QEMU/Devices/Sound cards

Sound cards can be added easily to QEMU virtual machines easily through using -audio or the deprecated since QEMU 7.0 -soundhw argument.

How to add a sound card

QEMU 7 and above: You can add a card with the following:

qemu-system-(arch) -audio driver={output_driver},model={sound_card_model},id={id}

output_driver and id are the same as -audiodev {output_driver},{id} in older versions with their respective arguments.

QEMU versions before 7.0: You can add a card with the following:

qemu-system-(arch) -soundhw (sound_card_model)

Model	Name	Bus	Notes	Minimum OS
ac97	Intel(r) 82801AA AC'97	PCI	64-bit versions of Windows 7 and later require a third-party driver for AC'97 support	Windows: Windows 95 Linux: ? DOS: Requires per-application support
adlib	Yamaha YM3812/Adlib [OPL2]	ISA	Low-cost sound chip developed by Yahama, not useful outside of really old OSes	Windows: Windows 3.1 Linux: ? DOS: Requires per-application support
all	All sound cards	ISA/PCI	Enables every single sound card	N/A
cs4321a	Crystal CS4321A	ISA?		Windows: Windows 3.1? Linux: ? DOS: ?
es1370	ENSONIQ AudioPCI ES1370	PCI	PCI card from 1997, has DirectSound3D support, supports .ecw file format playback	Windows: Windows 98 Linux: ? DOS: ?
gus	Gravis Ultrasound GF1	ISA	Sound card from 1992, very popular demoscene card	Windows: Windows 3.1 Linux: ? DOS: Requires per-application support
hda	Intel HD Audio	PCI	Supported natively since Windows XP SP3 (can be installed on Windows 2000 with a separate driver). This card is recommended for more modern Windows and Linux hosts, i.e. Windows 7+ or Debian 10+.	Windows: Windows 2000 Linux: supported in nearly every modern distro DOS: Requires per-application support
pcspk	PC Speaker	None	Generic PC speaker, works on everything	All
sb16	SoundBlaster 16	ISA	Very popular and famous card from the early 1990s - most emulators, including QEMU, support this card. It is recommended for use in older hosts, such as Windows 98, Debian 5, or DOS.	All