Another cause for the sound not working on your Mac is hardware. There’s a chance that your speakers might not be working properly. Check to see if there’s anything plugged into the headphone jack on your Mac. Unplug the cord if there is and blow into the hole to clear some dust. If you see a red light on the headphone port, this indicates. Check your Launch Agents. It often happens, that some background processes, like invisible. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers. Double-click the audio device. Click the Driver tab. Click the Uninstall button. If prompted, restart Windows. Insert your Mac OS installation disk. If the installer window doesn’t appear automatically, click the Start button, then click Computer. Click the drive that contains the Mac OS. Change the sound input settings on Mac. If your Mac has separate ports for input and output, the sound input port has a microphone icon. If your Mac has only one sound port, it has a headphones icon and can be used for both input and output.You can use your computer’s internal microphone, your display’s microphone (if it has one), or an external microphone you plugged into your. Record any audio in a single click on PC and Mac. Enhance audio quality automatically while recording. Offer extensive bonus tools, like audio trimming. Needless to say, it is the best option to record audio when Audacity is not working.
- Sound On Mac Not Working After Update
- Sound Hdmi Mac Not Working
- Sound For Mac Is Not Working Windows 10
- Sound For Mac Is Not Working Better
“I used Audacity to copy tapes into digital audio files before; however, the Audacity recording is not working at all now, how can I fix this problem?” Audacity is an open-source audio solution with extensive functions including recording. It is a good way to convert music tapes into digital files or download online songs. According to our survey, some users reported that the recording function is not always working. Therefore, we share the troubleshooting to help users fix this problem quickly.
Part 1: Why Audacity Not Recording?
The common causes why Audacity is not recording include:
- 1. Audacity cannot recognize your microphone.
- 2. The recording settings are incorrect.
- 3. Something is wrong on your sound card.
- 4. Audacity is outdated or bug.
Part 2: 5 Solutions to Fix Audacity Not Recording
Solution 1: Check Microphone
Firstly, check your microphone and cable no matter you use internal or external device. Then update sound card driver. When Audacity is not recording on Windows 10, upgrade to version 1803 and enable the microphone in your Privacy settings: Open Settings in Start menu, go to Privacy, and turn on Microphone.
Solution 2: Show Disabled Devices
The issue that Audacity is not recording on Windows is usually due to the sound input is disabled. Youtube converter to mp4 for mac.
Step 1: Right-click on the audio icon in the system tray and choose Recording Devices to open the popup dialog.
Step 2: Locate the blank area and right-click you mouse. Then check both Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices.
Step 3: Right-click on Stereo Mix and Enable it.
Solution 3: Set up Audacity Correctly
On Mac:
Step 1: Go to the Audacity menu and choose Preferences.
Step 2: Locate the Devices tab and select the desired microphone from the Devices option under Recording.
Step 3: Back to the main interface, and switch to MME in the Audio Host option at upper left side.
On Windows:
Step 1: Choose Preferences from Edit menu in Audacity when it is not recording.
Step 2: Set the microphone in Devices tab and click OK.
Step 3: Then choose MME from Audio Host in main interface.
Solution 4: Use Simpler Audio Recorder:AnyMP4 Screen Recorder
Audacity is not the only way to record audio on desktop. AnyMP4 Screen Recorder is the best alternative to record audio on Windows and Mac. Moreover, it presets options according to your hardware.
Basic Features of the Best Alternative to Audacity
- 1. Record any audio in a single click on PC and Mac.
- 2. Enhance audio quality automatically while recording.
- 3. Offer extensive bonus tools, like audio trimming.
Needless to say, it is the best option to record audio when Audacity is not working.
How to Fix Audacity Not Recording with the Best Alternative to Audacity
Step 1: Install the best audio recorder
When Audacity is not recording, install the best alternative audio recorder to your hard disk. Then launch it and pick Audio Recorder to open the main interface. Advanced users can click the Gear icon to open the Preferences dialog and set custom options. For beginner, the audio recorder will optimize them according to your system.
Step 2: Record audio
There are two audio input, System Sound and Microphone. Enable and disable each one based on your need. To record online music, for example, turn on System Sound while disable Microphone. If you intend to capture sound through microphone, toggle System Sound off and turn on Microphone. Hit the REC button to start recording audio.
Step 3: Save audio recording
When recording is done, click the Stop button to open it in Preview window. Pre-listen to the recording and remove unwanted parts with the Clip tool. Finally, click on the Save button to save the audio recording to your hard drive.
More audio recording software like Audacity are here.
Solution 5: How to Fix Audacity Not Recording Online
Sound On Mac Not Working After Update
In addition to desktop audio recorder software, you can also try online alternative when Audacity is not recording. AnyMP4 Free Online Audio Recorder is the simplest alternative to Audacity.
