How to record audio on Windows

Recording an interview? Laying down tracks for a song? Here’s how to quickly record audio on a Windows PC.

By Monica Chin , a senior reviewer covering laptops and other gadgets. Monica was a writer for Tom's Guide and Business Insider before joining The Verge in 2020.

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Whether you’re recording a podcast, an interview, a message to a friend, or notes to yourself, audio recording is very easy to do on Windows. There are various third-party apps you can use, but Windows 11 also comes with an app called Voice Recorder preinstalled.

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You can use that to record yourself easily — no download required. You can also use the app for some basic features, including trimming and exporting the tracks.

Here’s how to use Voice Recorder to record whatever audio you need to.

How to audio record on Windows 10

• Open Voice Recorder. It should come up if you type the name into the search box. If for some reason it’s not showing up, you can download it from the Microsoft Store for free.
• Press the microphone button to start recording. It will become a Stop button.
• Press the pause button to pause recording; press it again to resume.
• Press the Stop button to stop recording.
• The recording will automatically show up on the left side of the screen. Right-click it to rename or share the file.

How to audio record on Windows 11

The Sound Recorder app on Windows 11 is a bit more sophisticated. It brings a bunch of new features, including the ability to switch microphones from the homescreen and change playback speed.

• Open Sound Recorder. It should come up if you type the name into the search box. If for some reason it’s not showing up, you can download it from the Microsoft Store for free.
• Press the big red button or press Control + R to start recording. It will become a Pause button.
• Press the Pause button to pause recording; press it again to resume.
• Press the Stop button (the big black square) to stop recording.
• The recording will automatically show up on the left side of the screen. Right-click it to rename or share the file.