Audio for Recording

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Audio for Recording

Grace Plevey 20

Hi,

I have a 2 hour recording with no audio and it is fundamental for the recording. Is there anyway it can be restored?

Kind regards.

Grace

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Answer 1

Sophie N 8,600 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear @Grace Plevey,

Good day and thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I want to be transparent with you from the start. In most cases, if audio was not captured during the recording process itself (for instance, if the microphone was muted, not selected, or not granted permission), the audio data does not exist within the file. If the data was never recorded, it unfortunately cannot be restored.

However, before we come to that conclusion, let's investigate to be certain. The solution depends entirely on the application you used to make the recording.

To help me understand the situation and provide the correct guidance, could you please tell me:

What is the file format of the recording? (e.g., MP4, WMV, etc.)
Have you tried playing the video file on a different computer or with a different media player (like the free and versatile VLC Media Player)? This helps rule out a simple playback issue.

Your answers to these questions will help us determine if there is any possibility of recovery.

I sincerely hope there is a simple explanation, and I look forward to your reply so we can investigate further.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Grace Plevey 20 Reputation points

2025-07-24T06:38:11.7366667+00:00

Hi Sophie, it is MP4 and I have not tried it on VCL. I am confused because I did a recording the other day and it was crystal clear…. I am devastated as it’s a 2 hour assignment
Grace Plevey 20 Reputation points

2025-07-24T06:40:59.2166667+00:00

I have now tried VCL with no luck
Sophie N 8,600 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-07-24T06:51:20.08+00:00
Dear @Grace Plevey

Thank you for your response, and I truly understand how devastating this must be especially for such an important assignment. I can only imagine how frustrating it is to have had a successful recording previously, only to encounter this issue now.

Since you’ve confirmed the file is in MP4 format and VLC did not resolve the playback issue, this suggests the audio was either:

Not captured during recording (e.g., microphone access was blocked, muted, or incorrectly selected).

Corrupted during saving (rare but possible if the app crashed or storage was interrupted).

Next Steps to Investigate:

Check the Recording App’s Settings:

Open the app you used (e.g., Teams, PowerPoint, or other) and review:

Microphone permissions (system and app-level).

Default audio input device settings.

Inspect the File:

Right-click the file > Properties > Details tab: Does it show an audio track? If "Audio: None" appears, the data was never recorded.

Try Audio Recovery Tools (Last Resort):

Tools like Audacity (free) can sometimes detect corrupted audio tracks. Open the MP4 and check if any waveform appears.

Note: Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. The sites are not controlled by Microsoft. Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any suggestions from the above link

If the Audio Is Truly Missing, I wish I had better news, but if the audio wasn’t captured initially, recovery isn’t possible. As a precaution for future recordings:

Always test your microphone before starting (e.g., via Windows Voice Recorder).

Verify the app displays audio levels during recording.

I’m deeply sorry I couldn’t provide a solution this time. If you’d like, I’m happy to share detailed steps to prevent this in the future. Please let me know how else I can assist.

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