Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
If Audacity appears in your tenant’s Enterprise App Catalog, use that entry, keep Intune’s supplied installation and detection settings, and test it with a pilot group first. Choose Available for optional Company Portal installation or Required when a defined user or device group must have it. The catalog is usually less work to maintain than packaging Audacity yourself.
What you need before deploying Audacity
- Intune access: An administrator who can create and assign apps in the Intune admin center.
- Enterprise Application Management entitlement: The Enterprise App Catalog is part of this Intune advanced capability. Confirm that it is available to your tenant and that the relevant users are licensed.
- A target group and pilot: Decide whether to assign to users or devices, and test with a small group before broad deployment.
- A compatible Windows build: Check the architecture offered by the catalog entry against your fleet, especially if you manage x86 or Windows on Arm devices.
- Approval for the software and workflow: Audacity is free and open source, but your organization remains responsible for approving its use, recording policies, plug-ins, and any supporting components.
Microsoft’s published catalog list includes Audacity, but the entry shown in your tenant is the operational source of truth. The Enterprise App Catalog is a Microsoft-managed catalog of prepackaged Windows Win32 apps; it is distinct from Microsoft Store deployment, a manually uploaded .intunewin package, and a direct download from Audacity. See Microsoft’s Enterprise App Catalog overview.
Why use the Enterprise App Catalog?
For a standard Audacity installation, the catalog avoids downloading and packaging the installer yourself. Intune supplies recommended installation, uninstall, requirement, and detection settings, and the catalog supports app updates. Microsoft hosts catalog app content in Microsoft storage accessible through *.manage.microsoft.com; check your network allowlisting and endpoint requirements if downloads fail.
The catalog is not a guarantee that every release will reach every device immediately. Microsoft’s service-level objectives say most updates that pass automated validation are targeted to become available within about 24 hours, while updates needing manual testing may take up to seven days. Those are SLOs, not guarantees. A version becoming available in the catalog, updating the app record in Intune, assignment to a device, and successful installation on that device are separate events.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →#1 Best Overall
- 【Crystal Clear Audio Quality】Our Omnidirectional pattern condenser microphone accurately captures your voice, making it perfect for dictation, online classrooms, and more.
- 【Active Noise-Cancelling】Come in CMTECK CCS2.0 SMART CHIP with Omnidirectional Polar Pattern, which can effectively block the background noise. The pop filter prevents plosives from overloading the microphone, ensuring only your voice is heard.7
- 【Convenient Mute Button with LED Indicator】You can quickly mute/un-mute the microphone with the Mute Button and the built-in LED light lets you know the working status(Greenlight: Connected; Red light: Mute mode).
- 【Easy to use】 No drivers needed, just plug and record without external power supply, directly connect the microphone to a USB compatible device, well compatible with Windows(7, 8 and 10), Mac OS and PS4 (NOT compatible with Raspberry Pi/Linux/Android）
- 【Mini size with Adjustable Gooseneck】Adopted flexible and adjustable gooseneck metal pipe, easily adjust position 360 degrees to suit user comfort. The compact and stable base maximizes your desktop space.
Use a custom Win32 package when the catalog cannot meet a concrete requirement, such as a pinned version, a particular architecture, custom installation location, plug-in or configuration deployment, or custom detection and rollback behavior. A Store app is another distinct deployment channel, not a synonym for the Enterprise App Catalog. Microsoft documents Store deployment separately at Add Microsoft Store apps to Intune.
How to add Audacity from the catalog
- Sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center.
- Go to Apps > All apps, then select Create.
- For app type, choose Windows, then Enterprise App Catalog app. Select Select.
- Search for Audacity, select the appropriate catalog entry, and verify its publisher and displayed version.
- Review the supplied app information, installation behavior, requirements, detection rules, and return-code behavior. Check the architecture against your intended targets.
- Configure assignments and the deployment settings that suit your rollout, then review the configuration and select Create.
These labels reflect Microsoft’s documented creation flow; Intune’s interface can change. Follow Microsoft’s current add-an-Enterprise-App-Catalog-app instructions if the tenant UI differs.
Should you change the install command or detection rules?
