Microsoft has reportedly added a new feature to the latest Windows Insider build that lets you play its output across multiple devices or speakers. X (formerly Twitter) user phantomofearth shared screenshots that showed a new ‘Shared audio’ button in the Quick Settings panel beside the ‘Project’ button (that’s already widely available on Windows 11 devices). When clicked, it reveals a selection of audio devices connected to your computer. You can then tick the checkboxes on the devices you want to listen to and click Share to start outputting sound across multiple speakers.
At the moment, Windows does not support a native way of outputting audio to multiple different devices. A workaround involving the built-in Stereo Mix feature often does not work and can result in unwanted audio feedback. There are some third-party apps you can download, like OBS, Voicemeeter, or Audio Router, but they can get complicated and a bit too difficult for most people who simply want to share their audio experience.
Unfortunately, this new feature remains undocumented by Microsoft — even in the latest Windows Insider Blog — meaning it’s not yet an official or confirmed feature that is on the way to the wider Windows user base. We also don’t know if it works with just physically connected speakers, or if it’s also compatible with multiple Bluetooth devices. Nevertheless, we hope that this makes it through Beta testing and into mainstream release, as it’s a great feature for laptops and gaming handhelds. While not quite useful for 5.1 surround sound effects and the like, the multi-speaker sharing option is great if you want to watch a movie with someone else in a public place, like a plane, without having to share a single pair of earbuds between you.
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If you want to get your hands on this feature (and several more that Microsoft experiments with) in advance, you need to sign up for Windows Insider and join the Canary Channel. However, these are often the most unstable builds of Windows that haven’t been thoroughly tested yet (remember, you’re the one doing the testing), so you might run into unexpected issues if you have these updates turned on. It’s also not a guarantee that you’ll get the ‘Shared audio’ feature or any other features you might find other Insiders people have, especially as Microsoft may push updates to different devices randomly.
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