Main Features of the Best Alternative to Audacity Online
- 1. Record audio from your system or microphone.
- 2. Produce the best audio quality as much as possible.
- 3. Available to all major browsers, like Safari, Chrome, etc.
How to Record Audio without Audacity
Step 1: Open your browser, put https://www.anymp4.com/free-online-audio-recorder/ into address bar and hit Enter key.
Step 2: Hit the big button in the webpage and get the launcher.
Step 3: Then enable or turn off System sound and Microphone according to your situation. Click the REC button to begin recording audio.
Step 4: Wait for audio recording to complete and hit the Stop button. Then save and download the recording to your computer.
Part 3: FAQs of Audacity Not Recording
Why is my microphone not working on Audacity?
Audacity can co-work with most microphones on market. If your microphone is not working on Audacity, chances are that settings are not proper. You can correct it with our guide.
How long can Audacity record?
Generally speaking, Audacity does not have any limit on audio recording length. However, the output audio file will become very large and take up a lot of space. We suggest you to record no more than one hour.
Can you record multiple tracks on Audacity?
Audacity is able to record multiple tracks if you set it up correctly. To do it, open the Preferences dialog from Edit menu on PC or Audacity menu on Mac. Go to Recording and check Overdub: Play other tracks while recording new ones. Now, you can do it if your machine has an I/O box and is fast enough.
Conclusion
This article has told you how to fix the problem that Audacity is not recording on Windows or Mac. As an open-source audio solution, Audacity is popular around the world. However, it is not a perfect audio recorder and the setup process is complicated. Therefore, we suggest you to try a simpler alternative, such as AnyMP4 Screen Recorder. It is not only easier than Audacity, but also able to produce better audio quality. If you have more questions, please write it down below.
If the sound on your Mac has stopped working, there are a number of possible explanations and solutions. The first thing to check is that the sound definitely is not working. Below we'll explain what to check.
No sound on Mac? Check these things first
1. Check the volume
As simplistic as it may seem, the first thing to check is that the volume hasn’t been muted intentionally. Tap the volume up (F12) key to turn up the sound level.
Pro tip: If you hold down Option+Shift when you press F12 or F11 to increase or decrease the volume, it will move in smaller increments than the full step changes that occur when you use the keys on their own.
2. Is it an app problem?
It may be that there’s no sound on your Mac because it won’t play audio in a specific app. If, for example, you can’t hear sound from a video in Safari, make sure the audio isn’t muted, by clicking the volume control in the video. You should also check other sound sources, like iTunes and QuickTime movies to find out if they can play sound.
Tip: if you’re fed up with websites you visit automatically playing video with sound when you’re working, go to Safari>Preferences and click the Websites tab. Click Autoplay, and in the bottom right of the window, choose Stop Media with Sound.
3. Check for hardware issues
Next, check there’s nothing plugged into the headphone/line out port and look to see if there’s a red light on that port. If there is, it could be there’s a problem with the port, or something blocking it. Try blowing on it to clear dust, if that’s the case.
4. Are you running the latest version of macOS?
Install games for me. If there’s still no sound on your Mac, Apple’s advice is that the first thing you should do is make sure you’re running the latest version of macOS.
To check which version of macOS your Mac is running, click the Apple menu and then About this Mac. The window that opens will have the name of the version of macOS currently installed at the top. Now the latest version is macOS High Sierra. If you’re not running High Sierra, you should consider installing it by going to the App Store app, and clicking on it in the sidebar on the right hand side of the main window.
If you don’t want to install High Sierra, at least make sure you’re running the latest update to whichever version of the OS is installed. To check that, click Software Update in the About this Mac window. That will check for updates and let you know if there’s one available. If there is, install it.
Before you install either a new version of the OS or an update, backup your Mac using Time Machine, or whichever backup tool you normally use.
5. Run Maintenance scrips
If you’ve determined your Mac’s sound definitely isn’t working, consider running CleanMyMac X’s Maintenance scripts. These optimize the performance of your Mac by running a number of routines such as repairing disk permissions, verifying your startup disk, and rebuilding the launch services database.
Here's how to run Maintenance scrips:
Download CleanMyMac X here (it's free to download).
- Launch the app.
- Click Maintenance.
- Choose Run Maintenance Scripts and click Run.
Following this link, you can get CleanMyMac at 20% off.
How to check your sound settings
If you’re running the latest version of macOS and your sound still isn’t working, the next step is to check your Sound settings.
- Click on the Apple menu and choose System Preferences.
- Click on the Sound pane.