Usually, no. Inspect and record the command and settings Intune displays for the selected Audacity entry, then retain them unless a tested, documented requirement calls for a change. Microsoft does not publish a single Audacity-specific command for every tenant’s catalog package, so do not copy a guessed command from a forum or assume a particular silent-install switch.
- Do not replace the catalog command with an untested command or a script that downloads an installer without validating its behavior and exit codes.
- Do not alter detection just because the app is not visible immediately after assignment. First check assignment, device check-in, and the actual installation on a pilot device.
- Use a PowerShell script installer only for a specific customization need. Microsoft supports script installers for catalog apps, with a 50 KB script-size limit, but incorrect custom logic can interfere with installation, update, or repair.
- Do not add settings-modification logic to the initial deployment unless the organization requires it and has tested the impact.
The command and detection details can depend on the catalog entry and package revision. The values shown in your tenant—not an illustrative command from an article—should guide the deployment.
Rank #2
- [Convenient Setup] Plug and play recording USB microphone for PC, with 5.9-Foot USB cable included for computer PC laptop, is connected directly to USB-A port for recording music, computer singing or podcast. The office condenser microphone for computer is easy to use and install. (NOT compatible with Xbox and Phones)
- [Durable Metal Design] Solid sturdy metal construction design, the computer microphone for Zoom meetings with stable tripod stand is convenient when you are doing voice overs or livestreams on YouTube. Durable material extends the service life of the voice-over microphone.
- [Mic Volume Knob] Gaming condenser USB mic compatible for PS4 with additional volume knob itself has a louder or quieter adjustment and is more sensitive. Your voice would be heard well enough through the zoom microphone USB when gaming, skyping or voice recording. Also, you can adjust your volume to zero and protect your privacy.
- [Widely Use] USB-powered design, the condenser microphone for recording no need the 48v Phantom power supply, works well with Cortana, Discord, voice chat and voice recognition. The podcast microphone for Mac, with USB-B to USB-A/C cable, is compatible with desktop, laptop or PS4/PS5, which meets most of your daily recording needs.
- [Clear Output Voice] Cardioid condenser microphone for PC captures your voice properly, producing clear smooth and crisp sound. Great computer recording mic for gamers/streamers/youtubers focus on the main source and reduces background noise. The streaming microphone does the job well for broadcast ,OBS and teamspeak.
Should Audacity be Available or Required?
| Situation | Assignment intent | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Audacity is optional and users should choose whether to install it. | Available | Eligible users can find and install it through Company Portal. |
| A lab or defined device group must have Audacity. | Required to devices | Intune deploys it automatically to targeted devices. |
| Specific employees need it, but installation should be optional. | Available to users | Those users can install it themselves on eligible managed devices. |
| A defined group of employees must have it. | Required to users | Intune deploys it for the targeted users, subject to assignment and device conditions. |
| The app is being evaluated. | Available to a pilot group | Users can test it without making it mandatory across the fleet. |
| Audacity must be present during provisioning. | Required | Test the provisioning impact before making it a blocking app. |
For optional creative software, Available is often the sensible default: it gives users self-service access without installing the app on every endpoint. Required is appropriate when a defined group genuinely needs the app as part of its standard environment. Scope assignments carefully and use exclusions for machines with incompatible audio hardware, specialized recording software, or restricted environments.
For an Available assignment, the user opens Company Portal, signs in with a work or school account, finds Audacity under Apps or by search, selects it, and chooses Install. Company Portal shows progress and an installed state; Microsoft notes that status can take about ten minutes to refresh. If the portal offers Retry after a failure, the user can select it. For Required, the user generally does not start the installation manually; Intune evaluates the assignment and deploys according to management context and timing. See Microsoft’s Windows Company Portal app instructions.
How to pilot and validate the deployment
- Assign the app as Required to a small pilot device or user group, or make it Available to pilot users if the intended production use is optional.
- Confirm the target is correctly included, licensed, enrolled, and not excluded by assignment filters or group membership.
- On a pilot device, confirm that the app downloads, installs, and is detected as installed in Intune. Test uninstall behavior if it matters to your management plan.
