The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →If Streamlabs Desktop is not capturing your computer’s sound, first play audio and watch the relevant mixer meter. On Windows, check the mixer mute state, competing audio utilities, and the selected playback device. On macOS, Streamlabs’ documented workflow routes system sound through BlackHole and a Multi-Output Device. If you want only one app, use Application Audio Capture rather than capturing the entire desktop. The right fix depends on where the sound originates.
Identify which audio path you need
Before changing settings, decide what should be heard: all sound from the computer, one application such as a game, or audio from a console connected through a capture card. These are different signal paths. Play the relevant sound while watching the corresponding Streamlabs mixer channel; test after each change so you can tell whether the meter starts moving.
- All Windows sound: check the mixer, audio utilities, Windows playback device, and Streamlabs device selection.
- All macOS system sound: use a routed audio device; Streamlabs’ Mac guide documents a BlackHole setup.
- One application: use Application Audio Capture and avoid capturing the same sound through global Desktop Audio.
- Console sound: check the capture device and console’s output configuration separately.
The steps below follow Streamlabs’ official support guidance. Your labels can vary with operating-system and Streamlabs Desktop versions.
Fix desktop audio on Windows
1. Check the Streamlabs mixer
Play a known sound and look at the relevant audio channel in the Streamlabs mixer. Make sure that channel is not muted. If the meter responds, audio is reaching Streamlabs; investigate the stream or recording output and monitoring configuration rather than changing the Windows input path.
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2. Close audio-management utilities
Streamlabs recommends closing audio-management software that may interfere with capture. Its troubleshooting article names Nahimic 2, Sonic Studio Sound, Realtek HD Audio Manager (spelled “Realtech” in that article), and Sound Blaster Recon. Close any applicable utility and, if needed, check Task Manager for similarly named processes. Test the mixer again before moving on.
3. Try disabling exclusive mode for the playback device
- In Windows, open the playback device’s Properties and go to the Advanced tab. The exact route to Properties depends on the Windows version.
- Clear Give exclusive mode applications priority, then apply the change.
- Play audio and check the Streamlabs meter again.
This is a troubleshooting step for the selected output device, not a setting every Windows setup must change.
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4. Select the playback device in Streamlabs
In Streamlabs, manually select the same playback device that Windows uses as its default sound output. Do not choose “default” for that Streamlabs device selection. Play sound and check the mixer.
If the global desktop-audio selection still does not capture the intended output, disable the global desktop-audio device in Streamlabs and add Audio Output Capture to the scene. Choose the Windows-default output device in that source. Test again; keep the configuration that captures the intended sound without creating duplicate audio.
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5. Consider the remaining software workarounds
Streamlabs also lists installing Windows C++ Redistributables and links to installation guidance. Its support article does not establish that a particular version fixes every missing-audio case, so treat this as a later troubleshooting option rather than a guaranteed remedy.
As a last resort after the simpler checks, the same guide mentions Voicemeeter Banana and a virtual audio cable. These are advanced software-routing workarounds, not required hardware. Change one part of the routing at a time and check the mixer so you can identify whether it helps.
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Route system audio on macOS
Streamlabs’ Mac guide, updated November 10, 2025, documents a virtual-routing workflow because its described setup does not directly capture sound from other apps without audio routing. It uses BlackHole and macOS Audio MIDI Setup. Interface details may change with macOS releases.
Create a Multi-Output Device
- Install BlackHole, following its project instructions.
- Open Audio MIDI Setup on the Mac and create a Multi-Output Device.
- Add BlackHole and Built-in Output. Add a monitoring device as well if you want to hear audio through it.
- Keep Built-in Output above BlackHole in the device order so sound remains audible through the speakers or headphones.
- Set the Multi-Output Device as the Mac’s sound output.
Select the routed audio in Streamlabs
- In Streamlabs Desktop, open Settings > Audio.
- Select BlackHole among the Mic/Auxiliary devices.
- Play sound from another app and check the relevant Streamlabs mixer meter.
If alerts or system sound effects should not be heard in the stream or recording, keep them routed to Built-in Output or speakers alone. For BlackHole installation questions or app-specific behavior, use the project FAQ or wiki linked from Streamlabs’ Mac audio guide.
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Capture one application instead of all desktop sound
For a game or other selected window, use Streamlabs’ Application Audio Capture source. The Advanced Audio Control Setups guide says that updating Streamlabs Desktop may be necessary if this source is unavailable.
- Add Application Audio Capture to the scene and select the intended window.
- Open Settings > Audio and disable the global Desktop Audio source.
- Play audio in the chosen application and check the source’s mixer meter.
- Add alert audio separately if needed, then check its monitoring and output configuration.
Leaving global Desktop Audio enabled can capture the same application through both routes, creating duplicate sound or echoes.
Check a console connected through a capture card
A console connected through a capture card is not the ordinary computer-desktop path. Streamlabs’ capture-card troubleshooting guide recommends checking the capture device’s Audio Output Mode and custom-audio-device option, the corresponding mixer channel and mute state, and the console’s audio-output settings.
The guide’s examples include PS4 output through a TV or AV amplifier and Xbox party-chat output settings; use those only if they match your console and connection. Check monitoring as well, since its settings can produce echo. A capture-card issue is not a reason to change the general Windows or Mac desktop-audio path.
Troubleshoot by symptom
| What you see | What to check next |
|---|---|
| No movement on the relevant Streamlabs meter | Confirm the source is unmuted, then follow the operating-system branch above: Windows device and utility checks, macOS routing, or capture-card configuration. |
| The meter moves, but you cannot hear the audio locally | On macOS, check that Built-in Output is included and above BlackHole in the Multi-Output Device. Also check the intended monitoring configuration. |
| The same sound is doubled or echoes | If capturing one app, disable global Desktop Audio. For capture-card audio, check monitoring settings and whether the signal is routed twice. |
| Only a console’s sound is missing | Check the capture device’s audio mode and custom-audio-device setting, then the console output settings and capture-card mixer channel. |
| Audio cuts out or sounds choppy on a specific Mac version | Streamlabs posted an investigation notice on September 22, 2026, for this symptom on Streamlabs Desktop 1.19.4 for macOS. It suggested toggling audio monitoring off and back to the previous mode, or leaving it off. Check the notice for current status: Streamlabs’ status article. This is a version- and symptom-specific issue, not a general explanation for missing desktop audio. |
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