters/power_save_controller N?
cat /sys/module/snd_hda_intel/parameters/power_save 0?

Check if it's normal.

• zhangheng

 

[DanielLo]

Yep, that’s a pretty common issue with Ubuntu and onboard audio. Try increasing the audio buffer size in PulseAudio or switching to the ALSA backend. Also, make sure your system is fully updated-usually no extra drivers are needed.