- Launch Audacity and test the actual workflow: playback, recording, file import and export, microphone permission, and required plug-ins or codecs.
- Check the selected architecture and any existing Audacity installations. Test the update path when a catalog update becomes available.
- After the pilot passes, expand the assignment in stages. Keep the pilot assignment and exclusions understandable so you can stop or narrow rollout if issues appear.
Enterprise App Catalog apps are supported with Windows Autopilot, including use as blocking apps for Enrollment Status Page and Device Preparation Page profiles. Make Audacity a blocking provisioning app only if it must be available at setup: an optional audio editor can unnecessarily delay enrollment if its package or network path is unavailable. Details are in Microsoft’s catalog app deployment guidance.
Which Audacity version and architecture should you target?
Do not hard-code a version from a general download page. Audacity’s official pages have displayed inconsistent version information, and catalog entries can change. At deployment time, compare the live Audacity release information with the version shown in your Intune tenant. The official Windows download page lists Intel/AMD 64-bit, 32-bit, and ARM64 beta installers; it also warns that the ARM64 beta has limitations, including no plug-in support. See Audacity downloads and Audacity for Windows.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsRank #3
- Custom three-capsule array: This professional USB mic produces clear, powerful, broadcast-quality sound for YouTube videos, Twitch game streaming, podcasting, Zoom meetings, music recording and more
- Blue VO!CE software: Elevate your streamings and recordings with clear broadcast vocal sound and entertain your audience with enhanced effects, advanced modulation and HD audio samples
- Four pickup patterns: Flexible cardioid, omni, bidirectional, and stereo pickup patterns allow you to record in ways that would normally require multiple mics, for vocals, instruments and podcasts
- Onboard audio controls: Headphone volume, pattern selection, instant mute, and mic gain put you in charge of every level of the audio recording and streaming process
- Positionable design: Pivot the mic in relation to the sound source to optimize your sound quality thanks to the adjustable desktop stand and track your voice in real time with no-latency monitoring
- Determine whether the catalog entry is x64, x86, ARM64, or has requirements that limit its targets.
- Do not assign an architecture-specific entry to every Windows device without checking the fleet. Use appropriate requirements or separate assignments if needed.
- For Windows on Arm, treat the official ARM64 build as a beta and verify that the needed workflow does not depend on unsupported plug-ins.
- Check whether existing installations are per-user or per-device, and whether they came from an installer or a ZIP archive. Different installation paths can affect upgrade and detection behavior.
Audacity’s official download page also presents FFmpeg as an additional resource. Do not assume the catalog Audacity app includes FFmpeg, VST plug-ins, audio drivers, ASIO components, presets, file associations, or other codecs. Approve and deploy those separately unless the catalog entry explicitly says they are included.
What to check when installation does not work
Audacity is missing from the app-type list or catalog search
Confirm that Enterprise Application Management is licensed and available in the tenant, that you selected the Enterprise App Catalog app type, and that your account has the permissions needed to create apps. Search the name again, refresh the admin center, and check whether the tenant’s cloud or service environment affects availability. Microsoft’s public list includes Audacity, but a tenant’s live catalog entry is what you can deploy. If it is unavailable and you need the app, use a custom Win32 package rather than treating a direct download as an Intune assignment.
The assignment has not reached the device
Check group membership, assignment intent, filters, exclusions, licensing, enrollment, and the device’s most recent Intune check-in. An Available app appears through Company Portal only for eligible targeted users and devices; it is not installed automatically. Do not expect an immediate status change after creating an assignment.