- Select the Output tab and choose Internal Speakers. If that’s not available as an option, contact Apple Support.
- Check if the volume slider is low, if so slide it to the right and check the sound again.
- Make sure the Mute box isn’t checked.
If, when you check your sound settings, you see a USB device selected rather than Internal Sound, and you can’t change it, disconnect all USB devices from your Mac and try again.
Is there an app interfering with the sound?
Some applications, like screen recorders, install their own audio output drivers so that when you record the screen you can direct your Mac’s output to the recording app. It’s possible that if you’ve installed an app like that, its driver could be interfering with your Mac’s sound output.
- Go to System Preferences and choose Sound.
- Click on the Output tab.
- If there’s an output option that looks like a software app and it’s selected, that may be why the sound is not working on your Mac.
The best thing to do in that instance is to uninstall the app. You could just drag the app to the Trash, but that won’t uninstall it properly or remove all the files the app has placed on your Mac. To do that, you should use a dedicated uninstaller like CleanMyMac X.
CleanMyMac makes it very easy to completely uninstall any app so that it doesn’t leave any fragments or stray files behind. By using CleanMyMac, you can be sure you’ve deleted all the files associated with the app and that it hasn’t left anything behind. You can download CleanMyMac for free here.
Restart the sound controller
If there are no software audio drivers interfering with your Mac’s sound output, nothing plugged into the headphone jack, USB, or Thunderbolt ports, and your sound still doesn’t work, the next step is to restart the sound controller. This requires launching Activity Monitor and quitting a process, but don’t worry, it’s not too scary!
- Go to Applications>Utilities and double-click on Activity Monitor to launch it.
- In the search bar, type 'coreaudiod’ to locate the Core Audio controller.
- Click on coreaudiod, then click ‘X’ in the tool bar to quit it.
- Coreaudiod will restart.
Mac volume not working and stuck on mute?
If the volume control is not working on your Mac, either using the keyboard or the slider in the menu bar or System Preferences, it could be ’stuck’ on mute. The most common occurrence of this problem is on pre-2015 Macs that had a digital audio output support in the headphone jack.
On those Macs, there was a sensor in the port that detected whether a headphone jack or a digital audio device was plugged in. The Mac would then change the output to headphones or digital output accordingly. However, sometimes the sensor failed to recognise when a digital audio device had been unplugged and so the audio output remained locked on digital output, with no way to change it. With no digital audio output connected, there is no way to change the volume or hear sound.
The solution in that case is to plug the cable back in to the socket and remove it again. Try it a few times, if necessary, to ‘trip’ the sensor and make the Mac recognise the digital audio device is no longer connected. If that doesn’t work, there could be some gunk blocking the socket. Try blowing on it to remove any dust. If that doesn’t work, buy a can of compressed air and, carefully, spray the socket to bow out the dust.
![Sound button mac not working Sound button mac not working](/uploads/1/2/6/3/126351843/162236865.jpg)
If that still doesn’t do the trick, buy a foam-tipped swab (don’t use a cotton bud as these leave tiny threads behind) and dip it in rubbing alcohol. Put the swab into the headphone jack and clean it, wiping away as much of the link as possible.
Bluetooth sound not working on Mac
Sound Hdmi Mac Not Working
Your Mac can play audio wirelessly via Bluetooth, so if you have Bluetooth speakers or headphones, you can use those to listen to music, or anything else on your Mac. Sometimes, however, they don’t work.
Make sure Bluetooth is switched on.
- Go to System Preferences and click the Bluetooth pane.
- If it says Bluetooth turned off, turn it on.
Make sure your headphones or speakers are connected.
- Look in the list of devices in the main window to see if your headphones or speakers are listed.
- If not, put them in pairing mode (you’ll need to refer to their instructions to find out how to do that) and when they appear, click Connect.
- If they are listed but not connected, make sure they’re switched on and Control-click on them in the main window and choose Connect.
Tip: If you check the box labelled Show Bluetooth in menu bar in Bluetooth preferences, you can connect from the menu bar item.
Once your headphones or speakers are connected, click on the volume control in the menu bar and choose them. If you don’t have the volume control displayed on the menu bar, go to System Preferences, choose Sound and then the Output tab and select the Bluetooth speaker or headphones. While you’re there, it’s a good idea to check the box labelled Show volume in menu bar — it’s in the Sound Effects tab.
Sound For Mac Is Not Working Windows 10
To conclude, there are a number of reasons why the sound is not working on your Mac. If you follow the guide above and take it one step at a time, you should be able to fix the problem. If none of the steps above work for you, the next step is to contact Apple support and, if possible, make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple Store. If that’s not possible, Apple will advise you on the best course of action to get your audio working again.