How to Restore Missing Stereo Mix on Windows 10

Stereo Mix feature is very useful if you want to have a direct recording of the sound being played through your speaker. It’s a virtual audio device and many users have reported that this feature simply disappeared on their computers.

Windows 10 Stereo Mix Missing

There are various scenarios for this sudden disappearance. Most of the time, it appeared after updating from an older version of Windows to Windows 10 or after performing a major Windows update. There are several different ways to bring Stereo Mix back on your computer so make sure you follow the methods below to resolve the problem!

What Causes Stereo Mix to Go Missing on Windows 10?

Windows is constantly getting rid of features they feel are unnecessary and Stereo Mix may just be another one. Still, Stereo Mix is also related to the audio driver you have installed and it may be possible to restore it. There are a few different causes which can cause it to go missing so check out the ones below for more info:

• The microphone is inaccessible – If your microphone device is not accessible for audio recording, Stereo Mix will be disabled as well. You need to allow apps to access your Microphone in Windows 10 Settings.
• Stereo Mix is simply listed as disabled – Stereo Mix may simply be disabled as a virtual audio device in Sounds settings so make sure you simply re-enable it to resolve the problem.
• Audio driver – Stereo Mix is only available for drivers provided by your manufacturer and you will have to update them if you are using the default ones made by Microsoft.

Solution 1: Make Sure Your Microphone is Available for Access

This problem can also appear if your microphone is not available for access. This automatically disables the use of Stereo Mix. This solution is the simplest and it can save you hours of effort so make sure you don’t skip this method when troubleshooting the Stereo Mix missing problem on Windows 10.

1. Click the cog icon in the lower-left section of the Start menu to open the Settings app. You can also search for it. Opening Settings from the Start menu
2. Scroll down until you see the Privacy section and make sure you click on it. At the left side of the window, you should see the App permissions section. Scroll down until you reach Microphone and click on this option.
3. First of all, check if the Microphone access for this device option is on. If it’s not, click on Change and set the slider to on. Providing microphone access
4. After that, switch the slider under the “Allow apps to access your microphone” option to On and scroll down in the list of installed apps on your computer. Switch the slider next to the apps you wish to provide access for on the list to on.
5. Restart your computer in order to see whether the problem still appears!

Solution 2: Show Disabled Devices

It’s quite possible that Windows 10 has somehow automatically disabled the Stereo Mix feature as a virtual sound device. It might be considered unnecessary or might have been disabled by a third-party app. This is quite a big mistake by Microsoft as hiding the device under Recording devices was definitely unnecessary. Make sure you check whether this is the cause of your problem!

1. Right-click on the Volume icon located at the bottom right part of your screen and choose the Sounds option. An alternative way would be to open the Control Panel on your PC and set the View by option to Large icons. After that, locate and click on the Sounds option to open the same window.
2. Navigate to the Recording tab of the Sound window which just opened up. Stereo Mix showing up as disabled
3. Right-click anywhere in the middle of the window and check the boxes next to the Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices options. Stereo Mix should now appear. Right-click on it and choose the Enable option from the context menu which will appear.
4. Make sure you try it out in order to see if it works!

Solution 3: Update your Audio Driver

Many users have reported that they managed to resolve the problem simply by reinstalling their audio device drivers. This is an easy method to perform and it’s definitely worth your time. Check it out below!

1. Click the Start menu at the lower-left part of the screen, type in “Device Manager” afterward, and select it from the list of available results by simply clicking the first one.
2. You can also press the Windows Key + R key combination to bring up the Run dialog box. Type in “devmgmt.msc” in the dialog box and click OK to run it. Running Device Manager
3. Since you want to update the driver for your headphones, expand the Sound, video and game controllers section. Right-click on your headphones in the list and choose Update driver from the context menu.
4. Choose the Search automatically for updated driver software option from the new window and wait to see if the utility can find newer drivers. Search automatically for updated driver software
5. Check to see if your headphones appear under Playback devices in sound settings!

Solution 4: Enable Stereo Mix for Conexant HD Audio

If the audio device inside your computer is a Conexant HD Audio device, the steps below might help you restore Stereo Mix inside Windows 10. Make sure you follow the set of steps below carefully as there is some advanced troubleshooting which should be performed with care. Good luck in resolving the problem!