Installation fails or Intune reports detection failure
Review the app’s install status in Intune and the endpoint’s Intune Management Extension logs. Verify the installation command and return-code behavior shown for the tenant’s catalog entry. On the device, inspect the actual installation path, version, architecture, and per-user versus per-device context. If Audacity was already installed, determine whether it came from a different installer or a ZIP archive before changing detection. Test any adjustment on a pilot rather than replacing Microsoft’s detection rule to mask a failed install.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Rank #4
- Built-in AI Noise Reduction: Compared to the base model, G11 pro upgraded AI noise cancellation, effectively eliminates distractions like fan noise, keyboard clicks. It delivers clear, crisp teleconferencing experiences, making it perfect for conference calls, online learning and chatting
- Omnidirectional Conference Mic: Features omnidirectional pickup pattern with a pickup distance of 11.5 ft, making it easy to capture sounds from 360° directions. Highly sensitive pickup ensures participants hear everything clearly. Tips: This is not a speaker
- Effortless Control: Physical volume and monitoring control buttons are built into the microphone body, allowing you to effortlessly adjust both microphone and monitoring volume. Click to adjust volume between 4 levels
- Mute & Monitor: Quickly mute/unmute your microphone by one tap. Built-in 3.5mm jack allows connection of headphones for monitoring. Long press for 3 seconds to enable/disable: Blue-Mic mode, Red-Mute, Purple-Monitoring. Note: Do not connect the 3.5mm jack to external speakers, as this may cause feedback interference
- Plug & Play: Compatible with all operating systems,both Windows and macOS. No additional drivers needed . If there is no response after inserting the mic, please go to the microphone setting of your computer and select the mic as the INPUT device
Company Portal stays on Installing or shows an old status
Allow time for status synchronization; Company Portal may take about ten minutes to refresh. Compare the portal with the Intune device install status, check device check-in and assignment targeting, and confirm detection on the endpoint. Use Retry if the portal offers it after a failure.
Audacity opens, but recording or plug-ins fail
Separate app deployment from audio configuration. Check Windows microphone privacy permissions, selected input and output devices, drivers, endpoint security restrictions, remote desktop audio redirection, and user access to the recording device. For plug-in or codec issues, verify architecture compatibility and whether the required component was separately approved and deployed; the ARM64 beta’s stated plug-in limitation may be decisive.
Content does not download
Check the device’s network access to the Microsoft-hosted catalog content and required Intune endpoints, including any organization-managed allowlists for *.manage.microsoft.com. Review device connectivity and management logs before changing installer settings.
When a custom Win32 package is the better choice
Create a custom Win32 app when the catalog entry is absent or cannot meet a documented deployment need: a specific version, architecture, installation location, pre- or post-install configuration, plug-in bundle, custom detection, supersedence, rollback, or independent retention and validation of an installer. Microsoft’s overview of app deployment types is at Add apps to Microsoft Intune.
Best Value
- Perfect for meetings and teleconferencing
- Plugs into computers, tablets, smartphones and other devices
- 1.5 m (4.9') cable is terminated with USB-C connector, and comes with USB-C to USB-A adapter
- Omnidirectional pickup pattern offers full 360° coverage
- Rugged Construction for long-lasting performance
A custom package gives the administrator control, but also transfers ongoing work to the organization:
- Obtain the installer from the official source and verify its provenance and integrity.
- Package it as an .intunewin file and test silent installation, uninstall, and exit codes.
- Define and validate requirements, detection rules, and return-code handling.
- Test every version change, architecture target, and supersedence or rollback path.
- Maintain the package and respond to compatibility or security issues.
A direct installer from Audacity is useful for an unmanaged PC, a one-off test, or preparing a custom package, but by itself it does not provide Intune targeting, centralized status, or Company Portal self-service.
What licensing and cost should you expect?
Audacity is presented by its publisher as free and open source; the enterprise deployment capability is a separate consideration. Microsoft identifies Intune Plan 1 as the base subscription required when Enterprise Application Management is purchased separately, and says the capability is included in Intune Suite. Microsoft’s US pricing materials showed Intune Suite at $10 per user per month, paid yearly, and Enterprise Application Management as a standalone add-on at $2 per user per month. Those figures are pricing signals, not universal quotes: the pricing was observed on August 18, 2026, and eligibility, region, licensing program, agreement, and current terms can affect what an organization can buy. Verify your entitlement and applicable Microsoft Intune Product Terms before purchase. See Microsoft’s Enterprise Application Management page and Intune pricing page.
If your organization already uses Intune, the catalog can reduce recurring packaging work. If you would adopt Intune solely to deploy one free application, compare that licensing cost with the effort of packaging Audacity using an endpoint-management tool you already own.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
