How to Record Audio on PC with 3 Easy Ways

Recording audio on your PC is great for many reasons, from referencing meeting audio to saving YouTube video audio, and much more, audio recordings are the way to go. However, choosing from the many digital recorders for PCs can be overwhelming. Today, we’re sharing the top three high-quality voice recorders for PC, including Windows Voice Recorder, which comes free on all computers with Windows 10. 

Keep reading to learn more about the following best voice recorders: 

• Windows Voice Recorder

• Notta

• Audacity

How to record audio on PC with Windows Voice Recorder

If you have Windows 10 on your computer, you automatically have access to a free voice recorder called Windows Voice Recorder. 

1. Locate Windows Voice Recorder on your computer by typing ‘Windows Voice Recorder’ into the search bar in the bottom left corner of your computer screen. Then, click ‘Voice Recorder’ when it comes up in your search. 

   

2. Click ‘Yes’ to allow the Windows Voice Recorder to access your computer’s audio for recording. 

   

3. Click the microphone icon to begin recording and play the audio you want to record on your desktop. 

   

4. Click the microphone icon again to end the recording. The following screen will appear, and your recording will be the top recording listed in the left column. Once you’ve clicked on the audio recording, you’ll see multiple options at the bottom of the screen. Choose from these options to share, download, trim, rename, and delete your recording. 

   

How to record audio on PC with Notta

Notta is a free speech-to-text application that you can use to record audio on your PC, such as video calls, YouTube videos, podcasts, and much more. On top of this, Notta has many excellent features, including real-time transcription, multi-terminal synchronization across multiple devices, and editing and adding notes and images to your transcription. 

There are two primary ways to record audio on a PC with Notta: the Notta website and the Notta Chrome Extension. Please note that recording through Notta’s website is ideal for recording microphone input sound, while the Notta Chrome Extension is ideal for recording desktop audio, such as browser streams, YouTube video, etc. 

Method 1: Notta Website

To record directly from Notta’s website, follow these steps: 

1. Login to your Notta account. Go to your Notta dashboard and click ‘Start Recording’ in the right-hand sidebar. 

   

2. Wait for the following screen to appear. This screen indicates that your audio recording has begun. In another window or tab on your PC, play the audio you want to record. When you are done recording, click the red recording button located at the bottom of this screen. 

   

3. Stop the recording and wait for the following screen to populate. Below the recording’s title, you can choose from multiple options to share or export your audio recording via Notion. 

   

Method 2: Notta Chrome Extension

To record audio on a PC using the Notta Chrome extension, take the following steps: 

1. Download the Notta Chrome extension from the Chrome web store by clicking ‘Add to Chrome.’ When asked, click ‘Allow extension.’

   

2. Locate the Notta Chrome extension in the top right-hand corner of Chrome after it’s finished installing. Open the audio on your PC and prepare for recording. When you’re ready to begin, click the Notta Chrome extension and click “Start Recording” when you want to begin recording the audio.

   

3. Check that your audio is recording by looking for the following screen change. You should see audio bars and a timer showing how long you’ve been recording. Click the pause button at any time to stop recording. 

   

4. Download, listen, share, or transcribe your audio recording by visiting the Notta dashboard. Your latest recording will show up under recent records. 

   

5. Click on your recording to bring up different sharing and transcribing options. You can export the audio file to your computer, Notion, share it with others, or have the Notta robot transcribe your audio recording for your reference. 

   

   

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   Notta offers a range of features to enhance your recording workflow. From selecting the input device to adjusting audio settings, Notta provides a seamless and customizable experience.

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How to record audio on PC with Audacity

Audacity is a free, open-source, cross-platform voice recorder that allows you to edit, record, and download audio on your PC. Audacity is compatible with Windows, Mac, and other operating systems.

Take the following steps to record audio on your PC with Audacity: 

1. Download Audacity on your computer. After clicking download, Audacity will prompt you to select what kind of PC you are using to complete your download. 

   

2. Pull up the audio on your PC that you are interested in recording. Then, bring up Audacity on your computer screen and match your settings to the ones in the following image. These settings indicate to Audacity that it’s recording audio from your computer rather than your microphone. 

