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If Streamlabs Desktop is not capturing your computer’s sound, first play audio and watch the relevant mixer meter. On Windows, check mute state, conflicting audio utilities, exclusive mode, and device selection. On macOS, Streamlabs’ documented system-audio setup routes sound through BlackHole and a Multi-Output Device. The right fix depends on whether you want all desktop sound, one app, or audio from a console capture card.
First, identify which audio you want to capture
Before changing settings, play a known sound and watch the Streamlabs mixer. Note whether the missing sound is from all computer audio, one application, or a console connected through a capture card. These paths use different sources and settings.
- All Windows desktop audio: check the mixer, audio utilities, Windows playback-device properties, and Streamlabs’ selected output device.
- All macOS system audio: follow the routed setup using BlackHole and Audio MIDI Setup.
- One application: use Application Audio Capture and avoid capturing the same sound through Desktop Audio.
- Console audio: check the capture-card source and the console’s output configuration.
Make one change at a time, then test the matching mixer meter. That makes it easier to tell which change affected the signal.
Fix missing desktop audio on Windows
1. Check the Streamlabs mixer channel
Play audio from the computer and look for movement on the relevant Streamlabs mixer channel. Make sure the channel is not muted. If the meter does not move, continue through the signal-path checks below. Streamlabs’ Windows desktop-audio troubleshooting guide recommends these checks; the best result can depend on your selected output device and setup.
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2. Close audio-management utilities
Close audio-management software that might interfere with capture, then test again. Streamlabs names Nahimic 2, Sonic Studio Sound, Realtek HD Audio Manager (spelled “Realtech” in its article), and Sound Blaster Recon. If the problem persists, check Task Manager for similarly named processes and close them for a test. Restore any utility you need after testing.
3. Check exclusive mode for the Windows playback device
For the output device you are using, open its Windows Sound properties, go to Advanced, and clear Give exclusive mode applications priority. This is a troubleshooting step for the selected playback device, not a setting that every Windows setup needs to change. Test Streamlabs after changing it.
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4. Select the playback device explicitly
In Streamlabs, manually choose the same playback device that is the default output in Windows Sound. Streamlabs advises not selecting “default” for this device in Streamlabs. Play audio and check the mixer again.
If that does not work, try the scene-specific route instead: disable the global desktop-audio device in Streamlabs, add Audio Output Capture to the scene, and select the Windows-default output device in that source. Test before making additional changes.
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5. Consider the remaining software workarounds
Streamlabs also lists installing Windows C++ Redistributables, with installation guidance linked from its troubleshooting article. The article does not establish one particular redistributable version as a universal fix. If the simpler checks do not help, Streamlabs places Voicemeeter Banana and a virtual audio cable among the later options. Treat those as advanced software-routing workarounds, not prerequisites or hardware you need to buy.
Route system audio on macOS
Streamlabs’ Mac desktop-audio guide, updated November 10, 2025, documents a routed setup: use BlackHole and create a Multi-Output Device in macOS Audio MIDI Setup. The guide says Streamlabs Desktop does not directly capture sound from other apps in this workflow without audio routing. Menu details may change with macOS releases.
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- Install BlackHole. For installation questions or app-specific behavior, consult the BlackHole FAQ and Wiki linked from Streamlabs’ Mac guide.
- Create a Multi-Output Device. Open Audio MIDI Setup and add BlackHole and Built-in Output. Add a monitoring device too if you want to hear audio through it.
- Set the device order. Keep Built-in Output above BlackHole so sound remains audible through your speakers or headphones.
- Set the Mac’s sound output. Choose the Multi-Output Device as the Mac’s output.
- Select BlackHole in Streamlabs. In Streamlabs Desktop, open Settings > Audio and select BlackHole among the Mic/Auxiliary devices.
- Test and check what else is routed. Play audio and watch the relevant mixer meter. If alerts or system sound effects should not be heard in the stream or recording, route them to Built-in Output or speakers alone.
Capture only one application
If you want a game or another selected window—not all computer sound—use Application Audio Capture. Streamlabs describes this option in its Advanced Audio Control Setups guide. Select the intended window. If the source is unavailable, Streamlabs says updating Streamlabs Desktop may be needed.
Disable the global Desktop Audio source under Settings > Audio when using application capture for the same sound. Otherwise, both the selected app and global desktop route can capture it, potentially producing duplicate audio or echoes. Add alert audio separately if required, and check its monitoring and output configuration.
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Check a console connected through a capture card
A console routed through a capture card is a separate case from ordinary computer desktop audio. Check the capture device’s Audio Output Mode and custom-audio-device option, confirm the correct Streamlabs mixer channel is active and unmuted, and review the console’s audio-output settings. Streamlabs’ capture-card troubleshooting guide gives examples for PS4 output through a TV or AV amplifier and Xbox party-chat output. Use those examples only if they match your console setup. Monitoring choices can also cause echo.
Troubleshoot by symptom
| What you observe | What to check next |
|---|---|
| No movement on the Windows desktop-audio meter | Check the mixer mute state, close interfering audio-management utilities, review exclusive mode for the selected playback device, and select the matching Windows output explicitly in Streamlabs. |
| No movement after choosing a Windows device manually | Test the scene-specific Audio Output Capture source with the Windows-default output selected, after disabling the global desktop-audio device. |
| No system audio on macOS | Check the Multi-Output Device, its Built-in Output and BlackHole order, the Mac’s selected sound output, and BlackHole under Streamlabs’ Mic/Auxiliary devices. |
| One app is silent or audio is duplicated | Confirm Application Audio Capture targets the intended window. Disable global Desktop Audio if it captures the same sound. |
| Console audio is missing or echoes | Check the capture device’s audio mode, the selected and unmuted mixer channel, console output settings, and monitoring configuration. |
| Audio cuts out or sounds choppy on Streamlabs Desktop 1.19.4 for macOS | Streamlabs reported this specific issue as under investigation on September 22, 2026. Its potential workaround was to toggle audio monitoring off and back to the prior mode, or leave it off. This report concerns that symptom and version; it does not explain every missing-audio problem. See Streamlabs’ status article for the latest status. |
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