Windows 11 screen recording has no sound? How to fix it

If your Windows 11 screen recording has no sound, first decide which sound is missing: your microphone (your voice) or your system audio (what the PC plays). They fail for different reasons. In Snipping Tool, both are off unless you switch them on before you press Start.

Most guides lump the two together, which is why their fixes feel random. Play back your recording, note what you can and cannot hear, then jump to the matching section below.

First: is it the microphone or the system audio?

• You hear the video but not your voice: the microphone was not recorded. Go to the Snipping Tool or Game Bar section, then to "Fix a silent microphone".
• You hear your voice but not the app, video or game: system audio was not recorded. Go to the recorder section, then to "Fix missing system audio".
• The file is completely silent: start with your recorder's audio settings. Both sources are probably switched off.
• There is sound, but it is muffled or robotic: you are probably using a Bluetooth headset. See the headset note under system audio.

How to fix no sound in Snipping Tool recordings

Snipping Tool recorded video only until Microsoft added audio in version 11.2307.44.0. Every current Windows 11 install should have a newer build, but an old or offline PC may not. The audio controls are easy to miss because they sit in the small toolbar above your selection.

1. Update Snipping Tool. Open the Microsoft Store, go to Library and install any update for Snipping Tool. If you do not see a microphone or speaker icon in the recording toolbar, your version is too old.
2. Press Win + Shift + R, then drag around the area you want to record.
3. Before pressing Start, look at the toolbar above the selection. Click the microphone icon to include your voice and the speaker icon to include system audio. A struck-through icon means that source is off.
4. To make this permanent, open Snipping Tool, click the three dots, open Settings, and turn on the two options that include microphone input and system audio by default when a screen recording starts.
5. Record a ten-second test, stop, and play it back before you record the real thing.

Snipping Tool records the default input and output devices. If your voice is missing even with the microphone icon on, the problem is the device itself; see "Fix a silent microphone" below.

Fix no sound in Xbox Game Bar recordings

Game Bar has its own audio settings, separate from Snipping Tool's. They live in Windows Settings, not in the overlay.

1. Open Settings, then Gaming, then Captures.
2. Turn on the option to record audio when capturing.
3. Choose which audio to capture. "Game" records only the app you are capturing. Pick the option that includes all audio if you also need other apps, system sounds and your microphone.
4. Check the microphone and system volume sliders on the same page. A slider at 0 records silence even when everything else is right.
5. While recording, open the Game Bar (Win + G) and check that the microphone button in the capture widget is not muted. You can also toggle it with Win + Alt + M.

Game Bar also refuses to record the desktop and File Explorer at all, which people sometimes mistake for an audio problem. If the capture button is gray, read our page on Xbox Game Bar's recording limits.

Fix missing system audio

If your voice is there but the app is silent, the recorder could not hear what Windows was playing. Check these in order:

The sound is playing on a different device

Recorders capture the default output device. If a video plays through your monitor's speakers while your default device is a headset, the recording stays silent. Open Settings, then System, then Sound, and make sure the device you are actually listening to is selected under Output.

The app is muted in Volume Mixer

Windows can mute individual apps. Open Settings, System, Sound, then Volume mixer, and check that the app you are recording is not muted or turned all the way down. A browser tab can also be muted on its own: right-click the tab and look for "Unmute site".

An app has taken exclusive control

Some audio software takes exclusive control of a device so nothing else can use it, including your recorder. Press Win + R, type mmsys.cpl and press Enter. On the Playback tab, open your device's Properties, go to Advanced, and clear "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device". Do the same for your microphone on the Recording tab.

You are using a Bluetooth headset

When an app opens a Bluetooth headset's microphone, Windows switches the headset to a hands-free mode with much lower audio quality. That is why recordings through a Bluetooth headset can sound muffled. For a clean recording, use the headset for listening only and record your voice with a wired or USB microphone.

Older recorders need Stereo Mix

Modern recorders capture system audio directly. Some older tools can only record an input device, so they need Stereo Mix, a virtual input that carries everything the PC plays. Open mmsys.cpl, go to the Recording tab, right-click an empty area, tick "Show Disabled Devices", then right-click Stereo Mix and choose Enable. If it never appears, your audio driver does not provide it; this is common with the generic Microsoft driver.

Fix a silent microphone

If system audio is fine but your voice is missing, Windows is usually blocking the microphone or using the wrong one.

• Privacy settings. Open Settings, Privacy & security, then Microphone. Turn on "Microphone access" and "Let desktop apps access your microphone". Without the second switch, desktop recorders get silence.
• Wrong input device. In Settings, System, Sound, check which device is selected under Input. Laptops often default to the built-in array microphone even when a headset is plugged in.
• Input level. Click your input device and use "Test your microphone". If the level bar barely moves, raise the input volume.
• Hardware mute. Many headsets and USB microphones have a mute button or a flip-to-mute boom. Check it before you change any software.

Audio is recorded but out of sync

If the sound drifts further from the picture the longer the recording runs, your PC is probably dropping frames while it encodes. Close heavy apps, record at 30 fps instead of 60, and save the recording to a different drive from the one you are reading from. If the picture itself also stutters, treat it as a performance problem rather than an audio one.

When the built-in recorders are not enough

For a quick clip, Snipping Tool with both audio toggles on is genuinely enough. If you record tutorials or product demos, you will probably want the microphone and system audio as separate, adjustable tracks, plus a way to fix mistakes without recording again. Screen Crisp records your microphone, system audio and an optional webcam in one take, then lets you edit everything on a timeline. For the built-in options step by step, see how to screen record on Windows 11 with audio.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my Snipping Tool recording have no sound?

Snipping Tool records audio only when you switch it on. Before pressing Start, click the microphone icon for your voice and the speaker icon for system audio in the toolbar above your selection. If the icons are missing, update Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Store.

Can Windows 11 record internal audio without a microphone?

Yes. Snipping Tool's speaker toggle and Game Bar's capture settings both record what the PC plays without using a microphone. Leave the microphone off if you only want the app's sound.

Why is my screen recording audio muffled?

The most common cause is a Bluetooth headset. When its microphone is in use, Windows switches it to a low-quality hands-free mode. Record your voice with a wired or USB microphone and keep the headset for listening.

Where is Stereo Mix in Windows 11?

Open the Sound control panel (mmsys.cpl), go to the Recording tab, right-click an empty area and choose "Show Disabled Devices". If Stereo Mix still does not appear, your audio driver does not provide it.

Why does Game Bar record my game but not my voice?

Game Bar's microphone is off by default. Turn it on in the Game Bar capture widget, or press Win + Alt + M while recording, and check the microphone volume in Settings, Gaming, Captures.