playsound

library1.3.0pypypiunverified

playsound is a pure Python, cross-platform module designed for playing sounds with a single function call. It aims for simplicity and has no external Python dependencies. The current version is 1.3.0, released in 2021, indicating a stable but currently dormant release cadence.

communication

pip install playsound

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · PLAYSOUND

playsound

communicationpythonv1.3.0

Install

2.1s avg

Import

25ms

Disk

20MB

Pass rate

6/ 10

Env Coverage6 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v1.3.0 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

glibc

py 3.10

✓ —

✓ 2s

py 3.11

✓ —

✓ 2.05s

py 3.12

✕ build_error

py 3.13

✕ build_error

py 3.9

✓ —

✓ 2.3s

20MB installed

● package 20MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

playsound

✓ from playsound import playsound

This example demonstrates how to play a sound file using `playsound`. It dynamically creates a small, silent WAV file for cross-platform compatibility and then plays it. Replace `tmp_file_name` with the actual path to your sound file (e.g., `playsound('path/to/your/audio.mp3')`). Be aware that `playsound` blocks the execution of the script until the sound finishes, and specific audio formats may have platform-dependent support.

import os import tempfile from playsound import playsound # Create a dummy WAV file for demonstration # (playsound has no stop/pause, so a very short sound is ideal) # In a real scenario, use an actual sound file like 'path/to/my_sound.wav' # NOTE: For Windows, WAV is the most reliable format. MP3 support is limited. try: with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(suffix=".wav", delete=False) as tmp_file: tmp_file_name = tmp_file.name # Minimal WAV header + 1 second of silent audio for demonstration # This is a very basic valid WAV header for a mono 16-bit 44.1kHz sound wav_header = b'RIFF\x2c\x00\x00\x00WAVEfmt \x10\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x01\x00D\xac\x00\x00\x88\x58\x01\x00\x02\x00\x10\x00data\x08\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00' tmp_file.write(wav_header) tmp_file.flush() print(f"Playing sound from: {tmp_file_name}") playsound(tmp_file_name) print("Sound playback finished.") finally: if 'tmp_file_name' in locals() and os.path.exists(tmp_file_name): os.remove(tmp_file_name) print(f"Cleaned up temporary file: {tmp_file_name}")

Debug

Known issues

gotchaThe `playsound()` function is blocking by default. It will pause the execution of your Python script until the sound finishes playing. For non-blocking playback, you must use Python's `threading` module.

fix

To play sound asynchronously, wrap `playsound()` in a separate thread: `import threading; threading.Thread(target=playsound, args=('path/to/sound.mp3',)).start()`

affects: 1.x.x

gotchaOn Linux, `playsound` relies on the GStreamer media framework. You need to install system-level GStreamer packages (e.g., `gstreamer1.0-plugins-good` and `gstreamer1.0-alsa` on Debian/Ubuntu) for MP3/OGG support. Without them, playback will fail silently or with GStreamer-related errors.

fix

Install required GStreamer packages. Example for Debian/Ubuntu: `sudo apt-get install gstreamer1.0-plugins-good gstreamer1.0-alsa`

affects: 1.x.x

gotcha`playsound` does not provide any functionality to stop, pause, or control the volume of a sound once it has started playing. The sound will play to its completion.

fix

For granular control over sound playback (stop, pause, volume), consider using libraries like `pygame.mixer` or `pydub` (which often requires `ffmpeg`).

affects: 1.x.x

gotchaFile format support is platform-dependent. WAV files generally work reliably across all platforms. MP3 files are supported on macOS and Linux (with GStreamer) but may not work consistently on Windows, which primarily relies on `winsound` for WAV.

fix

For maximum compatibility, convert audio files to WAV format. Always test your chosen format on your target operating systems.

affects: 1.x.x

gotchaError reporting can be minimal or cryptic. If a file is not found, or the format is unsupported, playsound might raise a generic `PlaysoundException` with an obscure error code (e.g., `Error 263` on Windows) or simply fail silently.

fix

Always ensure the file path is correct and the file exists. Verify the file format is supported on the target OS. Wrap `playsound` calls in `try...except PlaysoundException:` blocks to catch specific errors if they are raised.

affects: 1.x.x

Upgrade

Version history

1.3.0latest on PyPI · released Jul 24, 2021

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

16 hits · last 30 days

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OpenAI (training)

Amazon

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/TaylorSMarks/playsound ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/playsound/ ↗