How to Fix Audacity Not Working on Windows 11

By Utpal Raj Add a Comment 11 Min Read
How to Fix Audacity Not Working on Windows 11

Audacity is a popular user-friendly open-source audio editing software that has long been a go-to tool in Windows 11 for music enthusiasts, professionals in creating audio recordings for tasks such as music production, and numerous individuals who voiceover for YouTube content. Yet, some users have encountered compatibility issues, leading to Audacity not working as smoothly as expected in Windows 11.

As reported by crowds, audacity often falls short in capturing desktop audio, even when recording is in progress. In addition, it may present error messages and cryptic codes, including the annoying ‘9999’ error. If you find yourself clashing with similar issues while using Audacity on your Windows 11 computer, fear not; this article will help you get rid of it.

Fix Audacity Not Working on Windows 11

Here are some effective solutions to address Audacity not functioning correctly on Windows 11. Make sure to carefully attempt each of the suggested workarounds to determine which one works for you:

1. Close All the Recording Apps Before Running Audacity

The simplest way to resolve the issue of Audacity not working on Windows 11 is to ensure that you close all other recording and communication applications before launching Audacity. This is essential because other recording software, such as Skype, Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom, utilize the microphone and other audio devices to facilitate communication with other users.

If you’ve any communication apps running in the background while attempting to use Audacity, conflicts can arise and prevent Audacity from functioning properly. To resolve this, try closing any similar apps that may be running on your PC and see if this resolves the issue.

1. To access the Task Manager, right-click on the Start button and select it from the menu that appears. Alternatively, you can press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys simultaneously to open the Task Manager.

Opening Tast Manager from Power Menu

2. Scroll through the list of apps in the Processes section and look for any recording app that may accidentally running.

3. If you spot any active recording apps, right-click on them and choose End task. Alternatively, you can close them by clicking the (X) if they are open in a Window.

End Task of Recording Software

4. Once you’ve closed all recording apps, close the Task Manager, also.

5. Next, launch Audacity and verify if it’s successfully recording your tracks or not.

2. Enable Microphone Access for Audacity

Audacity needs to work seamlessly on Windows 11, especially if you’re facing difficulties while recording audio. Audacity may not function properly on Windows if it doesn’t have permission to access your microphone.

To address this, it’s essential to grant the necessary permission to access your microphone. Without these permissions, Audacity, as a digital audio editor, cannot efficiently capture audio.

When trying to record audio using Audacity and encountering the ‘Error opening recording device. Error code – 9999 unexpected host error,’ then you can try to enable microphone access on your Windows 11 computer for Audacity.

Here’s how you can do so:

1. Open Settings by pressing the Windows + I key.

2. Select Privacy & Security from the left sidebar.

3. Scroll down through the options and locate Microphone under App permissions.

Microphone Settings

4. Here, turn on the toggle next to Microphone Access and also look for Audacity, then turn on the toggle right next to it.

5. Restart your Windows PC to confirm Audacity’s functionality. Once you’ve done so, try recording your tracks.

Microphone Access

3. Select the Correct Microphone on Audacity

If you’re having trouble getting Audacity to work on Windows 11, one of the things you should check is the microphone selection. Audacity may be trying to use a microphone that is not connected or is not enabled.

To select the correct microphone in Audacity and fix the issue of Audacity not working on Windows 11, you first need to check if you’ve connected the external microphone to your system.

Then, follow the steps below to set it as the recording device in Audacity.

1. Open Audacity on your System.

2. Click the Edit menu from the options panel.

3. Select Preferences when the options prompt. Alternatively, press Ctrl + P to open Preferences in no time.

Audacity Preferences Settings

4. As soon as you click Preferences, a new window prompts; click the Audio Settings from the left side panel.

5. In the right-side panel, navigate to the Recording section and select the microphone of your choice from the drop-down menu labeled Device.

