How to Disable Audio Devices in OBS Studio

Yes, you can configure OBS Studio to completely ignore specific audio devices so they do not capture any sound or clutter your audio mixer. This article provides a quick, step-by-step guide on how to disable unwanted global audio sources and remove individual audio inputs from your scenes to ensure clean, controlled audio monitoring.

To stop OBS Studio from automatically detecting and capturing specific audio devices, you need to disable them in the global settings. By default, OBS may attempt to capture your default system microphone and desktop audio.

First, open OBS Studio and click on Settings in the bottom-right Controls dock (or go to File > Settings in the top menu).

Next, select the Audio tab from the left-hand sidebar. Under the Global Audio Devices section, you will see options for Desktop Audio, Desktop Audio 2, and Mic/Auxiliary Audio 1 through 4. To make OBS ignore a specific device completely, click the dropdown menu next to that device and select Disabled. Click Apply and then OK to save your changes.

If an audio device is still appearing in your Audio Mixer after disabling global devices, it is likely added as a specific source within one of your active scenes.

To remove it, look at the Sources dock for your current scene. Identify the “Audio Input Capture” or “Audio Output Capture” source that corresponds to the device you want to ignore. Right-click on that source and select Remove (or select it and press the Delete key on your keyboard). This completely deletes the device from that scene, preventing OBS from capturing its audio.