To enable Stereo Mix on Windows 11, press Windows key + R, type mmsys.cpl, and open the Recording tab. Right-click an empty area, check Show Disabled Devices, then right-click Stereo Mix and select Enable. Stereo Mix only appears if your audio driver provides it. If it isn’t there, you can still record what your PC plays with Audacity’s WASAPI loopback, which works on almost any Windows PC.
This covers Windows 11 Home and Pro, including version 26H2, which Microsoft released on September 29, 2026, and earlier versions such as 24H2 and 25H2. The Audacity steps follow Audacity’s own support pages and manual.
Audacity 4 is the current release. The Audio Setup and WASAPI loopback steps work in Audacity 4 and 3.x, but menu paths such as Transport > Transport Options are from Audacity 3.x, and Audacity 4 moved those options.
What Is Stereo Mix?
Stereo Mix is a recording input that captures whatever your PC is playing, such as a video, a game or a call, so a recording app can use it like a microphone. It comes from your sound card’s driver, not from Windows itself, and it’s often disabled or hidden by default.
It doesn’t always use the same name. The Audacity Manual lists names like “Stereo Mix,” “Wave Out,” “Sum,” “What U Hear” and “Loopback,” depending on your sound device. Many newer laptops and desktops don’t have it at all, because manufacturers ship audio drivers without it.
Which method should you use? Try Stereo Mix if you want any recording app to treat your PC’s sound as a microphone. Use Audacity’s loopback if Stereo Mix is missing, or if you listen through USB, Bluetooth or HDMI audio.
How to Enable Stereo Mix on Windows 11
- Press Windows key + R, type mmsys.cpl, and press Enter. The classic Sound window opens on the Playback tab. (Other ways to open it are in how to get to the Sound control panel.)
- Select the Recording tab. Your microphones and other inputs are listed.
- Right-click an empty area of the list and check Show Disabled Devices. Right-click again and check Show Disconnected Devices. Hidden inputs, including Stereo Mix if your driver has it, appear in gray.
- Right-click Stereo Mix and select Enable. Its icon is no longer grayed out.
- Optional: right-click it again and select Set as Default Device if you want apps to pick it automatically. Select OK to close the window.
If you make Stereo Mix the default, switch your microphone back to default when you’re done. Otherwise video-call apps may send your PC’s sound instead of your voice.
You can also reach the same window from Settings > System > Sound: scroll to Advanced and select More sound settings, which is the route Microsoft’s sound troubleshooting guide uses. Right-clicking the speaker icon on the taskbar and selecting Sound settings gets you to the same Settings page.
The Playback tab in this window is also where you turn on sound equalization in Windows 11.
On Windows 10, which reached end of support on October 14, 2025, the same steps work: press Windows key + R, type mmsys.cpl, and open the Recording tab.
How to Record With Stereo Mix
- Open your recording app, such as Audacity or a screen recorder. Find its input or microphone setting.
- Choose Stereo Mix as the input. The app now listens to your PC’s output instead of a mic. In Audacity, select the Audio Setup button, set Host to MME or Windows DirectSound, then pick Stereo Mix as the recording device.
- Play the audio you want and start recording. The recording meter moves with the sound.
Two tips from the Audacity Manual matter here. First, play the audio through the same sound device that provides Stereo Mix. Stereo Mix on your built-in sound card can’t capture audio playing through HDMI, USB or wireless headphones and speakers. Second, in Audacity, make sure Transport > Transport Options > Enable audible input monitoring is unchecked, or you’ll hear and record echoes.
If Stereo Mix Isn’t Listed
If Stereo Mix doesn’t appear even with disabled devices shown, your audio driver probably doesn’t include it. Try these:
- Look for another name. Check the Recording tab for What U Hear, Wave Out, Sum or Loopback.
- Check your audio maker’s control panel. The Audacity Manual notes that some Realtek-style panels hide Stereo Mix behind a settings (wrench) icon or an option such as “Enabled recording multi-streaming.”
