Start here: test the microphone in the same browser
Google Meet needs permission from three places: the Meet website, your browser and your computer. A quick test tells you which one is stuck.
Open our mic test in the same browser you use for Meet and speak.
- The meter moves: your browser and computer allow the microphone. The problem is Meet’s own setting or the microphone it picked. Start with fix 1.
- The test is blocked or finds no microphone: the browser or your computer is blocking it. Go to fix 4.
1. Leave Companion mode
In Companion mode, Meet doesn’t use your microphone or speakers at all, so nothing you say reaches the call. If you joined this way by mistake, leave the meeting and rejoin it normally.
2. Pick the microphone Meet is using
Meet does not always choose the microphone you expect, especially with a headset, webcam or monitor plugged in.
Before you join: at the bottom of your preview tile, click the drop-down arrow next to the microphone and choose your device. Speak, and check that the mic bar moves.
During a meeting:
- Click the arrow next to the microphone button. A pop-up lists your audio devices.
- Click the drop-down arrow on the microphone and choose a different one.
- For the full list, open More options, then Settings, then Audio.
If the bar moves but people still can’t hear you, you may be muted in Meet. Click Turn on microphone at the bottom of the meeting.
3. Reconnect a Bluetooth headset
A headset that is selected but not actually connected makes Meet look broken. Turn on Bluetooth on your computer, connect the headset, and then pick it again in step 2.
4. Allow the microphone for the Meet site
If you once clicked Block, the browser remembers it for meet.google.com.
In Chrome:
- Open a meeting link or meet.google.com.
- Click View site information, the icon to the left of the address.
- Turn on Microphone, then reload the page.
To check Chrome’s general rule, type chrome://settings/content/microphone in the address bar. Under Default behavior, choose Sites can ask to use your microphone.
In Safari on a Mac: choose Safari > Settings, click Websites, then Microphone in the list on the left. Set meet.google.com to Ask or Allow. These settings don’t sync between your Apple devices, so set them on each Mac.
5. Allow the browser in your computer’s privacy settings
Your computer decides whether the browser itself may use the microphone.
Windows 11: go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Turn on Microphone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone. Browsers count as desktop apps, so they are covered by that second switch.
macOS: choose Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and turn on your browser. Quit the browser and open it again.
6. Restart Chrome the full way
Closing the Meet tab does not always free the microphone. Type chrome://restart in the address bar and press Enter. Chrome closes and reopens with your tabs. Turn your microphone back on, then rejoin the meeting.
If restarting doesn’t help, update your browser to the current version and try again.
7. Turn up the input volume
If Meet hears you only faintly, the volume is set low in your system, not in Meet.
- Windows 11: go to Start > Settings > System > Sound. Under Input, select your microphone and drag Input volume up.
- macOS: go to System Settings > Sound, click Input, select your microphone and drag the input volume slider up.
Check that it worked
Before your next meeting, open the preview screen and watch the mic bar move as you talk. You can also run the mic test again in the same browser: if it shows a good level and Meet’s bar moves too, people will hear you.