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If viewers cannot hear a prerecorded video in your YouTube livestream, first check Streamlabs Desktop’s Audio Mixer while the video is playing. Make sure the relevant source is unmuted and its meter moves. If it does not, the most common fix is selecting the computer’s actual playback device for capture—or adding an Audio Output Capture source on Windows.
1. Check whether Streamlabs is receiving the video audio
- Start playing the prerecorded video in the browser or app you use for streaming.
- Open the Streamlabs Desktop Audio Mixer and find the desktop-audio or application-audio source that should capture it.
- Confirm the source is not muted, then watch its meter while the video plays. A moving meter means Streamlabs is receiving audio; a still meter means you should check the capture route and device selection first.
Do not begin by changing bitrate or microphone filters: those do not fix a playback device that Streamlabs is not capturing. The relevant guidance is about the route from the computer or app into Streamlabs, not a specific YouTube setting.
2. Fix system-audio capture on Windows
Match the selected device to Windows playback
Streamlabs can capture Windows system audio, but its selected desktop-audio device needs to match the playback device actually producing the video sound. If you switched headphones, speakers, or another output recently, check that selection in Streamlabs’ audio settings and choose the device Windows is using for playback. Streamlabs documents explicit device selection as a troubleshooting route: Desktop Audio Not Being Captured.
Add Audio Output Capture if needed
If automatic desktop-audio capture is not working, add an Audio Output Capture source to the scene and select the playback device that is playing the video. Avoid capturing the same output through both this source and an already configured global desktop-audio source; duplicate capture can produce echo. See Streamlabs’ desktop-audio troubleshooting steps and Streamlabs Desktop setup guidance.
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3. Capture only the browser or app instead
If the video plays in a particular browser or application and you do not want other system sounds in the stream, use Application Audio Capture to target that app or window. Confirm that the correct window is selected, then disable the global Desktop Audio source. Leaving both routes active can capture the same sound twice and create echo. Streamlabs describes this app-specific route in its Application Audio Capture instructions.
4. If you use a Mac, set up virtual audio routing
The Windows desktop-audio steps do not apply unchanged on macOS. Streamlabs says macOS does not natively let Streamlabs Desktop capture audio from other apps; its Mac guide uses the free virtual audio device BlackHole to route system sounds into Streamlabs. Follow the device-selection instructions in Streamlabs’ Mac audio setup guide and check that the routed device is selected for capture.
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5. If the mixer meter stays still, try these Windows checks
Use these escalation steps after confirming the selected device and source:
- Close audio-management utilities. Streamlabs names Nahimic 2, Sonic Studio, Realtek HD Audio Manager, and Sound Blaster Recon as examples of software that can interfere with desktop-audio capture. Close the utilities temporarily and test again.
- Check exclusive mode. In the Windows playback-device properties, disable Give exclusive mode applications priority, then restart playback and check the mixer meter.
- Escalate only if simpler fixes fail. Streamlabs also describes installing Windows C++ Redistributables and, as a last resort, routing audio through Voicemeeter Banana with a virtual audio cable. These add complexity; they are not the first checks for a silent source.
These steps are from Streamlabs’ desktop-audio troubleshooting article.
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6. Separate local monitoring from stream output
Hearing the video through your headphones and sending it to the stream are different checks. Monitoring controls what you hear locally; it does not, by itself, prove the source is included in the stream. If the mixer meter moves but you cannot hear the source locally, check the relevant monitoring setup separately. Streamlabs’ monitoring explanation is for capture-card audio, so treat it as an example of the distinction—not a universal fix for browser audio: Elgato capture-card setup.
7. Verify the result with a recording or test stream
- Change one setting at a time so you can identify what fixed the route.
- Make a short test recording or run a private test stream with the prerecorded video playing.
- Listen to the resulting recording or stream output. Do not rely only on the mixer meter or what you hear in headphones.
Streamlabs recommends testing a recording to check that the intended content is captured; its setup guidance covers that check. If the meter moves but the test output is still silent, the available guidance does not establish a YouTube-specific cause for that remaining symptom.
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Choose the capture route that fits
| Route | Best fit | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Desktop Audio or Audio Output Capture | Capture system playback, including a browser video | Selected device matches Windows playback; source is unmuted |
| Application Audio Capture | Capture only the browser or app playing the video | Correct window selected; global Desktop Audio disabled to avoid duplicate capture |
| Mac virtual audio routing | Route system sound into Streamlabs on macOS | BlackHole route and selected device follow Streamlabs’ Mac instructions |
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