Retried on Focal: $ qemu-system-x86_64 --audio-help Environment variable based configuration deprecated. Please use the new -audiodev option.
Equivalent -audiodev to your current environment variables: (Since you didn't specify QEMU_AUDIO_DRV, I'll list all possibilities) -audiodev id=pa,driver=pa -audiodev id=alsa,driver=alsa -audiodev id=oss,driver=oss -audiodev id=none,driver=none Which release did you look at? Please do realize that several plugins which would install a lot of dependencies got split into the package qemu-system-gui. This is a recommends from qemu-system-x86, but if you installed with --no-recommends or have removed it then the pulseaudio plugin won't be available. Please report $ apt-cache policy qemu-system-x86 qemu-system-gui In case you have both installed it really is a bug P.S. in 18.04 pa still was built-in. ** Changed in: qemu (Ubuntu) Status: New => Incomplete -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1877477 Title: qemu-system-x86 missing pa driver for pulseaudio To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/qemu/+bug/1877477/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs