The stereo Mix feature is handy if you want to record the sound being played through your speaker directly. It’s a virtual audio device, and many users have reported that this feature disappeared on their computers.

There are various scenarios for this sudden disappearance. Most of the time, it appeared after updating from an older version of Windows to Windows 10 or after performing a significant Windows update. There are several different methods to enable Stereo Mix back on your computer, so make sure you follow the methods below to resolve the problem!

What are the Reasons Stereo Mix to Go Missing on Windows 10? 

Windows constantly get rid of features they feel are unnecessary, and Stereo Mix maybe another one. Still, Stereo Mix is also related to the audio driver you have installed, and it may be possible to restore it. There are a few different causes that can make Stereo to go missing, Check out If you want to know how to restore the missing stereo mix on window 10. 

• The microphone is inaccessible – If your microphone device is not available for audio recording, Stereo Mix will be disabled as well. It would be best if you authorized apps to access your Microphone in Windows 10 Settings.
• Stereo Mix is listed as disabled – Stereo Mix may merely be disabled as a virtual audio device in Sounds settings, so make sure you re-enable it to resolve the problem.
• Audio driver – Stereo Mix is only available for drivers provided by your manufacturer, and you will have to update them if you are utilizing the default ones made by Microsoft.

Make Sure Your Microphone is Available for Access 

This problem can also arise if your microphone is not available for access. This automatically disables the use of Stereo Mix. This solution is the most comfortable, and it can save you hours of effort, so make sure you don’t skip this method when troubleshooting the Stereo Mix missing problem on Windows 10.

• Hit the cog icon in the lower-left section of the Start menu to open the Settings app. You can also search for it.
• Scroll down until you understand the Privacy section, and make sure you click on it. At the left side of the window, you should view the App permissions section. Scroll down until you reach Microphone and hit on this option.
• First of all, examine if the Microphone access for this device option is on. If it’s not, hit on Change and set the slider to on.
• After that, switch the slider below the Allow apps to access your microphone option to on and scroll down in the list of installed apps on your computer. Switch the slider next to the applications you wish to provide access for on the list to on.
• Restart your computer to see whether the problem still seems!

Show Disabled Devices

Windows 10 may have somehow automatically impaired the Stereo Mix feature as a virtual sound device. It might be considered objectionable or might have been disabled by a third-party app. This is quite a big mistake by Microsoft, as hiding the device under Recording devices was superfluous. Make sure you check whether this is the cause of your difficulty!

• Right-hit on the Volume icon located at the bottom right part of your screen and choose the Sounds option. An alternative way would be to open the Control Panel on your system and set the View by option to large icons. After that, locate and hit on the Sounds option to open the same window.
• Navigate to the Recording tab of the Sound window, which really opened up.
• Right-hit anywhere in the middle of the window and check the boxes next to the Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices options. Stereo Mix should now appear. Right-click on it and pick the Enable option from the context menu, which will appear.
• Make sure you try it out to view if it works!

Update your Audio Driver

Many users have reported that they managed to fix the problem simply by reinstalling their audio device drivers. This is an easy method to perform, and it’s definitely worth your time.

• Hit the Start menu at the lower-left part of the screen, type in Device Manager afterward, and select it from the list of available results by simply clicking the first one.
• You can also hit the Windows Key + R key combination to bring up the Run dialog box. Enter in “devmgmt.msc” in the dialog box and hit OK to run it.
• Since you require to update the driver for your headphones, expand the Sound, video, and game controllers section. Right-hit on your headphones in the list and pick Update Driver from the context menu.
• Choose the Search automatically for updated driver software option from the new window and wait to see if the utility can find more recent drivers.
• Check to view if your headphones look under Playback devices in sound settings!

Enable Stereo Mix for Conexant HD Audio

If the audio device inside your computer is a Conexant HD Audio device, the steps below might help you restore Stereo Mix inside Windows 10. Ensure you follow the steps below carefully as there is some advanced troubleshooting that should be performed with care. Good luck in resolving the problem!

“CALCC2WA.inf_amd64_07118bd8a2180658” then it may be that the file has a slightly different name on your system. To find the file, please download the portable version of the PSPad from and accomplish the PSPad.exe file. This should look like this:

• Click Search
• Choose “Search / Replace in Files”
• In the Selected Directory field, enter the following path
• C:/Windows/System32/DriverStore/FileRepository/
• Click OK. And you should be able to view the files containing the above string in the Search in the File Results tab.

The stereo Mix is missing – What can I do?

In some cases, your audio chipset drivers aren’t helping you record audio using Stereo Mix. There is a possibility that you open the Recording Devices pane, and Stereo Mix will be missing.

To fix this difficulty, you can try to update your audio chipset driver. With sound chipsets from Realtek, it should normally work. In other cases, however, it’s because the newest Windows drivers for your chipset don’t support this feature.

To resolve this, you should try downloading and installing drivers from older Windows versions for your audio chipset. As always, before doing so, make sure you create a backup of your system.

Conclusion

The stereo mix allows the user to record the stream of a system like broadcasting radio, live streaming audio, speaker outputs, and even sound systems. In most systems, it comes as a default with the sound cards. But most people did not like its default as it is disabled. If you want to enable the stereo mix, follow the above methods. Hopefully, the topic is clear to you. If you have any queries, feel free to comment us.