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    • Error codes
      • Error -9996: Invalid Device Error
      • Error -9997: Invalid Sample Rate
      • Error -9998: Invalid number of channels
      • Error -9999: Unanticipated Host Error
      • Error opening sound device
      • Error opening recording device
      • Error: Audacity failed to read a file in C: and Error: Failed to Open Database File
      • Error Audacity did not recognize the type of this file
      • Error: The Audacity IPC server failed to initialize
      • Error code=12: cannot allocate memory (macOS)
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    • Solving recording problems
      • Audacity is not detecting the audio device I just connected
      • Audacity is not playing back what is being recorded
      • Delay and echoes when recording
      • Crackles, pops and distortion in the recording
      • Vertical red lines in the recording
      • Recording volume slider cannot be moved
      • Audacity records silence when using a Bluetooth headset as a recording device
      • Only the left channel is recording
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      • Audacity 3.7
      • Audacity 3.7.1
      • Audacity 3.7.2
      • Audacity 3.7.3
      • Audacity 3.7.4
      • Older versions
        • Audacity 1.x
        • Audacity 2.x
          • Audacity 2.0.0
            • Audacity 2.0.1
            • Audacity 2.0.2
            • Audacity 2.0.3
            • Audacity 2.0.4
            • Audacity 2.0.5
            • Audacity 2.0.6
          • Audacity 2.1.0
            • Audacity 2.1.1
            • Audacity 2.1.2
            • Audacity 2.1.3
              • New features in Audacity 2.1.3
              • New features in Audacity 2.1.3 - Appendix
          • Audacity 2.2.0
            • New features in Audacity 2.2.0
            • New features in Audacity 2.2.0 - Appendix
            • Audacity 2.2.1
              • New features in Audacity 2.2.1
            • Audacity 2.2.2
              • New features in Audacity 2.2.2
          • Audacity 2.3.0
            • New features in Audacity 2.3.0
            • Audacity 2.3.1
              • New features in Audacity 2.3.1
            • Audacity 2.3.2
              • New features in Audacity 2.3.2
            • Audacity 2.3.3
              • New features in Audacity 2.3.3
          • Audacity 2.4.0
            • New features in Audacity 2.4.0
            • Audacity 2.4.1
              • New features in Audacity 2.4.1
            • Audacity 2.4.2
              • New features in Audacity 2.4.2
        • Audacity 3.0
          • New features in Audacity 3.0.0
          • Audacity 3.0.2
            • New features in Audacity 3.0.2
          • Audacity 3.0.3
            • New features in Audacity 3.0.3
          • Audacity 3.0.4
            • New features in Audacity 3.0.4
          • Audacity 3.0.5
        • Audacity 3.1
          • Audacity 3.1.1
          • Audacity 3.1.2
          • Audacity 3.1.3
        • Audacity 3.2
          • Audacity 3.2.1
          • Audacity 3.2.2
          • Audacity 3.2.3
          • Audacity 3.2.4
          • Audacity 3.2.5
        • Audacity 3.3
          • Audacity 3.3.1
          • Audacity 3.3.2
          • Audacity 3.3.3
        • Audacity 3.4
          • Audacity 3.4.1
          • Audacity 3.4.2
        • Audacity 3.5
          • Audacity 3.5.1
        • Audacity 3.6
          • Audacity 3.6.1
          • Audacity 3.6.2
          • Audacity 3.6.3
          • Audacity 3.6.4
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  1. Troubleshooting
  2. Error codes

Error opening recording device

Learn about causes and fixes for this error.

PreviousError opening sound deviceNextError: Audacity failed to read a file in C: and Error: Failed to Open Database File

Last updated 1 year ago

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Causes

This error indicates a problem with the hardware used for recording, whether it is permissions, drivers, connections, or if you ask the device to do something it cannot do.

Fixes

You can attempt the common troubleshooting steps to attempt to resolve it

If these troubleshooting steps aren't working for you, feel free to ask in our communities:

Common troubleshooting steps
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