Audacity is a great application that allows you to do many things with audio. You may want to learn how to get it to play through your headphones. You can do this in a few different ways, and the method you use will likely depend on what type of headphones you have.
Audacity allows you to simultaneously edit and hear your edit as other editing applications. However, the issue is that most users try to connect their headphones but fail. Audacity has specific settings to click your headphones to listen through them.
How Do I Get Audacity To Play Through My Headphones?
You can connect your headphones via direct connection, Bluetooth, using USB settings, or making them default in Audacity. Audacity can play through all audio output devices compatible with your computer and operating system. There are also some issues in these methods that you can resolve quickly.
Direct Connection: If you connect your headphones directly to your laptop or PC, all the output audio must come through them. But in Audacity, you must set up the settings to hear from the directly connected headphones.
Audacity Through Bluetooth: If Bluetooth headphones are connected to your PC or laptop, you must select them from Audacity settings to listen to your edits.
USB Headphones: USB headphones often causes connectivity issue in Audacity. These headphones don’t appear in the playback devices list.
Default Output Device: If you only use one headphone, then make them default, so each time you connect them, they automatically become the output device for your Audacity.
Method 1: Direct Connection
Direct connection is the plug-and-play headphones often come with a 3 mm audio jack. These headphones must be connected to your PC or laptop, and you can get anything to play, including the editing application’s soundtracks. Just make sure you plug the headphones in the correct output point.
- Confirm the headphone connectivity from the sound properties by right-clicking the sound icon on the right lower corner and selecting “Sound” from the list.
- Click on “Playback” to open the playback devices list, where you must check that your headphones are appearing. If not, then unplug them and replug them in the correct port.
The direct connection also means you don’t have to connect it through any other device like pin converters, turntables, or mixers. All operating systems, including Windows, have built-in features to make the plugged output sound device primary if it is connected directly to your computer.
Moreover, updating the sound drivers to get the latest version compatible with your operating system is essential in some cases. You must reinstall or update the driver if you can’t find your headphones in the playback devices list.
Method 2: Connect Audacity Through Bluetooth
Most of the latest headphones are wireless and come with Bluetooth connectivity. You can connect them to your devices and get the audio output from any application, including Audacity. These are so strong that they can relate to multiple devices simultaneously and give an output.
To connect your Bluetooth headphones to Audacity, you first need to make a connection between the headphones with your laptop or PC. For that,
- Go to the Windows search bar, write Bluetooth, and select “Bluetooth and other devices settings” from the list.
- Now click on “Add Bluetooth and other devices.”
- From the opened windows, select “Bluetooth” again.
- It will start scanning for Bluetooth. Select the name of your headphones from the list to connect.
Note: Some devices allow one Bluetooth device at a time. You can use applications like Virtual Audio Cable to connect multiple Bluetooth audio devices.
Method 3: Connect USB Headphones
USB headphones are one of the most popular types on the market. They offer great sound quality and can easily connect to your PC or laptop. However, some users have trouble connecting to Audacity. Here’s how you can enable these headphones from Audacity.
- From the File menu, go to Preferences and select “Devices” from the left sidebar.
- Now, check if your USB headphones appear in the list. Select them if they appear in the list, and press OK to close the window.
Method 4: Making Headphone As Default Device
If you are using multiple devices at a time, it means you can’t just use the headphones and speakers simultaneously. You must change your settings and preferences so the audio output only goes through your headphones. Here’s how you can do it:
- Go to the “Edit” menu and select “Preferences.”
- Now, from the left sidebar, select “Devices.”
- Here, set the default audio output device. From the playback section, select your headphones. It will set your headphones as a default output device for Audacity.
Note: If you use headphones just for editing and media, you use speakers, so don’t forget to change the default device. Otherwise, you won’t be able to hear any sound from your speakers.
Method 4: Update To The Latest Version
Most of the older Audacity versions are not compatible with wireless headphones. So, it is recommended that you update your Audacity to the latest version. You can do so by going to the Help menu and selecting “Check for Updates.”
If it doesn’t work for you, go to the official website of Audacity and select the latest version. Download and install it manually on your system. Always set automatic updates on Audacity to avoid such issues in the future.
The latest versions of editing applications like Audacity are always compatible with the latest hardware. They are also free of previous bugs and errors. That is why we recommend you check for the latest Audacity updates weekly.
Conclusion
There are many ways to connect headphones to play Audacity audio through them. While editing soundtracks, headphones are essential as they help you hear even the smallest noise. These methods are easy to follow, and anyone can do them without a problem. I hope this article was helpful and you could connect your headphones to Audacity.
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Hey, I’m Hammad. I have been writing for several years now and have amassed a wealth of experience within my field. My focus is on technology and gaming, two areas that I am highly knowledgeable about. Also, I’m writer for iPhonEscape.com and CPUGPUnerds.com as well and where I have written over 350 articles.