How-to
How to record your computer's sound on Windows (without Stereo Mix)
Stereo Mix is often missing or disabled. Here's how Windows lets apps record system audio directly, and how to record screen, computer sound and microphone together.
· 4 min read · By Doug Siqueira
You want to record a tutorial and the sound your computer plays: an app's chimes, a video, a call. The classic advice is to enable Stereo Mix. On many PCs it isn't there at all, it's disabled by the sound driver, or it stops working the moment you plug in headphones.
The good news: you don't need it.
Why Stereo Mix is the hard way
Stereo Mix is a fake input device that some sound drivers expose, so apps can "record" the output as if it were a microphone. It depends entirely on your driver, which is why it's missing on so many laptops.
Windows has had a better way for years, called loopback capture. An app asks Windows for a copy of what's being sent to your speakers or headphones, digitally, before it reaches them. No extra device, no cable, and it works with headphones.
Record screen and computer sound with Kamo
Kamo uses loopback capture, so recording computer sound is one toggle:
- Install Kamo (free, Windows 10 and 11).
- On Home, choose Screen, Window or Select.
- Turn on Computer sound. Its level meter moves when your PC plays something.
- Turn on Microphone too if you'll narrate. Each one is saved as its own track.
- Click Record, and stop with Ctrl+Shift+2.
In the editor, the timeline shows Microphone and Computer sound as separate tracks, each with its own volume and mute, so you can turn the game down and your voice up before you export.
Things to know
- It records everything the PC plays, notifications included. Turn on Do not disturb first.
- It records your PC's output, normally the device selected in the taskbar's speaker menu.
- If Kamo says computer sound isn't available, check that Windows has an output device enabled.
Other options
- Xbox Game Bar (Win + G) records one app window with its sound, but not the desktop or File Explorer.
- OBS Studio captures desktop audio too, with more setup, and is the right tool for live streaming.
If what you're making is a tutorial or a demo, Kamo also adds the zooms on your clicks and a smooth cursor, so the video comes out looking edited. Here's how to make a product demo in 5 minutes.
