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:

1. Activate the Windows Start menu and click the Settings button or pinned shortcut.
2. Next, click a Privacy tab or category within the Settings window.
3. Select the Microphone app permission option.

   

4. Toggle on the Microphone access option if you find that setting disabled.
5. Scroll down to Audacity on the app list below the Microphone access option.

   

6. Click Audacity’s toggle switch on if it’s off to enable mic access for that app.

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:

1. Open Run with its Win + R shortcut.
2. Then input mmsys.cpl inside Run’s command box.
3. Select OK to bring up a Sound window.
4. If the Playback tab shows a peripheral you’re trying to utilize in Audacity is disabled, right-click that device and select Enable.
5. Click Recording to switch to that tab.
6. Right-click the input recording device you want to utilize and select Enable if disabled.

   

7. Then right-click the playback and recording devices you need to utilize with Audacity and select Set as default devices and Set as Default Communication Device.

   

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:

1. Bring up the Audacity software.
2. Click Edit on Audacity’s menu bar.
3. Select Preferences to bring up a settings window.

   

4. Next, select the Devices tab.

   

5. Click the Playback Device drop-down menu to select your default playback device.
6. Then select your default recording device on the Recording Device drop-down menu.
7. Also, select Windows WASAPI on the Host drop-down menu if that option is set differently.
8. Select OK on the Preferences Devices window.

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.

1. First, open the Sound window as instructed for the first three steps of resolution two.
2. Right-click your recording device to select Properties.
3. Click Advanced to view that tab’s options. There you’ll see the sample rate of your sound device in the drop-down menu.
4. Next, open the Preferences window in Audacity as instructed for the first three steps of the third resolution above.
5. Then click the Quality tab.

   

6. Set the Default Sample Rate option there to match the sampling rate of your recording device.
7. Alternatively, you can change the sampling rate on the Default format drop-down menu for the recording device to match the one set in Audacity.

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.

1. Click Edit > Preferences in Audacity.
2. Select the Recording tab.
3. Deselect the Software playthrough of input if you’ve got that setting selected.

   

4. Click the Preferences window’s OK button.

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 can restart Windows Audio Endpoint Builder:

1. Press Win + S to activate Windows Search.
2. Enter services and open the Services app.

3. 

4. Right-click the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder service and select Restart.
5. If you find the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder service isn’t running, right-click it and select the Start context menu option instead.

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 on updating audio drivers on Windows includes 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:

1. First, activate the Power User menu with its Win + X shortcut.
2. Select Device Manager to access that tool’s window.
3. Click the small arrow beside the Sound, video and game controller category.
4. Right-click High Definition Audio device to select an Uninstall context menu option.

   

5. Select the Delete the driver for this software box on the Uninstall Device prompt.
6. Click Uninstall Device to confirm the action.

   

7. Restarting Windows should then automatically reinstall a sound driver on your PC. If not, click Action > Scan for hardware changes in Device Manager to reinstall the missing 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 the Audio inputs and outputs category 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.