How to Fix Audacity’s “Error While Opening Sound Device” Issue in Windows 10 & 11
Audacity is usually great software for editing audio. However, it’s not so wonderful when the “error while opening sound device” error occurs. Some users see that error message when they select to record or play in Audacity.
Audacity isn’t much use when you can’t record or play music with the software because of the “error while opening sound device” issue. There are numerous ways you can feasibly resolve that Audacity recording/playback error in Windows. This is how you can fix the “error while opening sound device” issue.
1. Enable Desktop Apps to Access Microphone
You can’t record with Audacity if microphone access for that app is disabled. So, the first thing you should check is the microphone access settings in Windows. Check the microphone is enabled for Audacity like this:
2. Check Sound Devices Are Enabled
The “Error while opening sound device” issue can arise because playback or recording devices are disabled. So, make sure the devices you’re trying to utilize with Audacity are fully enabled and set to default. This is how you can check your sound devices are enabled in Windows:
3. Check Audacity’s Device Settings Match up With Your Default Devices
The device settings in Audacity need to match up with those you’ve set on the Sound window. So, check those settings match up like this:
4. Change Audacity’s Sample Rate
The “Error While Opening Sound Device” issue can sometimes arise because Audacity’s sample rate doesn’t match that of your recording microphone. Some Audacity users have said they were able to fix this error by adjusting the sampling rate. This is how you can change Audacity’s sample rate.
5. Turn Off Software Playthrough
Audacity’s Software playthrough setting can cause recording issues when selected. So, that’s another option you should check when trying to fix the “Error while opening sound device” issue. Follow these steps to deselect Software playthrough.
6. Restart the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder Service
Some Audacity users confirm restarting the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder service fixes this issue. Restarting that service will refresh your PC’s sound controls. This is how you could restart Windows Audio Endpoint Builder:
7. Update Your PC’s Audio Device Driver
If none of the above possible fixes do the trick, try updating your PC’s sound driver. The issue could be arising because your PC’s sound driver is outdated or corrupted. Our guide onupdating audio drivers on Windowsincludes instructions for applying this potential solution.
8. Reinstall Your PC’s Audio Driver
Should you find your PC’s audio driver isn’t outdated, try reinstalling it instead. This is how you can reinstall the sound driver:
There could also be an issue with the driver for the microphone you’re trying to utilize when Audacity’s recording isn’t working right. So, consider reinstalling the driver for the audio input device as well. You can do so by double-clicking theAudio inputs and outputscategory and selecting to uninstall the microphone from there.
Get Back to Recording and Playing Audio in Audacity
Applying those potential resolutions will likely fix the “Error while opening sound device” issue in most cases. Then you can get back to recording/playing audio in Audacity. If those potential fixes aren’t enough, there could be a hardware issue with your PC’s sound card or some of the audio devices you’re trying to utilize with Audacity.
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