3 Methods For Resolving Audacity Not Playing Audio

Audacity Not Playing Audio
Audacity Not Playing Audio

Music has been in existence for many years. It has altered in terms of types and forms but it came into being a long time ago. It began from basic echo-like sounds that came from large bones. This has now transformed into drums, turtle shells, and flutes.

The essentials are still the same, the methods are progressing. The transition has refined music and has turned it into its present-day sophisticated form. The simple sounds created from animal’s bones and skin that were previously called music have now
transformed into beats like EDM.

Modern-day instruments are unlike anything people in the past could even imagine having. Music is an important part of most people’s lives. It can be played during sad and happy times. Just like most other things around us, music has evolved over the years.

If you are a music fanatic who loves to create songs or edit audio then you should definitely try Audacity. It is a free program that allows users to mix, record, and edit audios. It is a versatile software that plays a lot of different roles for people interested in anything to do with music.

However, like any other software or program Audacity can also encounter certain glitches which can stop it from working. In this article, we have compiled tips that you may try out to troubleshoot any audio malfunctions within Audacity.

If you enjoy playing around with audio and music in general then you must know that there are a number of programs out there for these purposes. Audacity has managed to excel over them all and reach the top due to its impeccable performance.

Audacity allows you to edit the music files that have been recorded previously. It has a user-friendly interface which is always an advantage. Since it is a versatile software that covers a lot of aspects of tinkering with music, there are many things that can go wrong.

Before you go ahead and look for ways to troubleshoot the issue of audio not playing on Audacity, you must figure out the actual reason behind the problem. If you try to go this way, then you will be able to prevent the same problem from recurring.

Troubleshooting Tips For Audacity Not Playing Audio

1. Check Speakers

Check speakers

The first thing that you need to do is to check your speakers. Audio problems usually begin from faulty output devices. You need to check whether your speakers are properly connected to your system.

At times the wiring can become loose and it can disrupt the audio. You can unplug them and then plug them back in properly to fix this issue.

Another thing that you can do to rule out speaker issues is to plug in your hands-free or wired headphones and check whether you are able to play audio through them. If the problem is still there then it means that your speakers are not the issue and you can move on to the next step.

However, if your headphones are giving normal audio output for Audacity then it means that the problem is true with your speakers or the AUX cable. However, if the audio still does not work then you need to check the wire connecting your system to the speakers.

AUX cable

If it is damaged or slit open then you need to replace it. It is a good thing that these AUX cables are readily available in most places so you will not face any problem in finding them. You can attach the new cable to solve your problem entirely.

Another thing that you need to do is to go to the control panel on your system and select your current speaker system as the default one. This will enable Audacity to use these speakers for audio output.

If the problem still persists then you need to alter the default output device for Audacity. After you have changed this option from Audacity’s settings then you need to restart the program once. The software requires a restart in order to refresh after you change any settings.

2. Re-Install Audacity

If the problem is not related to the speakers then you have to move on to the next step. Your program might have encountered certain configuration errors due to which it is unable to play any audio. To get to the route of the problem you will have to perform many checks.

Perform many checks

In most cases, the main culprit is any recent change that you might have made to the software settings. If the main issue has been caused because of a recent change made by you, then all you need to do is to recall what steps you took before the problem started.

However, in most cases, you might not remember exactly what you did that triggered the problem. When devices or appliances are concerned you can simply reset them and the problem goes away. But with applications, the case is a little different.

You will meet to uninstall your Audacity application. After this, you will have to remove all the remaining files of the program from your computer and reboot the system.

Restarting the computer is necessary because it helps in removing all the temporary files related to the application that might still be stored.

Then you will need to reinstall Audacity. An advantage of this approach is that you will get the latest version of audacity with a clean slate, without any old files or settings that may cause any issues.

The reinstall can be a little time-consuming but it is an important step so you need to make sure that you do not touch your system needlessly because it can hamper the process. After waiting for the installation to complete you can proceed to use Audacity without any glitches.

3. File Might Be Corrupt

In most cases, in an application like Audacity, the steps mentioned above are enough to troubleshoot any common problems that might occur with audio output. If the issue still persists then it means that there must be a problem with the audio file.

It might be corrupted or may not have been downloaded properly. In some cases, the file format might also not be one of those that are supported by Audacity.

One of the most common reasons why a file might be corrupted is that you must have caused the download before it finished or your internet connection got disrupted. In both cases, the file might end up getting corrupted which will cause a problem when you try to play it.

If the issue lies with the file format then that can be changed easily with third-party software. There are many softwares available online that can help you with this issue easily. Once you have changed the file format to one that is suitable for Audacity then you can go back to playing it on your favorite application.

In case of a corrupt file, you will need to download it again and check whether it works or not. In order to make sure that the same issue does not happen again, you will have to download the file using a stable internet connection.

4 thoughts on “3 Methods For Resolving Audacity Not Playing Audio”

  1. Go to %appdata%\audacity and delete the cfg and log files.
    Worked for me. <<< worked perfectly for me also TY

  2. Andre’s comment helped. Audacity worked under a different profile, installed the latest updates, etc. but would not work under one profile. Deleting the cfg and log files in %appdata%\audacity worked.

  3. Reinstall! That’s ridiculous! There is something seriously wrong with this program that this keeps happening!

Leave a Comment