January 30, 2023

Is OBS Studio Unable to Record Audio on Windows 11? Try These Fixes

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If OBS Studio records everything in silence, get it fixed with these tips for Windows 11 PCs.

OBS Studio is a free-to-use app that allows you to record gameplay and stream online. However, like any other application, it has its own share of flaws. Many users have reported that OBS Studio fails to record audio on their Windows 11 PC.

Luckily, it’s a very common issue and can quickly be resolved. Here are all the working solutions that will help you fix OBS Studio if it is unable to record audio.

1. Restart OBS Studio

Before getting into advanced troubleshooting, consider restarting OBS Studio. The best way is to launch the Task Manager and close all the OBS Studio-related processes.

Next, relaunch the OBS Studio and check if it is able to record audio. If not, it’s time for some more complicated fixes.

2. Launch OBS Studio With Administrative Rights

Oftentimes, issues in third-party applications occur due to a lack of administrative privileges. It can happen even when you’re using an administrator account on your computer.

The best way to resolve this problem is to configure OBS Studio to always launch as an administrator. To do that, follow the below steps:

1. Right-click on the OBS Studio icon and choose Properties from the context menu.
2. In the Properties window, switch to the Compatibility tab.
3. Check the Run this program as an administrator option.
4. Click Apply > OK to save the settings.

3. Unmute OBS Studio in the Settings App

OBS Studio will fail to record audio if it is muted in the Settings app. Here’s how to check and change OBS Studio sound settings in the Settings app.

1. Open the Settings app (see how to launch the Settings app on Windows) and choose System from the left sidebar.
2. Select Sound from the right pane.
3. Under the Advanced section, choose the Volume Mixer option.
4. Under the Apps section, unmute OBS Studio if muted and adjust the slider accordingly.
5. Also, click the drop-down icon next to OBS Studio, then choose the correct input device.

Restart OBS Studio and check if the problem persists.

4. Use the Correct Recording Device

Windows allows you to manually choose recording and playback devices. But if you’ve chosen an incorrect recording device in Settings, then you’re likely to face this issue. To fix this, you will have to configure the correct device as the default recording option. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Settings app, and head towards System > Sound.
2. Choose More sound settings under the Advanced section.
3. Switch to the Recording tab.
4. Right-click on the correct recording device and choose the Set as Default Device option from the context menu.
5. Click Apply and then OK.

5. Allow OBS Studio to Access Microphone

Windows 11 is big on privacy and security. The OS lets you allow or restrict apps from accessing certain services of your computer. For instance, you can restrict apps from using the microphone on your computer.

As such, if you’ve mistakenly restricted OBS Studio from accessing the microphone, then you’ll face audio issues. The solution here is to allow OBS Studio to access the microphone. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app and choose Privacy & Security from the left sidebar.
2. Under the App permission section, select the Microphone option.
3. Enable the toggle next to the Microphone access option.
4. Next, enable the toggle next to Let desktop apps to access your microphone option.

6. Change the OBS Studio Settings

OBS Studio lets you manually set audio devices and adjust their settings as per your preference. However, OBS Studio will be unable to record audio if you have chosen an incorrect audio device within its settings.

So, head toward the OBS Studio audio settings, and choose the correct audio device to solve the issue. Here are the steps to do it:

1. Launch OBS Studio and choose File from the top-left corner.
2. Choose Settings from the context menu.
3. In the Settings window, select Audio from the left sidebar.
4. Under the Global Audio Devices section, click the drop-down icon next to Desktop Audio and Desktop Audio 2 and choose Default in both options.
5. Next, click the drop-down icon next to Mic/Auxiliary Audio and Mic/Auxiliary Audio 2 and choose Default in both options.
6. Choose Apply > OK to save the changes.

7 . Adjust the Audio Mixer Settings

The next solution on the list is to adjust the audio mixer settings of the OBS Studio. Here’s how:

1. Open OBS Studio.
2. Under the Audio Mixer section, adjust the Mic/Aux slider to -2.1dB.
3. Click the three dots next to Mic/Aux and choose Properties.
4. Click the drop-down icon next to Device, select your default recording device and click OK.
5. Next, click the three dots next to Mic/Aux again and choose Advanced Audio Properties.
6. Under the Audio Monitoring tab, choose Monitor and Output for Desktop Audio and Monitor Only (mute output) for Mic/Aux.

8. Download the Latest Audio Driver Updates

A corrupt or outdated audio driver can also be a prime reason why OBS Studio is unable to record audio. To fix this, you will have to update the audio driver on Windows.

You can do that by following the below steps:

1. Press the Win + X hotkeys and choose Device Manager from the list.
2. Double-click the Sound, video, and game controllers node to expand it.
3. Right-click on your default recording device and select Update driver from the context menu.
4. Choose Search automatically for drivers option in the window that crops up.

Next, allow Windows to search for and download any available driver updates for your recording device.

9. Reinstall OBS Studio

Are you still facing the issue? If yes, then there’s something wrong with the OBS Studio installation file that’s causing the problem. The only solution, in this case, is to reinstall the OBS Studio.

Enjoy Uninterrupted Recording Again on OBS Studio for Windows

OBS Studio is everyone’s first choice to stream online, and there’s a strong reason behind it. But sometimes, misconfigured Windows or OBS Studio settings can cause the audio issue. Fortunately, you can quickly get rid of this issue by following the above fixes.

However, if you think it’s time for a change, there are a few OBS Studio alternatives that are worth a try.

Reference: https://www.makeuseof.com/obs-studio-unable-to-record-audio-windows-11/

Ref: makeuseof

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