Fix Camtasia error 0x88780096 – Could not play back the audio

Camtasia is one of the popular screen recorder and video editor apps for Windows 11, 10, and 8. After finishing the screen recording when you open the project, you might see the following error on your screen.

We’re sorry! Camtasia could not play back the audio on the timeline.
Try saving then reopen the project.
(Error Code 0x88780096: The buffer memory has been lost and must be restored.)

Or

Error creating DirectSound buffer.
Error code: 0x88780096

Apart from this error, sometimes you also may see the “Error Code 0x88880001: Unknown Error”.

In this article, we will try to solve the above problem and give you the right solution to fix Camtasia error 0x88780096 – Could not play back the audio.

Cause

This error may appear due to various reasons, but the most common reason is the sound card driver. An outdated or corrupted sound card driver creates problems with various apps which require sound recordings and editing.

Apart from the sound card driver issue, missing system dll files, corrupted system files, bugs in the registry editor, outdated windows updates, etc also raises the Camtasia error 0x88780096.

How to Fix “Camtasia error 0x88780096 – Could not play back the audio” on Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11?

Some useful and tested methods are given below. Try them to resolve these Camtasia audio problems.

Method 1: Fix using the Outbyte PC Repair Tool

Mostly this Camtasia error occurs due to Windows malfunctioning. Use Outbyte PC Repair Tool to optimize your PC and fix various errors.

Windows is made with huge number of dll files, exe files, sys files, various types of services, databases, etc so, it is not possible to keep monitoring all the files always. A brilliant PC Optimizer tool repairs damages, fix errors, update windows and drivers, and eliminate various types of errors silently.

Outbyte PC Repair Tool does all the above task easily and provides you an errorfree and smooth Windows environment to work so that you can focus on your business only.

3 Steps to Fix this Error
Step 1. Download Outbyte PC Repair Tool [File Size: 16.4 MB]
Step 2. SCAN your Windows PC
Step 3. Click Fix button to Repair Error

Method 2: Save the Project and Reboot Camtasia

Another simple method to fix this problem is to Save the project and reopen the Camtasia. Most of the time this trick works and bypasses the error code 0x88780096.

Method 3: Update Sound Card Driver

As mentioned above that outdated sound card driver is the closest reason behind the Camtasia error “Could not play back the audio”. Update the sound card driver and reboot your computer to see if the error has been removed.

How to update sound card driver on Windows 11, 10, & 8

Step 1: Open Device Manager. Press Windows key + X and click on the Device Manager to open.
Step 2: Expand Sound, video, and game controllers.

1_expand_sound_driver

Step 3: Right-click on your audio driver and select Update driver.

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Method 4: Run Sound Troubleshooter

To fix the sound-related issue, the most convenient way is to run a sound troubleshooter. Follow the below steps to fix sound-related problems on your computer.

Step 1: Go to the notification area and right click on the speaker icon and select Troubleshoot sound problems.

3_open_sound_troubleshooter

Step 2: Click on the Yes button to start the Sound troubleshooter.

4_start_sound_troubleshooter

Step 3: It will start diagnostic sound problem. Wait till the process completes.

Method 5: Turn on the Microphone

It seems that your microphone is turned off so you are getting the Camtasia buffer error 0x88780096. Turn on the microphone to fix this error.

Step 1: Open the Start button ➜ Settings ➜ Privacy & Security. Navigate to Microphone and open.

5_open_microphone_setup

Step 2: Next, under Allow apps to access your microphone, ensure the toggle is turned On.

6_turn_on_microphone

Summary

Here, you get the solution for Camtasia error 0x88780096 – Could not play back the audio. If you are having a problem with the Camtasia buffer error, follow the guidance given in this article.