Why is my Screen Recorder not recording audio?

Check Your Screen Recorder Settings

The most common reason for a screen recorder not capturing audio is incorrect audio settings within the screen recording software itself. Here’s how to check your screen recorder audio settings:

OBS Studio

In OBS Studio, click Settings > Audio. Ensure the “Desktop Audio” and “Mic/Auxiliary Audio” checkboxes are enabled under Global Audio Devices. You may also need to select the correct audio input devices under Mic/Aux and set the volume levels appropriately.

Bandicam

In Bandicam, click the red recording rectangle > Audio tab. Make sure the “Record sound” checkbox is checked. Under Device, select the correct mic and speaker devices. Adjust input and output volume levels as needed. The “Record system sounds” option allows capturing system audio.

Camtasia (Windows)

In Camtasia Recorder, click the Audio button on the main toolbar. Verify microphone and system audio are enabled under Inputs and levels are adequate. Select audio quality as needed. Additionally check the project audio settings within Camtasia video editor.

Enable Microphone Access for the Screen Recorder

Many screen recorders require accessing your microphone in order to record internal and external audio. To enable this access on Windows, go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone and check the box next to your screen recorder app to allow access.

On Mac, open System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Microphone and check the box next to your screen recorder app to grant microphone access permissions.

Enabling microphone permissions allows the screen recording software to access, record and include microphone and system audio in your screen recordings. If microphone access is disabled or restricted, it often results in screen recordings with no audio.

Check your specific screen recorder’s documentation if you are still having issues enabling microphone access after granting permission in your operating system settings. Some recorders have their own privacy settings to allow microphone access.

For more help, see this guide on enabling microphone access on Windows 10.

Check Your Audio Input Device

To ensure your screen recorder is capturing audio properly, first check that you have the correct microphone or audio input device selected within your screen recording software settings.

In applications like Camtasia and QuickTime, there is typically an audio or microphone dropdown menu where you can specify which device to capture audio from. Make sure the desired microphone is selected here rather than the default input.

You may also want to check the audio input settings in your operating system’s sound control panel to set your microphone or headset as the default recording device. This will allow your screen recorder to automatically detect it.

Additionally, check for settings related to audio within your individual screen recording app itself. There may be toggles to enable or disable sound capture that need to be switched on.

Going through these basic audio configuration options can ensure your microphone gets detected properly during recording sessions.

Adjust Your System Volume Levels

To adjust your system volume levels, follow these steps:

Open the Start menu and type “Sound” to search for “Sound Control Panel.”
In the Sound Control Panel, click the “Recording” tab to open your available microphone inputs and volume controls.
Select the microphone device you are using, and raise the Volume level to max.

Next, click the “Playback” tab to open your desktop audio volume controls. Find “Speakers” and adjust the volume level to 50% or higher.

If your system volume levels are set too low, even if the screen recorder’s mic input level is high, the recorded audio may still come out very soft. Raising your overall system recording volume can help boost your audio levels. You can also adjust the application volume for programs that are capturing audio.

Troubleshoot Microphone Issues

Microphone issues are a common cause of no audio being recorded during screen captures. Here are some troubleshooting tips for microphone problems:

Make sure your microphone is set as the default recording device in your sound settings. Refer to this Apple discussion thread on how to check this.
Inspect your microphone for any physical damage or obstructions that could prevent it from picking up audio input.
Outdated, corrupt, or missing microphone drivers can also cause issues. Visit your microphone manufacturer’s website to download the latest drivers.

Test your microphone in another audio recording application to isolate whether the issue is with your screen recording software or the microphone.

Microphone permissions, conflicts with other programs, and driver problems are some of the most common reasons why you may not be capturing audio when screen recording. Thoroughly checking each of these potential problem areas can help identify and resolve the cause.

Update Your Audio Drivers

Keeping your audio drivers updated is important for ensuring proper audio functionality and screen recording capabilities on your computer. Outdated audio drivers can potentially cause a variety of issues, including no audio being recorded during screen captures. According to Avast, updating to the latest audio drivers often resolves microphone and recording problems.

To update your audio drivers on Windows:

Open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting it
Expand the “Sound, video and game controllers” section

Right click on your audio device and select “Update driver”
Select “Search automatically for updated driver software”
Allow Windows to install the latest driver for your device

Updating to the newest audio drivers can often fix missing audio in screen recordings. If issues persist after updating, you may need to reinstall or roll back to a previous audio driver version that was known to work properly.

Check for Third-Party Interference

It’s possible that third-party software like VPNs, chat apps, gaming clients, or security programs could be blocking your screen recorder from accessing your microphone.

Here are some common culprits that can interfere with audio recording:

VPN clients like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, IPVanish
Chat and meeting apps like Discord, Skype, Zoom
Game launchers like Steam, Epic Games Launcher, Origin

Security and anti-virus software like Avast, AVG, Bitdefender

Try temporarily disabling or uninstalling any third-party apps that could access your mic, then test if your screen recorder can properly record system audio.

If disabling a program fixes the issue, you’ll need to update the app’s settings to allow microphone access permissions.

Change Your Default Audio Device

To change your default audio device to enable screen recorder audio capture, complete the following steps:

Open the Start Menu and go to the Settings App. Within Settings, click “System”, then click “Sound” on the sidebar.
Under “Choose your output device”, select the desired audio device for playback. Often this will be your headphones or speakers. Then, you can test the selected device to confirm it is working properly.

Next, under “Choose your input device”, select the audio device you want your screen recorder to capture audio from. Typically this will be your microphone.
Click “Apply” to set the new default audio devices.

With the intended audio input and output devices set as the system defaults, your screen recorder should now be able to properly capture audio from your selected microphone as you record your screen. If issues persist, also check the microphone settings within your screen recorder software.

For more details, refer to: https://www.auslogics.com/en/articles/change-default-recording-device-in-windows-10/

Test with a Different Microphone

One way to troubleshoot audio recording issues is to test your screen recorder with a different microphone. This helps narrow down whether the problem lies with your screen recorder software, primary audio input device, or the microphone itself.

Try switching to a different microphone like a USB headset or external USB microphone. Or test using your computer’s built-in microphone. If you get the same audio recording issues when testing other microphones, the problem likely lies with your screen recorder settings or software.

However, if you find that audio does record properly using a secondary microphone device, then the issue could be with your primary microphone itself. It may indicate the problem lies with the microphone hardware, drivers, or software settings.

As an example, the Techsmith blog recommends trying a variety of microphones such as Blue, Rode, or Shure microphones for recording video. A microphone like a Shure MK7 boom microphone is a good performer for computer screen recording.

Testing with multiple microphones helps isolate and troubleshoot where the exact issue lies in the audio recording chain.

Reinstall Your Screen Recorder

If you have tried all other troubleshooting steps and your screen recorder is still not capturing any audio, reinstalling the software may resolve the issue. Here are the steps to cleanly reinstall your screen recorder application:

First, uninstall your current screen recorder software. On Windows, go to Start > Settings > Apps and locate the screen recorder app. Click “Uninstall”. On Mac, drag the app icon from Applications to the Trash.
Restart your computer to clear any remnants of the previous installation.

Download the latest version of your preferred screen recorder software from the official website. For example, download Camtasia or Bandicam.
Install the screen recording software like normal, following the on-screen setup prompts.
Once installed, open the screen recorder app and try to capture your screen and audio again.

Reinstalling will overwrite any corrupt files or registry entries that may be interfering with audio capture in the previous version. Just be sure to uninstall completely first before installing the fresh copy. If audio issues persist even after a clean reinstall, there is likely a deeper system issue at play.