Headphone issues on my laptop

Hey everyone. So, I've been dealing with this annoying audio issue on my laptop for a few days now, specifically with my headphones. The speakers work just fine. Everything was totally normal until about a week ago, and I haven't changed a single thing with the laptop or the headphones themselves, but suddenly it won't recognize them at all. When I plug them in, the sound keeps coming out of the speakers like they aren't even connected, and they don't show up anywhere in the Intel settings.
It’s definitely not the headphones because I already tried two other pairs and had the same luck.
My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 15 and everything else functions perfectly. Could it be an issue with the Intel drivers?

Anyway, if anyone knows how to fix this, I could really use some help! 😕

Look, no matter how sure you are that you plugged those headphones in all the way, give it another shot. Don't force it—you don't want to snap anything—but try giving it a slightly firmer push to make sure they actually seat properly. Maybe give the jack a little twist too; there might just be some dust or junk stuck in there preventing a solid connection.

It’s also possible the internal contact inside the jack got bent, though honestly, I’ve never messed around with fixing stuff like that myself.

Or, it could be a software glitch. Check that Intel software you're using; see if there’s an option to automatically mute the speakers when headphones are plugged in...

Gave it another shot, but no luck—still nothing. I couldn't even find that option you mentioned, but thanks a ton for getting back to me so fast! The thing is, I can't quite remember if the headphones used to fit all the way in before, or if there was always a little gap like there is now. So, maybe it’s just a physical fit issue rather than an Intel driver problem like I thought? I honestly have no way of knowing for sure. I think I'm gonna call it quits for now though. Thanks anyway!