Why my screen recording has no sound?
Check Audio Sources
One of the most common reasons for no sound in a screen recording is that system audio is not enabled in the screen recording software settings. Go into the settings of your recording program such as QuickTime, OBS, or ScreenFlow and make sure the box is checked to record system audio or internal audio. This allows the screen recording to capture any sounds playing on your computer like music, video audio, notification sounds etc. If this setting is disabled, the screen recording will be silent.
It’s also important to confirm the correct microphone or other audio input device is selected in the screen recording software. Make sure the program is capturing audio from the microphone you want to use rather than a different device or the default option. Test the selected microphone first to verify it is functioning properly before starting the screen recording. If the wrong input device is selected in the software, you may end up with a video that has no narration audio or other sounds you intended to include.
Checking these two audio sources settings within the screen recording program is often the solution if you end up with video that unexpectedly has no sound.
Audio Permissions
The recording software may need permission to access the microphone and audio devices. Check privacy settings to allow the software access to the mic and audio inputs. For example, in Windows 10 and 11, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and allow apps to access your microphone. You may need to specifically allow the screen recording app access. On Mac, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Microphone and check the box for the screen recording app to allow access.
On mobile devices, you need to enable microphone access for the recording app in your system settings. For iOS, go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone and toggle on microphone access. For Android, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > App Permissions > Microphone and allow microphone access. Granting proper audio permissions to your screen recording app is crucial for capturing audio.
Audio Drivers
Outdated, corrupt or incompatible audio drivers can cause no sound issues when screen recording (1). The audio drivers act as the interface between the operating system and your microphone, speakers, and sound card. If the drivers are outdated or have become corrupted, they may prevent proper audio recording and playback.
The recommended solution is to update your audio drivers to the latest compatible versions. You can check for driver updates in Windows Device Manager. Or visit your computer or audio device manufacturer’s website to download the newest drivers. Reinstalling the audio drivers often resolves sound problems during screen captures (2). Keeping your drivers up-to-date will help ensure glitch-free audio when recording your screen.
Sources:
(1) https://4ddig.tenorshare.com/video-tips/fix-screen-recording-no-sound.html
(2) https://www.movavi.com/learning-portal/screen-recording-no-sound.html
Software Settings
The screen recording software may have audio disabled or not properly configured. Check all audio settings are enabled with correct input selected. For example, in tools like OBS Studio, Bandicam, or Screencast-O-Matic, go into the audio settings and make sure the microphone or other audio input is checked and turned on. Sometimes the audio device needs to be manually selected if it is not auto-detecting properly. Test the audio settings by recording a short test video to confirm sound is working as expected before doing a full recording.
According to the Movavi learning portal, one fix is to check that your screen recording software is actually selected and enabled to capture audio: “If your screen-recording software isn’t selected, this is probably why you’re having trouble. Check the box to enable screen recording and you should be good to go” (source).
Hardware Issues
Faulty headphones, speakers, mics or audio connections can prevent sound from being recorded during screen captures. If the microphone, headphones or audio cables are defective, they may not properly pick up or transmit sound during recording. It’s a good idea to test your audio hardware like headphones and microphones on another system to isolate any component that could be malfunctioning.
For example, try plugging your headphones or mic into a different computer or device and check if you can hear audio playback and recording. If the hardware works on another system, then the issue is likely not caused by a defective component. However, if you still experience no audio on the other device, then the headphones, mic or cabling will need to be repaired or replaced.
Checking audio hardware on an alternate system helps determine if the no sound problem stems from your particular computer setup or from the external audio devices themselves. This can assist with troubleshooting and finding the root cause. By verifying the hardware first, you can then focus on software and settings as the next area to investigate.
Background Noise
Ambient noise like fans or air conditioning can often be picked up by your microphone and mask the system sounds you are trying to record. There are a couple ways to deal with background noise:
Use noise suppression features in your recording software or audio drivers. Many programs like Audacity have filters that can subtract steady background noises. You can also enable noise suppression in sound control panels on Windows 10 and 11 to reduce ambient static.[1]
Record your screen in a quiet environment without many sources of background noise. Turn off any fans, air conditioning, or other devices in the room while recording. Setting up acoustic foam panels can further dampen echoes and ambient sounds.[2]
Getting the microphone close to your mouth and using a pop filter can also help isolate your voice from any background noise being picked up. Overall, reducing background noise as much as possible while recording will give you clean audio capture.
[1] https://www.descript.com/blog/article/how-to-reduce-background-noise
[2] https://krisp.ai/blog/how-to-reduce-background-noise-microphone/
Audio Codecs
Incompatible or corrupted audio codecs may fail to properly encode the audio during screen recording, resulting in muted or missing sound in recordings
Audio codecs act as encoders and decoders to compress audio into a digital format. If an incompatible or corrupted codec is selected by the recording software, it may not be able to properly encode the audio from the microphone or system, causing sound issues.
For example, one Reddit user reported receiving a 64-bit codec missing error when trying to record audio during screen recordings after updating Office 365 [1]. This points to an audio codec compatibility issue.
To resolve codec-related problems, try reinstalling audio codec software packs or updating to the latest version. This refreshes the available codecs and decoders, which may resolve missing audio issues during recording [2].
Additionally, check that the screen recording software itself is up-to-date, as newer versions may contain fixes for audio codec compatibility.
System Resources
Insufficient RAM and CPU resources can cause laggy glitchy audio when screen recording [1]. When your computer is trying to handle multiple intensive tasks at once like screen recording, video editing, gaming, etc., it can max out the available RAM and CPU. This strains your system resources, and may result in choppy glitchy audio in your recordings and playback.
To avoid this, try closing any other programs running in the background that are using up a lot of system resources. Give priority to your screen recording software by providing it with sufficient RAM and CPU power. Having multiple browser tabs open, for example, takes up more RAM. So closing them can help direct more resources to your screen recording program and audio [2].
Reinstall Software
If other troubleshooting steps do not resolve the missing audio issue, try reinstalling the screen recording software. Sometimes corrupted program files or outdated versions can cause sound problems during recording. Fully uninstalling the software before reinstalling ensures any problematic files are completely removed. Be sure to follow the uninstall process in the application or look for an uninstaller utility. After uninstalling, download the latest version from the official website and reinstall. Check that microphone permissions are enabled for the app after reinstalling. Test recording audio again to see if the issue is fixed. Reinstalling can be an effective solution when audio is missing from screen recordings due to software conflicts.
Contact Support
For persistent unresolved audio problems, contact the software developer support for troubleshooting help. They may identify uncommon bugs causing no sound issues. Many screen recording apps like Parallels, Windows Snipping Tool, and QuickTime have online communities and dedicated support teams. Describing your setup in detail and when the problem started occurring can help them pinpoint the cause. Support agents may request system logs or ask you to try isolating the issue on a fresh user profile. If an application bug is confirmed as the root cause, they can escalate to developers for a permanent fix in the next release. With their experience troubleshooting diverse systems, developer support teams are best equipped to resolve persistent no sound problems.