When I record a video and play it back in Windows Media Player, only the video appears without audio in MKV format from the OBS Studio app.

Question

When I record a video and play it back in Windows Media Player, only the video appears without audio in MKV format from the OBS Studio app.

Answer 1

Hi,

I’m really sorry about the issue you’re running into, In addition to using a different media player or installing codecs, you can try this to resolve the audio issue with your OBS recordings in Windows Media Player through remuxing the file or adjusting your OBS settings:

1. Remux the MKV file to MP4

OBS Studio includes a built-in tool that can quickly repackage (remux) your MKV recording into an MP4 file without re-encoding the video or audio, which maintains the original quality and is a fast process. MP4 files are much more compatible with Windows Media Player.

• Open OBS Studio.
• Go to the File menu and select Remux Recordings.
• In the Remux Recordings window, click the "..." button under "OBS Recordings" to browse for and select your MKV file.
• The "Target File" field will automatically populate with an MP4 filename in the same location.
• Click the Remux button to create the new MP4 file. This new file should play correctly with audio in Windows Media Player.

2. Configure OBS to be more compatible with WMP

To prevent this issue from happening with future recordings, you can adjust your OBS settings to either record in a more compatible format or automate the remuxing process.

Change recording format to MP4

• In OBS Studio, go to Settings > Output > Recording.
• Change the Recording Format dropdown menu from mkv to mp4.
• Note: MP4 files can be corrupted and unrecoverable if the recording is interrupted unexpectedly (e.g., power outage).

Automatically remux to MP4

This option gives you the safety of an MKV recording while providing an MP4 file that is ready for WMP immediately after the recording stops.

• In OBS Studio, go to Settings > Advanced > Recording.
• Check the box for Automatically remux to mp4.

3. Check audio track settings

It is possible the audio was recorded on a track that Windows Media Player does not access by default.

• During playback in WMP: While your video is playing, press Alt to show the hidden menu bar, then navigate to Play > Audio and language tracks and try selecting a different track to see if the audio becomes available.
• In OBS for future recordings: Verify your audio configuration by going to Settings > Audio > Channels (select Stereo or whatever you need) and in the Output > Recording settings, ensure you have the correct audio tracks enabled (e.g., check boxes for Track 1 and 2).

Hope that this additional information helps out.

Kind regards,

Answer 2

If you are experiencing an issue where only the video plays without audio in MKV format in Windows Media Player, it is likely due to a missing audio codec. Windows Media Player may not support the audio codec used in the MKV file recorded by OBS Studio.

To resolve this issue, you can try the following steps:

1. Install the required codecs: Ensure that the necessary audio codecs are installed on your computer. You can configure Windows Media Player to download codecs automatically by going to the Tools menu, selecting Options, then the Player tab, and checking the Download codecs automatically option.
2. Check the file properties: Right-click on the video file in Windows Media Player, select Properties, and check the audio codec listed. If it is not installed, you may need to download it from a third-party source or install a codec pack that supports MKV files.
3. Use a different media player: If the issue persists, consider using a different media player that has better support for MKV files, such as VLC Media Player, which includes a wide range of codecs by default.

If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, it may be helpful to seek assistance from someone who is or contact Microsoft Support for further help.