Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesStart by identifying whether you have the wired HyperX Cloud III or the Cloud III Wireless: their Windows audio-device names differ, and only the Wireless model uses a USB dongle that may need pairing. Then check the selected playback and recording devices and the microphone mute control. For a Wireless dongle that works on another system but is not recognized by a PS5, HyperX recommends trying an externally powered USB hub.
Identify your Cloud III model and the problem
The wired Cloud III and Cloud III Wireless have different connection paths and Windows device names. Confirm which model you own before following a fix: Wireless pairing steps do not apply to the wired headset. The wired support documentation identifies a detachable microphone, a mic mute button, a USB adapter, and a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter. The Wireless support documentation covers a separate USB wireless dongle. These are different connection arrangements, so do not try to treat a dongle pairing issue as a wired audio-selection problem.
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| Model | Connection path covered here | Windows device name | Model-specific checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| HyperX Cloud III (wired) | USB headset connection | HyperX Cloud III | Set the playback and recording defaults; check the detachable microphone and its mute control. |
| HyperX Cloud III Wireless | USB wireless dongle | HyperX Cloud III Wireless | Set the playback and recording defaults; check mute; re-pair the headset and dongle if pairing was lost. |
Use the symptom to choose the relevant path:
- No playback on a Windows PC: check the playback device selection for your model.
- Microphone unavailable or silent: check the recording device selection and the physical mute control. On the wired model, also check that the detachable microphone is connected.
- Wireless headset and dongle no longer connect: use the Wireless pairing procedure below.
- Wireless dongle not recognized by PS5: test the dongle on another system before considering the PS5-specific workaround.
It also helps to separate a symptom from a suspected cause. “No sound” does not by itself show that the headset is defective or that a Wireless headset needs pairing. First establish whether Windows has selected the intended playback endpoint. A silent microphone is a separate path: confirm the recording endpoint and then check the microphone’s physical mute state. If only the Wireless dongle is involved, use the pairing steps only when pairing has been lost; the PS5 hub workaround applies to a different, narrower situation.
These checks are not a comparative test of wired and Wireless sound quality, durability, or value. HyperX’s support material reviewed for these issues documents different setup and recovery steps, not a reason to replace one version with the other. Choose the model-specific path based on the hardware and symptom you actually have.
#1 Best Overall
- Comfort is King: Comfort’s in the Cloud III’s DNA. Built for gamers who can’t have an uncomfortable headset ruin the flow of their full-combo, disrupt their speedrun, or knocking them out of the zone.
- Audio Tuned for Your Entertainment: Angled 53mm drivers have been tuned by HyperX audio engineers to provide the optimal listening experience that accents the dynamic sounds of gaming.
- Upgraded Microphone for Clarity and Accuracy: Captures high-quality audio for clear voice chat and calls. The mic is noise-cancelling and features a built-in mesh filter to omit disruptive sounds and LED mic mute indicator lets you know when you’re muted.
- Durability, for the Toughest of Battles: The headset is flexible and features an aluminum frame so it’s resilient against travel, accidents, mishaps, and your ‘level-headed’ reactions to losses and defeat screens.
Fix Windows playback or recording selection
HyperX’s PC setup instructions tell users to set the matching Cloud III device as both the default playback device and the default recording device. Open Windows Sound settings and the Sound control panel, then select the device name that matches your headset. Setting only playback or only recording may leave the other function routed elsewhere.
- Open Windows Sound settings and the Sound control panel.
- For the wired Cloud III, choose HyperX Cloud III as the default playback device and the default recording device.
- For Cloud III Wireless, choose HyperX Cloud III Wireless as the default playback device and the default recording device.
- Check playback and microphone operation again in the app or activity where the problem occurred.
Think of playback and recording as two separate selections, even though both are part of the same headset setup. If you can hear computer audio but other people cannot hear you, the playback selection alone does not confirm that the recording device is correct. Conversely, a working microphone does not demonstrate that playback is routed to the headset. Confirm both defaults using the endpoint name for your exact model.
If you use the wired Cloud III, do not select the Wireless endpoint just because the product family name looks similar. For Cloud III Wireless, do not select the wired endpoint. The model name matters in each field: verify it once for playback and again for recording. This is a useful first check, but it is not proof that every sound or microphone fault is merely a Windows setting.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →After changing the defaults, check the function that was failing in the same activity or application. For example, test playback where you first noticed the missing audio, and test the microphone in the call or recording use where it seemed silent. This helps establish whether the problem is now limited to a particular app rather than the overall Windows device selection.
If the headset works in other Windows audio uses but fails in only one game or calling app, the Windows default-device check has not resolved that app’s routing. The HyperX setup pages cited here do not document individual app menus, so check that app’s own input and output selections using its current instructions rather than assuming the headset or dongle is faulty. App-specific menu labels and behavior can vary, so do not infer a universal sequence from the Windows setup steps.
