as mentioned above, Audacity 4 won’t start.
Till beta2 it was no problem. Since beta4 and also with the release it won’t start anymore.
I deinstalled, deleted the folders in User/appdata/ roaming and local, deleted all registry entries
restarted the computer and reinstalled. Always the same, it won’t start. Do I install beta2 again everything is fine.
Here’s the log:
2026-09-05T11:02:31.042 | INFO | main_thread | GlobalModule::onPreInit | log path: C:/Users/xxx/AppData/Local/Audacity/Audacity4/logs/Audacity_260905_110231.log
2026-09-05T11:02:31.042 | INFO | main_thread | GlobalModule::onPreInit | === Started Audacity 4.0.0, build: 262451524 ===
2026-09-05T11:02:31.044 | INFO | main_thread | LanguagesService::effectiveLanguageCode | System languages: QVariant(QStringList, QList(“de-Latn-DE”, “de-DE”, “de-Latn”, “de”))
2026-09-05T11:02:31.054 | ERROR | main_thread | <lambda_1>::operator | Error loading translator “D:/Audacity4//locale/qt_de.qm”
2026-09-05T11:02:31.113 | INFO | main_thread | DiagnosticsModule::onInit | success start crash handler
2026-09-05T11:02:31.115 | INFO | main_thread | AbstractCloudService::readTokens | Could not find the tokens file: C:/Users/xxx/AppData/Local/Audacity/Audacity4/audiocom_cred.dat
2026-09-05T11:02:31.116 | ERROR | main_thread | ExtensionsLoader::manifestPaths | failed scan files, err: [401] Die Datei existiert nicht
2026-09-05T11:02:31.116 | ERROR | main_thread | ExtPluginsLoader::qmlsPaths | failed scan files, err: [401] Die Datei existiert nicht, path: D:/Audacity4//plugins
2026-09-05T11:02:31.116 | ERROR | main_thread | ExtensionsConfiguration::manifestConfigs | failed read config data, err: [406] Beim Lesen der Datei ist ein Fehler aufgetreten, file: C:/Users/xxx/AppData/Local/Audacity/Audacity4/plugins/plugins.json
Am I the only one who can’t run Audacity 4 on my Laptop? On my Computer at work it runs. So is there something special with my Laptop? It’s an Intel cpu.
So it seems nobody of the dev’s is interested to investigate this bug. That was it with Audacity so far for me.
Maybe I’ll give it a try again with Version 4.1 or later. Fortunately it’s not the only audio editor at the market.
Found the problem by myself. Maybe it can help others where Audacity doesn’t start.
The problem is Bluetooth. If Bluetooth is enabled Audacity won’t start. Is Bluetooth disabled Audacity starts.
It won’t start for me either. Disabling Bluetooth does fix that. But disabling Bluetooth audio output also fixes it for me. I.e. Just disconnecting from the Bluetooth audio output device that was being used.
That’s a less drastic step since a lot of my input devices are Bluetooth including my main mouse. So disabling Bluetooth altogether would not be a great plan for me.
My speakers are connected via Bluetooth because I get the cleanest sound that way. Previous versions of Audacity did work fine with Bluetooth output, as do most of the audio and music programs I have used over time.
It’s just standard Microsoft out. The driver is listed as Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio (yes, not one but two ®'s in the name of the driver!).
If there’s some reason Bluetooth audio cannot be used, at least for certain versions, perhaps at least a dialog box could be displayed. It’s kind of an untrapped-error feel at the moment.
The software also crashed for me the first time I tried to save a project. Previous versions of Audacity did sometimes run into issues depending on how fancy you’re trying to get, with plugins and so on. However, that’s true of a lot of audio software. But it’s basically working pretty well for an early version of a rewrite. You have to expect a few quirks!
Let me say that I love Audacity and deeply appreciate the incredible work that so many people have done on it over the many years. It is very unique in the world of computers in what it provides without the sticker shock. I have also bought some things from MuseHub, although MuseHub has been finicky on occasion.
Years ago I used Cool Edit, which was vacuumed up by the Adobe Death Star. Yes, Cool Edit Pro became more multitrack, but Cool Edit originally captured this fun creative sound editor vibe that few programs other than Audacity can match. I can’t emphasize enough how incredibly useful it is to have this tool available. Thank you a million times over.
I’m not sure how widespread the little bugs are in version 4, but it does look good and I think that the interface overhaul will be a big boon to future development.