- Update the audio driver. Get it from your PC or motherboard maker, or from the audio-chip maker, never from a “driver download” site. Microsoft’s steps use Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers, then Update driver. There’s more detail in installing an audio driver in Windows 11.
- Use loopback recording instead, described below. It doesn’t need Stereo Mix at all.
Record PC Audio Without Stereo Mix
Windows has its own way to capture what’s playing. Microsoft’s loopback recording documentation explains that apps using WASAPI (the Windows Audio Session API) can record the mix a playback device is playing, whether or not the sound card has a Stereo Mix input. You need an app that supports it, and Audacity does.
Use Audacity’s WASAPI loopback
Download Audacity only from its official site, audacityteam.org. The Audacity Manual calls this the recommended way to record computer playback on Windows:
- Open Audacity and select the Audio Setup button on the toolbar. A menu of audio options opens.
- Set Host to Windows WASAPI. The device lists update.
- For the recording device, pick the loopback input for the device you listen on, such as Speakers (loopback).
- If Audacity shows an error, set the channels to 2 (Stereo) Recording Channels.
- Start playing your audio, then select Record. Audacity’s support site notes that WASAPI can’t start recording until audio is playing.
Loopback capture is fully digital, so it avoids the extra conversion Stereo Mix can involve. It also works with USB and wireless playback devices. Windows notifications and other sounds playing on the same device get recorded too, so mute them first. Recording pauses while nothing is playing and resumes when sound starts again.
If the audio is narration for slides, you can insert the exported file and do a voiceover on PowerPoint with it.
Record your screen with sound
If you want video too, a screen recorder can capture system audio. Windows 11 has built-in screen recording options for that.
How to Save Your Recording as an Audio File
In Audacity, make a short test recording before a long one:
- Play the PC audio, select Record, and check that the waveform moves. Select Stop after a few seconds and play the clip back.
- Choose File > Export Audio, pick a format such as WAV or MP3, choose a file name and folder, and select Export.
- Open the exported file in a media player and check its sound and length. To edit it later, also save the project with File > Save Project. Audacity’s saving and export guide explains the difference between a project and an audio file.
Need a mono file? The Audacity Manual uses Tracks > Mix > Stereo Down to Mono before you export.
If Stereo Mix Is Enabled but Silent
- Check the level. Right-click Stereo Mix, select Properties, open Levels, and make sure it isn’t muted or at zero. On the General tab, Device usage should say Use this device (enable).
- Match the playback device. Play audio through the speakers or jack that belong to the same sound card as Stereo Mix.
- Allow microphone access. Windows treats Stereo Mix as a recording device, so turn on Microphone access and your app’s switch in Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. For more on those switches, read about allowing app permissions in Windows 11.
- Protected content records as silence. Loopback capture can’t record DRM-protected streams, and some streaming apps block capture on purpose.
- Try loopback. Some drivers expose Stereo Mix but record silence. WASAPI loopback avoids that problem.
How to Turn Stereo Mix Off
Open mmsys.cpl, select the Recording tab, right-click Stereo Mix, and select Disable. If you set it as the default, first right-click your microphone and select Set as Default Device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Stereo Mix record my microphone too?
No. Stereo Mix captures what your PC plays. To record your voice and PC audio together, most apps need two sources, such as your mic plus Stereo Mix or a loopback input.
Why did Stereo Mix disappear after an update?
A driver update can replace the version that included Stereo Mix. Check the Recording tab with disabled devices shown. If it’s still gone, the Roll Back Driver button on the driver’s Driver tab in Device Manager can restore the previous driver, or you can reinstall your PC maker’s audio driver.
Can I hear audio on two devices with Stereo Mix?
That’s a different task. Here is how to use two audio outputs at the same time on Windows 11.
Is recording PC audio legal?
The Audacity Manual warns that copyright or website restrictions may limit what you can record or share. Record only audio you have the right to record, and remember that recording other people’s calls has legal limits that vary by location.
Next step: make a 10-second test recording and play it back before you capture anything important.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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