Windows expert Ed Bott finds a useful feature in Windows 7: you can play an external audio device through your computer’s speakers without any extra software using a simple configuration setting.
To activate the setting, you’ll need to plug the device into the Line In or microphone jacks, head to the Sounds panel, and then find the new Listen tab under the input jack. You’ll be able to direct the input from your iPod or other device to play directly from your speakers, an extremely useful feature if you’ve got a nice set of speakers connected to your PC.
Readers will note that you can always play your iPod’s music using iTunes, but this method works even if you connect a friend’s iPod or any other sound input you would like to use—and this method doesn’t require using any software.
Westy
Friday, July 31, 2009 at 11:26 AMSeriously, is this article really necessary?
Ying Lee
Friday, July 31, 2009 at 1:50 PMYou can play music from the PC’s line input! No way!
Haven’t we had that capability since Sound Blaster?
Jeez… Windows 7 is scrapping the bottom of the barrel to remarket features that users have always had.
Jack Miriklis
Friday, August 7, 2009 at 3:20 PMI actually use this sometimes, especially if i am at work.
I sync my iPod at home, but rarely charge it. So when my iPod (eventually) dies, I just plug it into my computer at work and let it charge, and continue listening without interruption.
It’s come in handy many times, particularly when I’m listening to an instructional podcast.
Byron Dowell
Monday, August 17, 2009 at 3:11 AMOnce again Microsoft bashing WITHOUT understanding. Yes, PC sound hardware has generally had the ability, UNTIL recently. Hardware makers started taking out the circuitry to do this to cut costs for apparently Microsoft had heard a lot of complaints about this and added a software solution that DOES NOT depend on hardware. http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman/archive/2009/08/04/a-few-of-my-favorite-win7-sound-features-capture-monitor-aka-listen-to.aspx
So for those who think this is nothing well no its not. But its attention to detail that you obviously missed and you’re attacking Microsoft for listening to its customers. Now that’s LAME.
Steven
Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 6:15 AMThis is using the headphones/line-in jack, right?
Is there a way to turn my iPod’s USB connection into a line-in jack, so I don’t have to connect anything else? (My car’s iPod FM-transmitter can do this, shouldn’t my computer do the same?)
Fernando Axmess
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 5:11 AMvery useful infomation. windows7 rocks Thanks
Jemi
Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 6:08 AMi use this feature to play my xbox 360 on my computer monitor with my computer speakers. win 7 rocks!
Christopher Kinard
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 7:01 AMMany thanks for this. I knew how to do it back in WinXP days but was lost in Win7.
Glad this feature was not taken out with the psycho crackdowns on music coping.
Phillip
Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 8:57 AMThanks. To answer another comment, this post was useful – with XP the feature was just there, with 7 (and Vista?), for whatever reason, the whole system has been made much more complicated and I needed pointing in the right direction.