How to Fix Audacity Error Code 9999 ‘Unanticipated Host Error’ ?

When you try to record and press the Record button, you might see this message: “Error opening recording device. Error code –9999 Unanticipated Host Error.” This error doesn’t give any details, and you also won’t hear any sound being picked up. The error code –9999 means that Audacity couldn’t reach or use your audio device, so it couldn’t open your recording equipment properly.

The most common reason for this is that your operating system doesn’t let Audacity use your microphone. Other reasons could be: your USB microphone became disconnected, your device and Audacity are set to different sample rates, the Overdub option is turned on, or your antivirus or firewall is blocking Audacity from using the microphone.

Now that you know the possible reasons behind this error, let’s move to the solutions.

1. Allow Apps to Access the Microphone

If you’re experiencing this issue on Windows 10, it’s likely caused by a privacy setting that blocks third-party apps like Audacity from accessing your microphone by default.

Since the Creator’s Update, this setting is turned on automatically. Unless you specifically enable microphone access for third-party apps, you’ll keep seeing this error.

1. Make sure all Audacity windows are closed.
2. Open a Run dialog box by pressing Windows key + R. Then type ms-settings:privacy-microphone and press Enter to open the Microphone Privacy settings.

   

3. Once you’re in the Microphone privacy tab, look on the right side and turn on the toggle for Allow apps to access your microphone.

   

4. After you’ve allowed system-wide access, scroll down the list of apps and make sure Audacity’s toggle is also switched on. If it’s not, turn it on.
5. Now, re-open Audacity and see if you can record without seeing the error.

2. Close Skype

Skype is known to sometimes conflict with Audacity. Even if you aren’t actively using Skype, it can still run in the background and reserve your microphone, making it unavailable for Audacity.

To fix this, make sure Skype is completely closed whenever you want to use a recording device with Audacity.

Even if the Skype window isn’t open, right-click on the Skype icon in the system tray and select Quit Skype from the menu to make sure it’s not running.

Once Skype is completely closed, try recording in Audacity again to check if the error is resolved.

3. Disable Host Intrusion Protection in Kaspersky Antivirus

If you’re using Kaspersky or another third-party antivirus, the error code 9999 may be triggered by security features that prevent unknown apps from listening to your microphone. In Kaspersky, this feature is called Host Intrusion Protection.

To fix this in Kaspersky, open the Settings menu in Kaspersky Endpoint Security and go to Advanced Threat Protection → Host Intrusion Prevention.

On the application screen, move Audacity from the Low Restricted group into the Trusted group, then save your changes.

Note: If you’re using different antivirus software, this security setting might have a different name and location. In this case, look up instructions for disabling Host Intrusion Prevention in your specific antivirus.

After making this change, restart Audacity and check if the issue is resolved.

4. Disable or Uninstall Third-Party Antivirus (if applicable)

If you suspect that your antivirus is still causing conflicts with Audacity, try temporarily disabling real-time protection or even uninstalling the antivirus to see if it solves the problem.

Start by disabling real-time protection by right-clicking your antivirus icon in the system tray and choosing the appropriate option to turn it off.

However, if the error is being caused by your firewall, just disabling real-time protection may not be enough. In this case, try uninstalling the antivirus entirely and see if the Audacity error goes away.

1. Press Windows key + R to open a Run dialog box. Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter to bring up the Programs and Features menu.

   

2. In the Programs and Features menu, scroll through the list of installed programs to find the antivirus you want to uninstall.

   

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish uninstalling your antivirus. Restart your computer after it’s done.
4. Once your computer has restarted, open Audacity and try recording to see if the error is resolved.