This wikiHow teaches you how to record both internal and external sound on a Windows computer. If you want to record internal sound (eg sound from playing media), you can use Audacity's WASAPI feature. External audio recording requires more setup: once you've made sure you have a microphone attached to your computer, you can record audio using the operating system's built-in Voice Recorder app, as well as third-party audio recording programs.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Recording Internal Audio with Audacity
Step 1. Download and install Audacity
Audacity is a free program that allows you to edit audio on your PC. To download it, visit https://www.audacityteam.org/download/ on your computer's web browser, then follow these steps:
- Click " Audacity for Windows ”.
- Click the link " Audacity 2.2.2 installer ”.
- Double-click the installation file.
- Follow the installation prompts.
Step 2. Open Audacity
If Audacity doesn't open automatically, go to the "Start" menu
type in audacity, and click “ Audacity ” at the top of the “Start” menu.
Step 3. Click the “Audio Host” drop-down box
It's a drop-down box in the upper-left corner of the Auadicty window. Usually this box is marked with the label "MME". Once clicked, a drop-down menu will appear.
Step 4. Click Windows WASAPI
This option is in the drop-down menu. With this option, Audacity will record the sound of the content displayed/played on the screen, such as videos or music.
Step 5. Click the “Audio Input” drop-down box
This box is to the right of the microphone icon, to the right of the "Windows WASAPI" box. After that, a drop-down menu will be displayed.
Step 6. Click Speakers
This option is in the drop-down menu. By selecting this option, Audacity will capture the computer's internal audio (which is playing), without recording any external audio (eg your typing sound).
If the audio you are currently listening to is from headphones, click “ Headphones ”.
Step 7. Disable Software Playthrough
In order for audio to be recorded without distortion and other interference, follow these steps:
- Click the Transport menu.
- Click Transport Options.
- Uncheck "Software Playthrough" if it exists. If this box is unchecked, you don't need to change anything else.
Step 8. Click the red circle button
It's at the top of the Audacity window. After that, Audacity will start recording the sound played by the computer.
Step 9. Play the audio you want to record
It's a good idea to play the sound after starting the recording. You can always trim the beginning of the recording to remove any blanks as necessary.
Step 10. Stop recording
When finished, click the "Stop" button
the yellow rectangle at the top of the Audacity window.
Step 11. Switch back to MME
Click the “Audio Host” drop-down box (the box labeled “Windows WASAPI”), then click “ MME ” in the displayed drop-down menu. After that, the audio output and input settings will be restored so that you can play the recording.
Step 12. Play audio
Click the "Play" button
in green at the top of the Audacity window. After that, the recording will be played through computer speakers (or headphones).
Step 13. Save the audio as a file
If you want to create a non-Audacity MP3 file that you can listen to at any time through your computer's main music player, follow these steps:
- Click " File ” in the upper-left corner of the window.
- Choose " Export ” in the drop-down menu.
- Click " Export as MP3 ” on the pop-out menu.
- Select the storage directory.
- Enter a file name in the "File name" field.
- Click " Save ”.
- Click " OK ' when prompted.
Method 2 of 2: Recording External Audio with Windows Voice Recorder
Step 1. Test your microphone
In this section, we explain how to make a simple one-track recording using a microphone and Windows Voice Recorder. If you'd like to try a more complex multi-track recording technique (such as for a music project or group), check out other wikiHow articles. Since most laptops come with a microphone, you shouldn't need to connect an external microphone just to record simple voice audio. However, PC computer users may need an external microphone. Here's how to test if your microphone is ready to record audio:
-
Click the Start menu
Windowsstart and select
Windowssettings Settings.
- Click System.
- Click Sounds.
- Select the microphone in the "Choose your input device" menu in the right pane.
- Look for the pulsed bar under "Test your microphone" in the right pane.
- Start talking into the microphone. If the bar moves as you speak, the microphone can detect audio.
- If the bar doesn't move, click Device properties right above it and try increasing the volume. If you are still having problems, read the article How to Attach a Microphone to a Computer.
Step 2. Open the “Start” menu
Click the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the screen. After that, the menu " Start" will be opened.
Step 3. Type in voice recorder
The computer will look for the voice recorder segment in the Control Panel program.
Step 4. Click Voice Recorder
This speaker icon is at the top of the “ Start ”.
Step 5. Click the blue and white microphone to start recording
It's in the lower-left corner of the app. After that, Voice Recorder will start capturing audio from the microphone.
If you're recording your own voice, speak directly into the microphone
Step 6. Click the blue and white squares to stop recording
This box is in the middle of the window. After that, the audio recording will be saved and the main Voice Recorder screen will open again.
The recording will be saved automatically in Sound Recordings, files in Documents.
Step 7. Click the recording date to listen
Your recordings will appear in the left pane sorted from most recent.
- To rename the recorded file, right-click on the file name in the left pane and select Rename.
- To share your recording with others, right-click the file and select Share. After that, you can choose an app to share the recorded file with.