   

3. Click the red record button at the very top of the Audacity screen. When playing your audio, you should see sound bars appear on the Audacity screen, which indicates that your audio is being picked up and recorded by Audacity. When you’re done recording, click the stop button at the top of the screen. 

   

4. Click ‘File’ then ‘Export’ to save the audio recording to your computer after you’ve stopped the recording. 

   

*For more information about recording audio with Audacity, check our value editorial section below, which has a step-by-step video tutorial demonstrating how to record audio with Audacity. 

Value Editorial 

During our research for today’s guide, we came across multiple resources on how to record audio on PCs. Check out the following videos for additional information on high-quality voice recorders for PCs. 

For a step-by-step video tutorial on how to use Audacity to record audio from a YouTube video, check out the following 42 second YouTube video on how to record YouTube audio with Audacity:

If you’re interested in recording desktop audio with OBS, we recommend the following video on “How to Record Desktop Audio with OBS Studio.” This video is quick and to the point and helps users avoid common mistakes when recording desktop audio. 

FAQs

Is there an audio recorder on Windows 10?

Yes, there is an audio recorder on Windows 10. All computers with Windows 10 have Windows Voice Recorder, which is a free digital recorder for PCs. Search the name ‘Windows Voice Recorder’ on a PC with Windows 10 to bring up the program. 

Where to find Windows Voice Recorder files on PC?

There are two ways to find Windows Voice Recorder files on your PC. Firstly, you can open your Documents file, then click Sound Recordings to bring up your audio recordings. Secondly, you can access your Windows Voice Recorder files through the Windows Voice Recorder app. Simply open the app and click the three dots in the bottom right corner. Then, click ‘open file location’ to bring up all of your recordings. Recent recordings will also be listed in the left column within the app. 

What is the best free audio recording software for Windows?

The best free audio recording software for Windows is Windows Voice Recorder, which comes free on all computers with Windows 10. Windows Voice Recorder records high-quality desktop audio for free on all Windows 10 computers. Audacity is another free audio recording software we recommend. 

What is the easiest software to record music for PC?

Notta is the easiest software to record music for PC. Notta is a free digital recorder for personal computers that can quickly record audio through the website or the Notta Chrome extension. 

How to record audio on Windows with headphones?

• Look for a specific audio recorder, like Notta, Windows Voice Recorder, or Audacity. Screen recorders that record audio from your microphone, not your speakers or headphones. 

• Install the audio recorder or sign up for an account.

• Reference the specific instructions for that audio recorder to record audio on Windows with headphones.

• For Notta, go to your dashboard and use Notta’s web recorder to record audio with headphones.

How to record audio on Windows from YouTube?

• Choose a digital recorder for PCs that picks up audio from your computer instead of your microphone. Notta, Audacity, and Windows Voice Recorder are some of the most popular applications for recording audio from your browser. 

• Create an account and install the audio recorder.

• Follow the specific instructions for that audio recorder to record audio on Windows from YouTube.

• For the Notta Chrome Extension, open the extension on the top right-hand corner of your screen and click ‘Start Recording’ to record audio on Windows from YouTube.

You can find the detailed guide about recording audio from YouTube here.

How to record audio from the internet on a Windows laptop?

• Search for Windows Voice Recorder, which automatically comes installed on all Windows 10 computers. 

• Open Windows Voice Recorder and tap the microphone icon to begin recording audio from the Internet. 

• Click the microphone icon again to stop the recording. 

• If you don’t have access to Windows 10 or prefer Chrome applications, use the Notta Chrome Extension to record audio from the Internet easily.

Final Thoughts

Recording audio from the Internet on your PC allows you to access meeting or lecture audio, YouTube videos, and much more later on. Windows Voice Recorder, Notta, and Audacity are all great options for recording audio on a PC. However, our top choice is Notta because of its many versatile features, such as live transcription, adding notes or images to your recording’s transcriptions, and its ability to share and export your recording in multiple ways. We also like that Notta offers a Chrome extension for in-browser recording, which the other two applications don’t provide. 

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