6. Click OK to save your changes.

Audacity Audio Settings

If you’ve more than one microphone connected to your computer, you can test which one is the correct one by speaking into each one by seeing which one produces the green waveform in the Audacity window.

Note

If you’re using an external microphone, make sure that it is properly plugged into your computer.

4. Update Microphone Driver

An outdated or corrupted microphone driver can cause Audacity to not work on Windows 11. This issue arises because Audacity relies on the microphone driver to facilitate audio recording.

Updated microphone drivers can enhance Audacity’s performance by optimizing its interaction with your microphone hardware, resulting in improved recording quality and reduced latency. Updating the microphone driver is a viable solution.

Follow the steps below to do so.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.

Open Device Manager

2. Expand the Sound, video and game controllers option by clicking the arrow left to it.

3. Right-click on your microphone and select Update driver when the menu pops up.

Update Audio Device Manager

4. As soon as you click on Update driver, a small window will prompt on your screen; select Search automatically for updated driver.

Update Audio Drivers

5. Windows will search for and install the latest driver for your microphone.

5. Install FFmpeg import/export library

Audacity is a versatile tool that not only records audio but also provides audio editing capabilities. If you’re encountering errors when importing or exporting recorded audio in Audacity, it’s likely because the FFmpeg Library is not installed.

This library is crucial as it enables Audacity to work with a wide variety of audio formats, including M4A (AAC), AC3, and WMA. To resolve the import and export errors in Audacity, you need to install the FFmpeg Library. You can follow our linked guide for instructions on how to do so.

6. Force Close & Restart Audacity

Sometimes, it is possible that due to a software glitch, the Audacity application’s interface might not be functioning properly. To fix this, you can try force-closing and then restarting the Audacity app on your PC. This may resolve the issue quickly.

To do so, follow the steps below.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.

2. Look for the Audacity task within the Task Manager.

3. Right-click on Audacity and select End task from the menu that appears.

4. After that, relaunch Audacity and it should fix the issues.

End Audacity Task

7. Check for Audacity Update

Software updates often include bug fixes and performance improvements. Checking for updates within Audacity is a good practice as it ensures you’re running the latest version.

To check and install the latest Audacity update, follow the steps below:

1. Open Audacity and click on the Help menu.

2. Select the Check for Updates option from the drop-down menu.

Check for Updates on Audacity

3. If there is an update available, you will get an option to download and install it.

4. Alternatively, you can directly install the Audacity update from the official website.

Audacity Update

5. Once the update has been downloaded, open Audacity and check if it’s working.

8. Reinstall Audacity

If none of the above-mentioned methods fixes the issue, then you should try uninstalling and reinstalling Audacity. This method involves removing all associated data related to Audacity from your computer and, hopefully, will resolve all the issues causing Audacity not to work on Windows 11 PCs.

To do this, follow the steps outlined below.

1. Quit Audacity if it is running.

2. Now, click on the Start button, type Control Panel, and open it.

3. Click on Uninstall a program under Programs.

Uninstall a Program

4. Find Audacity in the list of programs, and click on it.

5. After that, click on Uninstall.

Uninstall Audacity

6. Now, confirm the uninstallation by clicking the Yes button.

7. After that, download Audacity and install it on your device again.

Audacity Uninstall

Conclusion

That’s it. This is how you can fix Audacity when it’s not working on Windows 11. Audacity is a versatile audio editor for Windows, known for its smooth performance. However, like any software, it may encounter occasional issues, such as audio recording problems. If you’ve come across these challenges, following the troubleshooting methods outlined above should help you resolve them.

But what if you’re still unable to fix the issues? In such cases, you can explore Audacity alternatives for audio recording and editing. Options like WavePad Audio Editor, Adobe Audition, and OBS Studio can provide you with alternative solutions that might better suit your needs.

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He is a tech content writer with more than 2 years of experience. His work is published on many prominent tech websites. When he's not writing, you can catch him watching cricket match.
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