How to Record Stereo Mix in Audacity

Stereo Mix is a Windows recording input that captures whatever your computer plays through its speakers or headphones. Audacity can record from it like a microphone. This guide covers how to enable the device, select it in Audacity, check the recording and fix the most common problems.

Before you start

• A Windows PC. Stereo Mix is a Windows device, and only some audio drivers provide it, most often Realtek onboard audio drivers. Many laptops and USB or Bluetooth headsets do not include it.
• Audacity installed. Recording runs locally on your computer. No account, upload or online service is involved, and project and exported files are saved wherever you choose on your drive.
• The audio you want to capture, ready to play through the computer's speakers or headphone output.
• Permission to record the material. Stereo Mix captures everything the computer plays, so a call or stream may include other people's voices. Get their consent and respect copyright.

Stereo Mix records the full system output, not a single app. Notification sounds, alerts and other playing audio will end up in the file too. Mute or close anything you don't want before recording.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Enable Stereo Mix in Windows

• Press Windows + R, type mmsys.cpl and press Enter to open the classic Sound dialog. In Windows 10 and 11 you can also reach it from Sound settings through the More sound settings link.
• Open the Recording tab.
• Right-click an empty area of the device list and turn on Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices.
• If Stereo Mix appears, right-click it and choose Enable.
• Click OK. To undo this later, right-click Stereo Mix and choose Disable.

Leave your normal microphone as the Windows default recording device. You only need to choose Stereo Mix inside Audacity.

2. Select Stereo Mix in Audacity

• Restart Audacity if it was open while you enabled the device. Audacity scans for devices when it starts. You can also use Transport > Rescan Audio Devices.
• In recent versions (3.2 and later), click the Audio Setup button on the toolbar. In older versions, use the Device Toolbar.
• Set Host to MME or Windows DirectSound.
• Set the recording device to Stereo Mix. The full name usually includes the driver name, for example Stereo Mix (Realtek Audio).
• Set recording channels to 2 (Stereo).

3. Match the sample rate

In the Windows Sound dialog, open Stereo Mix > Properties > Advanced. The Default Format there shows the device's sample rate, such as 48000 Hz. Set Audacity's Project Rate (bottom left in older versions, or Audio Settings in newer ones) to the same value. Matching rates avoids resampling and helps prevent errors when recording starts.

4. Record

• Turn off Software Playthrough (Transport > Transport Options) so Audacity doesn't play the captured audio back into itself.
• Click the recording meter to start monitoring, then play your audio briefly to check that the meter moves.
• Press Record (or R), start playback, and press Stop (or Space) when finished.
• Save the project if you want to edit later. Audacity 3.x saves projects as a single .aup3 file.

Check the output

• Play the recording back and listen for gaps, distortion or missing sound.
• Look at the waveform. A flat line means nothing was captured. Waves that hit the top and bottom edges mean the level was too high. View > Show Clipping marks clipped spots in red.
• With a stereo recording, check that both channels contain sound.

The recording level follows the system volume and the Stereo Mix level set in its Properties > Levels tab. If the peaks clip, lower one of these and record again, because clipped audio can't be fully repaired afterwards. Stereo Mix captures a digital copy of the output, so the quality depends on the source being played.

To save a usable file, export it from the File menu. Recent versions list Export Audio there, and older versions use File > Export with a format submenu. Choose the recording format that suits your use: WAV keeps the audio uncompressed, FLAC is lossless but smaller, and MP3 uses lossy encoding where a higher bitrate keeps more detail at the cost of file size. Check that the exported file opens and plays correctly in another player.

Common problems and next steps

Stereo Mix is missing from the list

If it doesn't appear even with disabled devices shown, your current driver probably doesn't provide it. The generic Windows driver often lacks it, while the manufacturer's driver may include it. Check your PC or motherboard maker's support page for the audio driver. If no driver offers Stereo Mix, use the WASAPI option below instead.

Use WASAPI loopback instead of Stereo Mix

Audacity can capture system audio without Stereo Mix. Set Host to Windows WASAPI and choose the recording device marked loopback for your speakers or headphones. This records whichever output device you choose, including USB and Bluetooth devices, and is often the simplest fix for the audacity stereo mix problems below.

The recording is silent

• Stereo Mix only hears the output of the sound card it belongs to. If you're listening through a USB headset, Bluetooth headphones or HDMI, it captures nothing. Switch playback to the built-in speakers or headphone jack, or use WASAPI loopback.
• Check that Stereo Mix isn't muted or set to zero in Properties > Levels.
• In Windows Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone, check that microphone access and access for desktop apps are turned on. Windows applies this setting to recording inputs.
• Confirm Audacity's capture source is Stereo Mix, not your microphone.

Error opening the recording device

Make sure the Project Rate matches the device's Default Format. Then try the other host (MME or Windows DirectSound) and close any app that may be using the device exclusively. In the device's Advanced tab, you can also turn off the option that lets applications take exclusive control.

Echo, doubled sound or your voice in the recording

Make sure Software Playthrough is off. In the Windows Recording tab, open your microphone's Properties > Listen tab and clear Listen to this device. Otherwise the mic is sent to the output and Stereo Mix records it too.

Not on Windows

macOS has no Stereo Mix. Recording system audio there usually requires a separate virtual audio driver, which you then select as Audacity's input. On Linux with PulseAudio or PipeWire, look for a monitor source for your output device and select it as the recording input.