Microphone not working on PC or Mac? Fixes for Teams, Zoom, Discord and headsets
You're talking and nobody can hear you, or they hear you faintly. A microphone that has stopped working is rarely broken; it's usually muted somewhere, blocked by a setting, or the computer is listening to a different mic.
1. Find every mute
- The call app's own mute button, and in Teams or Zoom a host can mute you.
- A switch or button on the headset or its cable, and on gaming headsets a flip-up boom mic that mutes when raised. Many headsets beep or light up red when muted.
- The laptop's mic mute key (often F4 or F8, with a light on the key). It mutes the built-in mic at the hardware level.
- Windows itself: Settings > System > Sound > your input device > check it isn't set to "Don't allow" and the volume isn't at 0.
2. Is the computer listening to the right mic?
Windows 11: Settings > System > Sound > Input. Pick the device under "Choose a device for speaking or recording", then open it and use Start test, or just watch the input level bar while you talk. Webcams, monitors, headsets and docks all add their own microphones, so the default can quietly change when you plug something in.
In the classic Sound control panel (press Win+R, type mmsys.cpl, Recording tab):
- Right-click the empty space and tick Show Disabled Devices; enable any mic that's been disabled.
- Right-click your mic > Set as Default Device and Default Communication Device. Call apps that follow "default" use the communication one.
- Properties > Levels: set the volume high (80-100) and add Microphone Boost if it's very quiet.
- Properties > Advanced: untick "Allow applications to take exclusive control" if the mic only works in one app.
3. Microphone permissions
- Windows: Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Turn on Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone and Let desktop apps access your microphone. Zoom, Discord, Chrome and classic Teams are desktop apps.
- Mac: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone: switch on the app, then quit and reopen it.
- Browsers: for Google Meet and other web calls, click the icon left of the address bar, allow Microphone, and reload. Chrome and Edge also let you pick which mic they use under Site settings > Microphone.
4. The app has its own device setting
Teams, Zoom, Discord, Slack and games choose their own microphone, separately from Windows. Open the app's Audio or Voice settings, select the mic by name (not just "Default"), and use its test. In Discord, check the input sensitivity: if "Automatically determine" is off and the threshold is high, quiet speech never opens the mic. Also check push-to-talk isn't switched on.
5. Headsets with a 3.5 mm plug
| Plug / socket | What it carries | Gotcha |
|---|---|---|
| Headset plug with 3 rings (TRRS) | Stereo sound + mic in one plug | Plugged into a PC's green headphone socket, only the sound works |
| Laptop combo socket (headset icon) | Sound + mic | Works with TRRS headsets; separate-plug PC headsets need a combiner |
| Desktop PC green + pink sockets | Green = sound, pink = mic | A TRRS headset needs a splitter (one plug to two) for the mic to work |
Front-panel sockets on desktop PCs depend on an internal cable and are a common failure point; try the rear sockets. Realtek and similar audio software may pop up asking what you plugged in: choose Headset or Microphone, not Headphones.
6. Bluetooth and USB headsets
- Classic Bluetooth only sends your voice in the lower-quality hands-free mode. On Windows the headset appears twice: choose the "Headset" or "Hands-Free" device as the microphone. Why the sound goes muffled when you do is explained in Bluetooth headphones sound bad on calls.
- USB headsets and wireless headsets with a dongle appear as their own device; select them in both Windows and the app, and avoid unpowered hubs.
7. Cutting out, robotic or too quiet
- Noise suppression (in Teams, Zoom, Discord's Krisp, NVIDIA Broadcast or Windows Voice Focus) can cut words or make a quiet voice drop out. Try a lower setting or turn it off to test.
- Windows "audio enhancements" for the mic (Settings > Sound > your mic) sometimes cause it; switch them off.
- A choppy or robotic voice for everyone else, while your mic test sounds fine, is usually your upload: see upload speed for video calls.
8. Drivers and last resorts
In Device Manager > Audio inputs and outputs (and Sound, video and game controllers), uninstall the audio device and restart, or install the audio driver from the laptop or motherboard maker. Laptops with Intel Smart Sound often need the maker's driver rather than Windows' generic one for the built-in mic array. Windows' Get Help app also has an audio troubleshooter. If no app on any computer can hear the headset, the mic or cable has failed.
Related
Speakers crackling or distorted · Webcam not working · Bluetooth headset mode · Bluetooth headphones keep disconnecting · Upload speed for video calls
Questions
Why can't people hear me on Teams or Zoom?
You're probably muted somewhere (the app, the headset or the laptop's mic key), or the app is using a different microphone. Choose your mic by name in the app's audio settings and check Windows microphone permissions, including 'Let desktop apps access your microphone'.
Why does my headset mic not work on my PC?
If it has a single 3.5 mm plug with three rings, a desktop PC's separate green and pink sockets can't use its mic; you need a headset splitter. Otherwise check it's selected as the input in Windows and the call app.
How do I test my microphone in Windows 11?
Settings > System > Sound > Input, choose the microphone, and speak: the level bar should move. Open the device and use Start test for a reading.
Why is my microphone so quiet?
The input volume may be low or Microphone Boost off. In mmsys.cpl > Recording > your mic > Properties > Levels, raise the volume; also check noise suppression isn't cutting your voice and the mic is close to your mouth.
Why does my microphone work in one app but not another?
The other app has its own device choice, or the first app has exclusive control. Select the mic in the second app, and untick 'Allow applications to take exclusive control' in the mic's Advanced properties.
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