No audio in Moonlight with Sunshine: fix it step by step

Short answer: First, work out where the sound is going. If it plays on the PC instead of the TV, Moonlight is set to play audio on the host. If it plays nowhere, Sunshine is probably capturing the wrong audio device (set audio_sink), or stream_audio is turned off. If the PC has no sound after streaming, the session is still running: use Quit App in Moonlight.

Checked October 30, 2026 against Moonlight PC v6.2.0 and Sunshine v2026.914.233613 (latest stable releases) and their documentation. Sources are listed at the end of the page.

1. Sound plays on the PC, not on the TV

Moonlight can leave audio on the host PC. Check the setting on the device you stream to:

Moonlight PC: the option is “Mute host PC speakers while streaming”. When it is checked, audio goes to the client; when it is unchecked, audio plays on the host.
Apple TV: “Play Audio on Host PC” under Host Options should be off (it is off by default).

2. No sound anywhere

Make sure Sunshine is streaming audio. The stream_audio setting is enabled by default. Some people turn it off for headless second-monitor setups and forget.
Point Sunshine at the right device. By default Sunshine captures the default audio device. If you switched outputs (for example to a headset or a monitor’s HDMI audio), set audio_sink to the device you want. On Windows, list device names with:
```
%ProgramFiles%\Sunshine\tools\audio-info.exe
```
If several devices have the same name, use the device ID instead. On Linux, Sunshine’s docs show how to find the sink with pactl info or pacmd list-sinks.
Want the PC speakers silent while you stream? Use virtual_sink instead of audio_sink, for example with Steam Streaming Speakers. That needs Steam installed and, on Windows, the install_steam_audio_drivers option.
Surround setups: Moonlight offers stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 (Apple TV: Stereo, LPCM 5.1, LPCM 7.1; stereo is the default). If surround is silent, switching back to stereo is a quick test you can undo.

3. The PC has no sound after you stop streaming

Moonlight’s FAQ says this is almost always because the session is still running: you disconnected but didn’t end it. In Moonlight, select the running game (it still shows a play icon) and choose Quit App. This force-closes the game on the host, so save first.

Special cases

macOS host: Sunshine can only capture microphones on macOS. To stream system audio, Sunshine’s docs suggest a loopback device such as BlackHole or Soundflower.
Windows Server host: Moonlight’s docs say to install the qWave service and make sure the Windows Audio service is running.

FAQ

Why does my game audio play on the PC speakers while I stream?

Moonlight is set to play audio on the host. On Moonlight PC, check “Mute host PC speakers while streaming”. On Apple TV, turn off “Play Audio on Host PC”.

How do I stream audio but keep the PC speakers silent?

Set Sunshine’s virtual_sink to a virtual device such as Steam Streaming Speakers. This needs Steam installed, and on Windows the install_steam_audio_drivers option.

My PC lost its sound after streaming. Is something broken?

Probably not. The streaming session is likely still running. Select the game in Moonlight and choose Quit App (save your game first).

Sources

Moonlight wiki: Frequently Asked Questions (official Moonlight docs)
Moonlight wiki: Unable to stream at all on the same network (official Moonlight docs)
Sunshine docs: Configuration (official Sunshine docs)
Moonlight PC source: settings screen (SettingsView.qml) (Moonlight source, master branch)
Moonlight for Apple TV source: settings list (Root.plist) (Moonlight source, master branch)