Check the microphone mute control
Wired Cloud III
Make sure the detachable microphone is present and connected. Check the headset’s mic mute button as well: HyperX’s Cloud III support documentation says the mute LED is lit when the microphone is muted and off when it is active. If the LED shows muted, toggle the control and test the microphone again.
Rank #2
- Comfort is King: Comfort’s in the Cloud III’s DNA. Built for gamers who can’t have an uncomfortable headset ruin the flow of their full-combo, disrupt their speedrun, or knocking them out of the zone.
- Audio Tuned for Your Entertainment: Angled 53mm drivers have been tuned by HyperX audio engineers to provide the optimal listening experience that accents the dynamic sounds of gaming.
- Upgraded Microphone for Clarity and Accuracy: Captures high-quality audio for clear voice chat and calls. The mic is noise-cancelling and features a built-in mesh filter to omit disruptive sounds and LED mic mute indicator lets you know when you’re muted.
- Durability, for the Toughest of Battles: The headset is flexible and features an aluminum frame so it’s resilient against travel, accidents, mishaps, and your ‘level-headed’ reactions to losses and defeat screens.
These are two distinct physical checks. A connected microphone can still be muted, and an unmuted headset cannot pass microphone audio through a microphone that is not present or connected. Look at the mute indicator rather than guessing from the absence of voice input. HyperX identifies the LED states as the indicator: lit means muted, and off means active. After checking those conditions, verify that Windows still has HyperX Cloud III selected as the default recording device.
Cloud III Wireless
Press the mic button to toggle microphone mute. Do not confuse this with mic monitoring: holding the button for three seconds toggles mic monitoring, a separate feature. If the microphone is muted, press the button rather than holding it for three seconds.
Mic monitoring and mute answer different questions. Mic monitoring is a feature toggled by a three-second hold; it is not the mute toggle. If the concern is that others cannot hear the microphone, press the button to toggle mute and check that Cloud III Wireless is selected for recording on the PC. Changing monitoring alone does not establish that the mic is unmuted or that Windows is using the headset as its recording device.
A selected recording device and an unmuted microphone are separate checks. Confirm both before treating a silent microphone as evidence of a connection fault. For the wired version, include the detachable-mic connection in that checklist; for Wireless, distinguish a button press from the three-second monitoring toggle.
Re-pair Cloud III Wireless with its dongle
Use this procedure only for Cloud III Wireless when its USB wireless dongle has lost pairing. HyperX’s manual-pairing instructions use the headset’s status LED and the dongle’s pinhole button to indicate pairing mode. This is not a setup step for the wired Cloud III, which has no wireless dongle in the connection path described here.
- Power off the headset.
- Hold the headset power button until its status LED blinks red and green rapidly.
- Plug the wireless USB dongle into the device you intend to use.
- Use a small tool to press and hold the button inside the dongle’s pinhole until the dongle LED blinks rapidly.
- Wait for both the headset and dongle LEDs to become solid. HyperX says the headset and dongle should then be paired.
The order and the LED states are useful checkpoints. Begin with the headset powered off, then hold its power button until the rapid red-and-green blink appears. The dongle must be plugged in so its pinhole button and status LED can be used; hold that button with a small tool until its LED blinks rapidly. Once both are in their rapid-blink states, wait for the two LEDs to turn solid. HyperX describes the solid lights as the indication that pairing is complete.
Rank #3
- Up to 120 Hours of Gaming on a Single Charge: Achieve up to 120 hours of gameplay on 2.4GHz. Push the limits even further with up to 200 hours in Bluetooth Mode.
- Works With PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Mac, and Mobile: Connect with the included USB-C or USB-A 2.4GHz dongle, Bluetooth, or Instant Pair with select OMEN laptops. Not compatible with Xbox.
- Connect via 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, or Instant Pair: Gain the convenience and versatility of wireless freedom with 2.4GHz wireless or Bluetooth connectivity. Instant Pair is also available with select OMEN gaming laptops, no dongle required.
- Audio Tuned for Your Entertainment: Angled 53mm drivers have been tuned by HyperX audio engineers to provide an optimized listening experience that accents the dynamic sounds of gaming.
- HyperX Signature Comfort: Comfort is in the Cloud III's DNA. HyperX signature memory foam in the headband and ear cushions wrapped in soft, premium leatherette make for a plush, comfortable fit all around.
If one of the two LEDs is not showing the state described in the procedure, do not assume the other device’s light confirms success. The documented completion check is that both LEDs become solid. If they do not reach that state, pairing has not been confirmed by this procedure. Keep this diagnosis separate from Windows device selection: the pairing sequence concerns communication between the Wireless headset and dongle, while the Windows defaults concern which endpoints the PC uses for playback and recording.