Note: If you cannot follow the steps below because you cannot find the file “CALCC2WA.inf_amd64_07118bd8a2180658” then it may be that the file has a slightly different name on your PC. In order to find the file, please download the portable version of PSPad from (here) and execute the PSPad.exe file. This should look like this:

1. Click Search
2. Choose “Search / Replace in Files”
   
3. In the Text to Find (field) enter the following text
4. In the Selected Directory field, enter the following path

Click OK. And you should be able to see the files containing the above string in the “Search in File Results” tab below.

Windows 10 Stereo Mix not working or picking audio

Stereo Mix is a feature in Windows 10 which allows you to record audio using it as source with another software. If Stereo Mix in Windows 10 is not working, not showing or not picking audio from the source, then here is how to fix it.

What is Stereo Mix

Stereo Mix is the name given to the output stream (virtual audio device) after all channels have been combined. It means if you use this as a recording device, then anything on the computer goes through it. In a recording application such as Audacity, you would set your source to be Stereo Mix instead of a microphone.

Stereo Mix not working in Windows 10

So we have two scenarios here, and we will share solutions for each of them.

1. Stereo mix not showing
2. Stereo mix not picking audio

There can be multiple reasons why Stereo mix may not work. It may happen that you are not able to record audio when you use it with your application, but the green bars in the audio test go up and down. It is also possible that there is no output at all because there is a driver issue.

1] Stereo Mix not showing

There can be two reasons for this. First, it is hidden and disabled. Second, you need to update your audio drivers.

a) Unhide and Enable Stereo Mix

• Type Control Panel in the Run prompt, and hit Enter.
• Next, go to Hardware and Sound, and click on Sound.
• On the Playback tab, right-click on the empty place.
• Select Show Disabled Devices, and Disconnected devices.
• It should reveal Stereo Mix.
• Right-click and enable it.

b) Update Audio Drivers

• Use WIN + X to open power menu
• Click on Device Manager to open it.
• In the Device Manager, expand the Audio inputs, and outputs.
• Right-click on each of the audio devices listed, and click on update driver.

There are two options here. You can search via Windows Update, or if you have downloaded audio drivers from the OEM, then you can select and install it.

Once the update is complete, open the Audio settings again, and check if Stereo Mix is available.

2] Stereo Mix not picking audio

It’s an easy one. If you have an audio device connected, and it’s not producing output, then it’s because it is not a default device.

• In the Run prompt, type Control Panel\Hardware and Sound, and hit Enter.
• Click on Sound > Playback tab.
• Right-click on Stereo Mix and then set it is as the default playback device.
• To confirm its working, right-click on it, and test. If you see the green audio bars going high and low, it is working.

Whenever you want to use it, make sure to use it as a source, e.g., when you want to record audio. Use Audacity to check.

We hope these tips were easy to follow, and you were able to enable and use the Stereo Mix on Windows 10 as expected.

How to enable stereo mix in windows 10?

I notice that whenever I play audio file during a Skype call, the other party doesn’t hear the audio. I’m using Lenovo Ideapad win 10 and Conexant SmartAudio HD. I tried enabling Stereo Mix but I can’t find it anywhere on my laptop. Can anyone help me enable it because I need it for my work?

Replies (4) 

This issue may occur if there’s something wrong on the sound driver. We need to ask you a few questions for us to isolate the problem. Please answer the following information:

• Have you tried to uninstall and reinstall the sound driver?
• Have you also tried unplugging third party speaker and put it back? Is yes, is the issue still persist?
• Is this the first time you encounter the problem?

We’ll be waiting for your response.

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If the troubleshooting steps mentioned above didn’t resolve the issue, let’s try isolate the issue since it could be the sound driver is causing the issue. Before we proceed, we’d like to ask a few more questions:

• Which Windows version are you using? Type winver in the search bar and press Enter to find out.
• What is the make and model of your device?
• Have you made any changes on your device prior to the issue?

