Audacity is the most preferred sound editor by users when they want to record something or edit favorite audio tracks. It is a free open-source and easy-to-use audio editor that works on all the major desktop platforms like Windows, Mac, and Linux. Most of the time it works without any issues, but sometimes while trying to open or use the editor, Audacity may not work or display an error. One such error is the Internal PortAudio Error that has been encountered by many users while trying to use Audacity. The error message displayed to the user is as below
Could not find any audio devices.
You will not be able to play or record audio.
Error: Internal PortAudio error
Are you troubled with this error while trying to perform some audio editing or recording in Audacity? Then, read this article to find some troubleshooting methods that can help you overcome this issue with Audacity.
Workarounds
1. Try to perform a system restart to check if it helps.
2. Unplug your audio devices from your system and then plug them back in and check if the issue is solved.
Fix 1 – Enable the Windows Audio Services
1. Open the Run dialog using the Windows + R key combination.
2. Type services.msc and hit Enter to open the Windows Services.
3. In the Services window, scroll down and locate the Windows Audio service in the list.
Right-click on this service and choose the option Properties.
4. In the Properties window, change the Startup type to Automatic using the drop-down next to it.
5. Make sure that the Service Status is in the Running state.
If the service is Stopped, then click on the Start button to start the service.
6. Once the required changes have been done, click on Apply and then OK to save the changes.
7. Now you will be back in the Services window.
Here, look for the service named Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.
Repeat Steps 3 – 6 above for this service.
8. Reboot your system. Check if you are able to use Audacity without any error after the system startup.
Fix 2 – Rescan Audio Devices in Audacity
1. Launch the Audacity application.
2. On the ribbon at the top, click on the Transport menu.
In the menu that opens up, click on the option Rescan Audio Devices.
3. Wait for some time for the operation to complete. Rescanning will help fix the problem if the issue has taken place after making any changes to your audio device.
4. Relaunch the Audacity app and check if it opens without displaying the error message.
Fix 3 – Update Your Audio Device Drivers
1. Just press and hold the Windows and R key combination on your keyboard to open Run.
2. Type devmgmt.msc to open the Device Manager.
3. Once you are in the Device Manager, locate Sound, video, and game controllers in the list of devices.
Now, expand Sound, video, and game controllers by clicking on the little arrow next to it.
4. Right-click on your audio device driver and choose Update driver.
5. In the Update drivers window that appears, choose the option Search automatically for drivers.
6. If there are any updates to the existing drivers on your PC, they will be downloaded and installed.
7. Restart your system for changes to come into effect.
8. Open Audacity and check if the error is resolved.
Fix 4 – Run the Audio Troubleshooter
1. Press Windows + R to open Run.
2. Type ms-settings:troubleshoot and hit Enter to open the Windows Troubleshooter page.
3. Here, click on the box labeled Other troubleshooters.
4. In the list of troubleshooters, click on the Run button associated with the Playing Audio troubleshooter to open the utility.
5. Wait for the troubleshooter to run and detect any issues.
If there are any issues detected, follow the instructions to apply the fix.
6. Reboot your PC after the fix is applied. After your system startup, launch Audacity and check if this helped to fix the error.
Fix 5 – Uninstall and Re-install Audacity
1. Press the Windows and I keys together on your keyboard to open the Settings app.
2. In the Settings window, click on Apps in the left pane.
Now, move over to the right side and select Apps & features in the list of options available.
3. This opens the Apps & features page in the Windows Settings.
Here, type Audacity in the textbox below the App list text to look for the application.
4. Now, click on the three vertical dots at the right end of the box labeled Audacity.
Select the option Uninstall in the menu that opens.
5. In the prompt that pops up, click on Uninstall again to confirm the app uninstallation.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation of the application.
Restart your computer after the application is uninstalled.
7. Go to the Official download page of Audacity.
Download the latest version of the installer.
8. Open the downloaded installer and complete the application installation by following the instructions.
9. After the installation completes, open Audacity and check if the application works without displaying any error.
That’s it!
You will now be able to use the Audacity program to perform the required action of editing tracks or recording audio without seeing the Internal PortAudio error. Do comment and let us know your opinions and the fix that helped you resolve this issue with Audacity on your Windows PC.