If the LEDs do not reach the solid state described in HyperX’s instructions, the pairing procedure has not confirmed a completed pairing. Do not substitute a wired-model setup step or assume that the PS5 hub workaround below repairs a pairing failure.
When a Cloud III Wireless dongle is not recognized by PS5
HyperX documents a specific PS5 recognition issue in which USB-port behavior can cause the wireless dongle to enter safe mode. Its support article notes that the issue may affect front ports on some PS5 models and all ports on others; it does not establish that every PS5, port, or Cloud III Wireless connection has this problem.
- Test the dongle on another system, ideally a PC.
- If the dongle works on that system but is not recognized by the PS5, try connecting it to the PS5 through a USB hub with its own external power supply. HyperX recommends an externally powered hub for this case.
- If the dongle also fails on another system, this PS5-specific workaround is not established as a fix for the problem. Contact HyperX Care for model-specific support.
- If the externally powered hub does not resolve the PS5 issue, contact HyperX Care.
The cross-device test matters: HyperX’s hub recommendation is for the dongle working on another device but failing on PS5. It is not a documented general fix for microphone faults, audio routing, lost pairing, or a dongle that fails everywhere. An externally powered hub means a hub with its own external power supply; a hub without that requirement is not the workaround HyperX specifies.
Use the test result to decide what the workaround can reasonably address. If the dongle is recognized on another system, ideally a PC, but fails on the PS5, the documented PS5-specific suggestion is to connect it through the powered hub. HyperX notes that the affected PS5 ports can vary by console model: its article describes front ports on some models and all ports on others. That qualification is why the result on another system matters more than simply moving the dongle from one PS5 port to another.
If the dongle does not work on another system either, the evidence does not match the condition for HyperX’s PS5 hub suggestion. Likewise, if the problem is that the headset and dongle need to be paired again, follow the pairing procedure rather than buying or adding a hub as a presumed pairing fix. HyperX recommends contacting HyperX Care if the cross-device test or powered-hub workaround does not solve the applicable problem.
Rank #4
- Comfort is King Comfort’s in the Cloud III’s DNA. HyperX signature memory foam in the headband and ear cushions wrapped in soft, premium leatherette make for a plush, comfortable fit all around.
- Audio Tuned for Your Entertainment Angled 53mm drivers have been tuned by HyperX audio engineers to provide the optimal listening experience that accents the dynamic sounds of gaming.
- Upgraded Microphone for Clarity and Accuracy Captures high-quality audio for clear voice chat and calls. The mic is noise-cancelling and features a built-in mesh filter to reduce disruptive sounds. It also features an LED mic mute indicator that lets you know when you’re muted.
- Durability, for the Toughest of Battles The headset is flexible and features a full metal frame so it’s resilient against travel, accidents, mishaps, and those ‘level-headed’ reactions to losses and defeat screens.
- Quick, Convenient Audio and Mic Controls: Dodge annoying in-game and system menus. Quickly adjust the headphone volume and mute your microphone with controls right on the Cloud III’s earcup.
The externally powered USB hub is the only physical product recommendation in these checks, and it is conditional rather than a first purchase to try. Establish that the dongle works elsewhere and fails on PS5 before considering it. The reviewed HyperX instructions do not establish that a replacement microphone, replacement dongle, adapter, or headset is needed, nor do they establish replacement compatibility or availability.
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Why settings made on a PC may not carry over
HyperX documents different NGENUITY behavior for the two models. On the wired Cloud III, settings configured in NGENUITY over USB are not saved onto the headset. On Cloud III Wireless, NGENUITY settings other than auto-power-off are software-side and do not carry over to another platform, such as a console. A setting that appears on a PC but not on a console may therefore reflect where that setting is stored, rather than a new connection fault.
| Model | What HyperX says about NGENUITY settings | Practical implication |
|---|---|---|
| Wired Cloud III | Settings configured over USB are not saved onto the headset. | Do not expect a PC-configured setting to be stored on the headset for use elsewhere. |
| Cloud III Wireless | Settings other than auto-power-off are saved software-side and do not carry over to another platform. | A setting configured on PC may not be present when using the headset on a console. |
This difference can help interpret an apparent settings change after switching platforms. For the wired model, the USB-configured NGENUITY settings are not saved to the headset. For Wireless, auto-power-off is the exception to the software-side settings behavior described by HyperX; other NGENUITY settings do not follow the headset to a different platform. This does not mean that all settings behave identically across both models.
