Short answer: Windows' built-in Sound Recorder only records your microphone, not system audio. To capture the sound coming out of your PC — a video call, a webinar, a podcast — use Xbox Game Bar (press Win+G) for a quick clip, or Audacity with the Windows WASAPI "loopback" host for a clean, reliable file. Stereo Mix works too, but is disabled on most modern laptops. All of these give you a raw audio file with no transcript. If you want the recording turned into a searchable transcript, AI summary, and action items automatically — capturing your mic and the computer's audio together — CraftNote does that on Windows, bot-free.
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How to Record System (Computer) Audio on Windows
"Recording system audio" means capturing the sound your computer plays through its speakers or headphones — the other side of a Zoom call, a YouTube video, a webinar, a voice note — rather than what your microphone hears. It sounds like it should be a one-click job, but Windows keeps mic capture and playback capture deliberately separate. Below are the four methods that actually work in 2026, exactly how to run each one, and the limits you'll hit with every one of them.
First, know what the built-in Sound Recorder can't do
The Sound Recorder app that ships with Windows 10 and 11 (rebranded from the old Voice Recorder) only records from an input device — your microphone. It has no option to capture playback audio. If you open it and record while a video plays, you'll get silence or a faint, room-echoed version of the sound picked up by your mic. So for real system-audio capture, you need one of the methods below. Sound Recorder is still fine when your goal is a plain voice memo: it saves an M4A file to your Documents folder under "Sound recordings."
Method 1: Xbox Game Bar — fastest for a quick clip
Xbox Game Bar is built into Windows 11 and 10 and can record your screen along with system audio, no install required. It's designed for game clips, but it captures any app window.
- Press Win + G to open the Game Bar overlay.
- Open the Capture widget. Click the microphone icon to toggle it off if you only want the computer's audio (or leave it on to include your voice).
- Under the Game Bar settings gear → Capturing, set "Audio to record" to All if you want system sound plus mic, or Game for app audio only.
- Press Win + Alt + R to start and stop recording. The file lands in Videos → Captures as an MP4.
Limits: Game Bar records video, so you get an MP4 you'll have to extract audio from if you only wanted sound. It won't record the Windows desktop or File Explorer itself (only apps), it can be blocked during certain protected playback, and there's no transcript — just a media file you manage by hand.
Method 2: Audacity with WASAPI loopback — best free audio-only method
Audacity is a free, open-source audio editor, and its Windows WASAPI "loopback" mode is the most reliable way to record clean system audio without any extra virtual-cable software. The capture stays fully digital, so quality is excellent, and it works even with Bluetooth output.
- Install Audacity and open it. Set the Audio Host to Windows WASAPI (in the device toolbar, or Edit → Preferences → Devices → Host).
- For the Recording Device, choose the entry that matches your speakers or headphones and ends in (loopback) — for example, "Speakers (loopback)."
- In Transport → Transport Options, make sure Software Playthrough is unchecked to avoid feedback.
- Click Record, play the audio you want to capture, then click Stop. Export via File → Export to MP3 or WAV.
Limits: Loopback records what's playing, so it grabs system audio but not your microphone in the same track — you'd have to record and mix your mic separately. You also do all the trimming, naming, and file management yourself, and there's no transcript or summary.
Method 3: Stereo Mix — if your hardware still has it
Stereo Mix is an older Windows feature that exposes your playback as a recordable input. When present, it lets Sound Recorder, Audacity, or other apps capture system audio directly.
- Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar → Sound settings → More sound settings.
- Open the Recording tab, right-click an empty area, and enable Show Disabled Devices.
- If Stereo Mix appears, right-click it → Enable, then set it as the recording device in your recorder app.
Limits: Most laptops made in the last several years ship without Stereo Mix — vendors stopped enabling it in their audio drivers, so it simply won't appear. When it does exist it can also route audio through an analog stage, which is slightly lower quality than WASAPI loopback. Like the others, it produces a raw file and no transcript.
Method 4: A dedicated recorder that captures mic + system audio together
The three methods above share the same catch: they hand you a raw audio or video file and stop there. For calls and meetings, what you usually want is both sides of the conversation — your voice and the computer's audio — in one recording, turned into something you can read and search. That's where a purpose-built tool wins.
CraftNote is a bot-free AI note-taker with a Windows desktop app. It records your PC's system audio and your microphone at the same time, so an online meeting in Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet — or an in-person conversation picked up by your mic — is captured directly on the computer without any bot joining the call. It then produces an automatic transcript, an AI summary, and separated action items with speaker labels, in 100+ languages with automatic language detection. The free plan gives you 2 hours of recording per week at no cost, and your notes sync to CraftNote on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, and the web on one account.
Quick comparison
| Method | Captures system audio | Captures mic together | Output | Transcript / summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound Recorder | No (mic only) | Mic only | M4A | No |
| Xbox Game Bar | Yes | Optional | MP4 (video) | No |
| Audacity WASAPI loopback | Yes | No (separate track) | MP3 / WAV | No |
| Stereo Mix | Yes (if available) | No | Depends on app | No |
| CraftNote (Windows app) | Yes | Yes | Recording + notes | Yes (auto) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I just use the built-in Sound Recorder for system audio?
Sound Recorder only listens to an input device like your microphone. Windows keeps microphone capture and playback capture separate, so the app has no way to grab the sound your speakers are playing. Use Game Bar or Audacity's WASAPI loopback instead.
Is recording system audio legal?
Recording sound you're playing on your own machine is generally fine for personal use. Recording other people — calls, meetings, interviews — is governed by consent laws that vary by region, and some may require you to notify or get permission from everyone involved. Check the rules where you and the other participants are, and disclose when in doubt.
How do I record system audio and my microphone at the same time?
Game Bar can include both if you leave the mic toggle on, but it produces a video file. For a clean audio-only recording with both sides plus a transcript, a dedicated tool like CraftNote records mic and system audio together and separates the speakers automatically.
Does Audacity need extra software to record system audio?
No. On Windows, switching Audacity's audio host to WASAPI and selecting the "(loopback)" version of your output device captures system audio directly — you don't need a virtual audio cable.
Can I record a Zoom or Teams meeting this way?
Yes — WASAPI loopback or Game Bar will capture the meeting audio playing on your PC. But you'll still be left with a raw file to transcribe yourself. If the goal is meeting notes, a recorder that transcribes and summarizes as it captures saves the extra steps.
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