How To Fix: “Error While Opening Sound Device” On Audacity

An audacity is a well-known tool for editing music files. It is a virtual studio software that is free for Windows computers. 

However, sometimes, users encounter an error message while trying to play or record their files on Audacity. The error message says “Error opening sound device” and you will not be able to complete your task on Audacity application anymore. 

Once you get this error message, you’ll be unable to access this tool for editing or recording music files.  

This error message usually appears if the external sound device is not connected properly. Apart from that, corrupted or missing audio drivers can also be the reason behind this error.  

If you are also encountering the same error message on Audacity then you can easily fix it with the help of this guide. Here you will get to know the causes and all the important hacks to eliminate this error message permanently. 

What are the Causes Behind “Error While Opening Sound Device” on Audacity?

Below we are going to provide some possible causes for this particular error on Audacity.

• An older version of the Audio Driver.
• Improper running of the Windows audio endpoint builder service.
• Wrong audio device settings on Audacity.
• An outdated version of the Operating System.

Luckily, there are multiple hacks to remove this error message on Audacity and we have mentioned them below.  

Solving “Error While Opening Sound Device” on Audacity 

Here are some of the easy hacks to get rid of the “Error while opening sound device” message on Audacity. Try to follow the methods given below one by one and hopefully this error will get solved:

Hack 1 – Make sure that the External Sound Device is Plugged In

If you are using a desktop, make sure that the external device is plugged in properly. if it is not connected to the system, then you may encounter this error message. 

Go to the Taskbar and check if a red x with the circle icon the speaker icon is there or not. If yes, then the external sound device is not connected to the desktop. So, you need to connect it properly. To do that:

• Disconnect the device.
• Wait for some time
• Reconnect it and then check if the error still appears or not. 

Hack 2 – Turn On the External Sound Device

Turning off the external sound device can cause the “Error while opening sound device” message to display on the system. So, you should enable it. To turn it on, follow the steps hereunder:

• Locate and right-click on the Speaker icon on the Taskbar and choose the Playback devices button.
• When the Sound window opens, locate the Speaker option and check if it is turned off or on. If it is off, right-click on it and choose the Enable option. 

If you are using a laptop then you can also check if the Microphone is turned on or not. Perform these steps:

• Right-click on the speaker icon and choose the Recording devices option.
• Check if the Microphone is disabled or not. If it is off, right-click on it and choose the Enable option. After that, click on the OK button to save the changes. 

Hack 3 – Install the Latest Version of the Audio Driver

If the audio driver is not compatible with the Operating System then you may face this error on Audacity. So, you should install the latest version of the audio driver properly. Follow these steps:  

• Right-click on the Windows icon and select Device Manager.
• When the Device Manager window opens, go to the left panel and select the Sound, video, and game controllers section to expand it.
• After that, find the Audio driver, right-click on it. Then select the Update Driver button. Now the update process will begin. 
• After completing the update process, restart the Windows system and then check if the error is eliminated or not. If not, then move to the next solution. 

Hack 4 – Uninstall the Audio Driver and Install it Again

If the Audio driver is missing or damaged then you may come across this error message on the Audacity software. So, you should reinstall it at the earliest. To know more about how to do it, follow the steps cited below:

• Firstly, go to the Device Manager window.
• Locate and select the Sound, video, and game controllers section and expand it from the Device Manager. 
• Right-click on the Audio driver and choose the Uninstall button. 
• After removing it, you need to reinstall it correctly.
• So, open the Device Manager window.
• Click on the Scan for hardware changes icon. Now the device will find the driver and reinstall it automatically.
• Once the installation process is complete, reboot your PC and then check if the issue has been fixed or not. 

Hack 5 – Install the Latest Version of the Operating System

Sometimes, updating the Operating System can also fix “error opening sound device” on Audacity. So, you have to update the Operating System as soon as possible. The following steps will help you:

• First of all, click on the Windows icon and select Settings.
• On the Settings window, go to the Update & Security section.
• From the Update & Security window, select the Update tab and click on the Check for Updates button.
• Now the system will check whether an update is available or not. If yes, then you will see the Update button, click on it. Now the update process will begin.
• After finishing the update process, the device will automatically restart. 

Hack 6 – Restart the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder Service

Sometimes this error appears if the Windows audio endpoint builder service has stopped working. So, you should restart this service and try to solve this problem. Let’s take a look into certain steps that you can follow:

• At first, press the Windows Home button and select Run to open the Run box. Type services.msc and then hit the Enter button. 
• On the Services window, scroll down the page and you will find the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, right-click on it to open the drop-down menu.
• Here, you’ll see the Restart button, click on it to start the service.
• After restarting this service, try to open the sound device and check if the error is resolved or not. 

Hack 7 – Disable Software Playthrough of Input in Audacity

If the software playthrough is enabled then you can encounter the “error while opening sound device” message on the system. So, you can disable it by following the steps given below:

• Launch Audacity
• From the Audacity window, click the Edit button from the menu bar and choose the Preferences button.
• When the Preferences Recording section opens, click on the Recording option.
• On the right, unmark the ‘Software Playthrough of input’ option. After that, click on the OK button to save the recent changes. 

Hack 8 – Make Sure that the Audio Device Settings in Audacity is Configured Correctly

Incorrect Audio device settings can also cause this error on Audacity. So, you need to configure the settings correctly. If you do not know how to do that, follow these directions:

• Launch Audacity.
• From the Audacity window, click on the Edit button on the menu bar and choose Preferences.
• On the Preferences window, select the Devices to tab on the left panel and set the Host field to the Windows WASAPI. 
• Then click on the OK button to save the changes. Now check if the issue is gone or not. 

Hack 9 – Use the Built-In Voice Recorder and Switch to Audacity

If none of the above solutions help you in fixing the error, then you need to apply this hack solution to fix it on Audacity. Try to perform these steps:

• Launch the Command Prompt window.
• Type explorer.exe shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsSoundRecorder_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App and then hit the Enter button to launch the Sound Recorder window.
• On the Sound Recorder window, click on the Microphone option to start recording. 
• After that, close the Voice Recorder and again open Audacity. 

We hope the above hacks will be sufficient to fix the ‘error while opening sound device’ message on Audacity. If you followed these hacks closely and applied them to your system. then this error message should stop appearing on Audacity. Let us know in the comments whether these fixes worked for you or not.