Keep this caveat separate from basic audio routing. If the headset is silent on a Windows PC, first verify the correct playback endpoint; if the microphone is silent, verify the recording endpoint and mute state. The NGENUITY platform-storage explanation is relevant when a setting configured on a PC is absent after moving to a console, not a substitute for checking the Windows device selection or completing Wireless pairing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When these checks do not solve it
The official HyperX instructions covered here establish checks for Windows device selection, physical mic controls, Wireless dongle pairing, and a narrowly defined PS5 dongle-recognition issue. They do not establish a universal firmware reset, driver reinstall, Windows privacy-permission sequence, console-compatibility fix, or hardware repair procedure for every Cloud III fault. Avoid treating an undocumented reset or reinstall as the next required step; contact HyperX support for the applicable wired or Wireless model if the documented checks do not address the symptom.
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Before contacting support, keep the symptom and model clear: wired Cloud III or Cloud III Wireless; playback, microphone, pairing, or PS5 dongle recognition; and which documented checks you tried. For the PS5 case, note whether the dongle worked on another system and whether trying the externally powered hub changed recognition. For pairing, the relevant observable result is whether both LEDs became solid. These details describe the steps and outcomes without assuming a cause the checks have not established.
Best Value
- Up to 120 Hours of Gaming on a Single Charge: Achieve up to 120 hours of gameplay on 2.4GHz. Push the limits even further with up to 200 hours in Bluetooth Mode.
- Works With PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Mac, and Mobile: Connect with the included USB-C or USB-A 2.4GHz dongle, Bluetooth, or Instant Pair with select OMEN laptops. Not compatible with Xbox.
- Connect via 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, or Instant Pair: Gain the convenience and versatility of wireless freedom with 2.4GHz wireless or Bluetooth connectivity. Instant Pair is also available with select OMEN gaming laptops, no dongle required.
- Audio Tuned for Your Entertainment: Angled 53mm drivers have been tuned by HyperX audio engineers to provide an optimized listening experience that accents the dynamic sounds of gaming.
- HyperX Signature Comfort: Comfort is in the Cloud III's DNA. HyperX signature memory foam in the headband and ear cushions wrapped in soft, premium leatherette make for a plush, comfortable fit all around.
The relevant HyperX Support Center pages are “Configuración de Cloud III con PC” for wired PC audio selection, “Cloud III Wireless Setting up with PC,” “Cloud III Wireless Mic mute / Mic monitoring button,” “Cloud III Wireless – Manually pairing to wireless dongle,” “Wireless USB Dongle isn’t working (usually, on PS5),” and the Cloud III and Cloud III Wireless support categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my HyperX Cloud III microphone not working?
For either model, check that the matching headset is selected as the Windows default recording device and that the microphone is not muted. On the wired Cloud III, confirm that the detachable microphone is connected; its mute LED is lit when muted and off when active. On Cloud III Wireless, press the mic button to toggle mute. Holding it for three seconds toggles mic monitoring instead.
How do I fix no sound on a HyperX Cloud III?
On Windows, open Sound settings and the Sound control panel, then make the correct model endpoint the default playback device: “HyperX Cloud III” for wired or “HyperX Cloud III Wireless” for Wireless. Also verify the matching recording default if the microphone is affected. If sound fails only in one game or calling app, check that app’s own input and output selections using its current instructions.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →How do I pair my Cloud III Wireless headset with its dongle again?
Power off the headset and hold its power button until the status LED blinks red and green rapidly. With the dongle plugged in, use a small tool to hold the button inside its pinhole until the dongle LED blinks rapidly. Wait until both LEDs become solid; HyperX says the headset and dongle should then be paired. These steps are only for Cloud III Wireless.
Why won’t my HyperX wireless dongle work on PS5?
HyperX documents a PS5 USB-port behavior issue that can cause the Cloud III Wireless dongle to enter safe mode; affected ports may vary by PS5 model. Test the dongle on another system, ideally a PC. If it works there but not on PS5, HyperX recommends connecting it through a USB hub with its own external power supply. If it fails elsewhere too, this PS5-specific workaround is not established as a fix.
Do Cloud III settings made in NGENUITY carry over from PC to console?
Not generally, according to HyperX. Wired Cloud III settings configured in NGENUITY over USB are not saved onto the headset. For Cloud III Wireless, NGENUITY settings other than auto-power-off are software-side and do not carry over to another platform such as a console.
The Bottom Line
Match the troubleshooting steps to the exact Cloud III model. On Windows, select the correct playback and recording endpoints and check the model-specific mic control. Re-pair only Cloud III Wireless when pairing is lost. Consider an externally powered USB hub only when the Wireless dongle works on another system but is not recognized by PS5; for other unresolved problems, contact HyperX support rather than assuming an undocumented reset or repair is required.
Quick Recap
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