Top 5 Ways to Fix Sound Recorder Not Working on Windows 11

The Windows Sound Recorder app can come in handy in various situations. You can use it to create music, conduct interviews, record important meetings, etc. Sometimes the Sound Recorder app may stop working suddenly on your computer.

This can happen due to a lack of permissions, corrupt data, or the audio enhancement feature. As such, if the Windows Sound Recorder app has stopped working on your computer, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’ll explore five quick ways to fix Sound Recorder not working on Windows 11. So, let’s begin.

1. Allow Sound Recorder to Access Microphone

The Sound Recorder will not work on your computer if it doesn’t have access to your computer’s microphone. To grant the required permission, follow these steps:

Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.

Step 2: Choose Privacy & security from the left sidebar and then click Microphone in the right pane.

Step 3: Enable the toggle next to Microphone access and ‘Let apps access your microphone.’

Step 5: Turn on the toggle next to Sound Recorder.

2. Disable Audio Enhancement

Audio enhancement is an excellent Windows feature that enhances the audio quality for the current hardware configuration. However, for various reasons, this can affect the proper functioning of the Sound Recorder app.

So, turn off the audio enhancement feature, and check if it solves the issue. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app, choose System from the left sidebar, and click the Sound option in the right pane.

Step 2: Click on ‘More sound settings.’

Step 3: In the Playback tab, right-click on your speaker and choose Properties.

Step 4: Switch to the Advanced tab.

Step 5: Disable the ‘Enable audio enhancements’ box.

Step 6: Click Apply and then OK.

After that, restart your computer and check if the issue persists.

3. Repair and Reset the Sound Recorder

The issue can occur if installation files in the Sound Recorder installation are corrupt. You can detect and remove the corruption using the Windows built-in repair and reset feature for the UWP apps.

The repair feature scans and eliminates any corruption if finds. On the other hand, the reset feature resets the app settings. You can reset the Sound Recorder app using the below steps:

Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app, choose Apps from the left sidebar and Installed apps from the right pane.

Step 2: Click the three horizontal dots next to Sound Recorder and then choose Advanced options from the menu that crops up.

Step 3: Click the Repair button.

Windows will repair the Sound Recorder app. After the process completes, check whether the problem is resolved. If not, click the Reset button to reset Sound Recorder settings.

4. Restart Windows Audio Service

If Sound Recorder is not working on Windows 11, consider restarting the Windows Audio service. It’s an important Windows service responsible for the proper functioning of audio apps and devices. But sometimes, temporary bugs or glitches can affect the working of this service.

You can eliminate all such bugs and glitches by restarting the service. Here’s how:

Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start Menu.

Step 2: Type Services in the search bar and press Enter.

Step 3: Right-click on the Windows Audio service and choose Restart from the context menu.

Step 4: Click Yes on the confirmation box that appears.

5. Reinstall the Sound Recorder App

If you still can’t record audio on Windows 11, you’ll have to reinstall the Sound Recorder app as a last resort. To do that, follow the below instructions:

Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app, choose Apps from the left sidebar and then click the Installed apps from the right pane.

Step 2: Click three horizontal dots next to Sound Recorder and choose Uninstall.

Step 3: Click Uninstall again.

Step 4: Press the Windows key to open the Start Menu. Then, type Microsoft Store in the search bar and press Enter.

Step 5: In the Microsoft Store, type Sound Recorder in the search bar and press Enter.

Step 6: Click the Get button.

After that, restart your computer, and you’ll no longer face the issue.

Record Anything You Want

Sound Recorder is an important Windows app to record anything you want. However, when it stops working, it can affect your productivity. You can quickly fix Sound Recorder not working on Windows 11 using the above solutions.