Meanwhile, we suggest that you run the audio troubleshooter as it can fix audio problems automatically. To do this, select the Start Windows logo Start button button, type Troubleshoot , and then select Troubleshoot from the list of results. Select Playing Audio > Run the troubleshooter .

Windows 10 Audio and Stereo Mix

I am testing on and posting from a Lenovo laptop that has an Analog Devices Soundmax soundcard.

The initial install provided audio that worked OK for the basics of recording from the microphone and playing back though the speakers.

The drivers in use were listed as «Microsoft HD Audio», provided by Microsoft. Recording options were set to show disabled and disconnected devices.

Recording options were Microphone or CD.

I then loaded in the Analog Devices drivers. With these, Recording Options were Microphone, CD or Stereo Mix. I have tested the Stereo Mix function and it works.

This implies to me that Microsoft is providing a driver that deliberately hides this function where the audio device supports it.

I believe (but would be delighted to be proved wrong) that this indicates that Microsoft has joined some manufacturers in bowing to the lobbying from music and video industries to remove this essential function.

FWIW, I worked in the broadcasting industry and started having to install third party software to provide this function to reporters and producers working to record and edit programmes away from their bases.

It is a necessary function for many creative audio people, and if the hardware supports it, Microsoft’s drivers should provide it.

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Can you please let me know which model of Lenovo laptop you are using? Also, can you clarify whether installing the Analog Devices drivers resolved the issue? It’s fairly common that the generic drivers included within Windows provide less functionality than the device-specific drivers that manufacturers make available.

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Hi John, thanks for the reply.

The laptop is a Lenovo X60 tablet convertible. I appreciate it is old, but I need laptops that have firewire for use, and for testing with, external audio devices.

On the first install of W10P, I found the Microsoft generic driver was installed, and the on-board sound worked fine for recording and playback, but «Stereo Mix» was not available.

The latest drivers on the Lenovo site were the Vista drivers for the Analog Devices audio. I installed these, the basic sound worked fine still and now I had «Stereo Mix».

Interestingly, trying a similar procedure on a similar vintage Acer 5102 running 64-bit W10Preview, when trying to install Realtek Vista drivers, I just get a message that the driver only supports Vista.

It would be good if the Microsoft generic audio driver could expose Stereo Mix, where the hardware supports it. It is an important and useful feature.

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That is why you use drivers provided by the manufacturer, drivers provided by MS is a courtesy for basic functionality, you use the driver/programs provided by the manufacturer to unlock the full potential of your device.

Yes, I understand that.

My point was really that the «Stereo Mix» option had become a standard function. Then on newer machines, it started to disappear. All the rumours point to it having been deliberately disabled and/or removed by the hardware manufacturers because of a strong lobby about copyright from the entertainment industry.

My contention is that this function is absolutely necessary for carrying out many types of creative audio work. If one looks at the forums of suppliers of professional audio software, it can be seen that there are regular questions about how to enable this function. The fact that the Microsoft driver hides this function on a machine where it is available in the hardware made me think that Microsoft may be giving in to powerful lobbyists.

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I’m glad you got the functionality back by installing the correct drivers. As to the drivers for the Acer, we often see driver packages enforcing a check of the Windows version where this may not be strictly necessary. Running the installer package with the compatibility mode set to «Vista» should do the trick.

As to «Stereo Mix» support in the basic driver, I’ll investigate. Thanks for the feedback!

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I’m glad I can help. 🙂

The short answer is that we don’t support Stereo Mix in our HD Audio class driver because our driver only exposes functionality that’s implemented within the HD Audio standard, and from what I can tell Stereo Mix isn’t part of that standard (specification is here). Specific hardware manufacturers have their own implementations of Stereo Mix and support these implementations in their device-specific drivers, which is why you see the option appear when you install the correct drivers.

If you’re interested, you can take a look at my colleague Matt’s blog post explaining a software-only approach to loopback recording here. In theory we might be able to work this into our class driver, but a better solution is usually available using the device-specific drivers so we haven’t felt the need to put that functionality into our own basic audio driver.

The only place where I see this being a problem is where (with your Acer, for example) there is a problem installing the device-specific drivers. I’d like to hear of any such configurations so that we can try to resolve them going forward.

Thanks for your feedback, Billaboard, Much appreciated!