Start here: what does Windows see?
Open our mic test in Edge, Chrome or Firefox and speak. Its result points you to the right fix:
- “No microphone found”: Windows doesn’t offer a working input device. Start with fix 2, then fix 4 and fix 6.
- Access is blocked even after you allow it in the browser: a Windows privacy switch is off. Start with fix 1.
- The meter moves but stays very low: go to fix 3.
- The meter moves well: Windows and the microphone are fine. The app you’re using has its own microphone setting, so look there.
1. Turn on the privacy switches
Windows 11 has three separate switches, and any one of them can block the microphone.
- Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
- Turn on Microphone access.
- Turn on Let apps access your microphone, then check that the app you need is on in the list below it.
- Turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone. Browsers, Zoom, Discord and other programs you install from the web are desktop apps. They never appear in the list, so this switch is the only one that covers them.
If your microphone is part of a webcam, also open Privacy & security > Camera and check the same switches there.
2. Choose the input device
Windows sends one microphone to apps by default. If a webcam, headset or monitor added its own, the default may be the wrong one.
- Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
- Under Input, find Choose a device for speaking or recording and select your microphone.
On a desktop PC with several round jacks, a plug-in microphone usually goes in the pink one. Green is usually for speakers or headphones.
3. Test it in Windows and set the input volume
- In Settings > System > Sound, under Input, select > next to your microphone.
- Under Input settings, select Start test and speak normally, then select Stop test.
- Select Play under the recorded sample to hear yourself.
- If you sound quiet, drag the Input volume slider up and test again.
You may find older advice about a Levels tab and Microphone Boost. Microsoft gives those steps for Windows 10. For Windows 11, the Input volume slider above is the setting it points to.
4. Make sure the device is not disabled
A microphone can be switched off in the classic sound panel. While it is off, no app can use it.
- In Settings > System > Sound, select More sound settings.
- Open the Recording tab and select your microphone.
- Select Properties. Under Device usage, choose Use this device (enable).
5. Run the sound troubleshooter
Windows can check the recording path for you.
- Go to Settings > System > Sound.
- Scroll to Advanced. Under Troubleshoot common sound problems, choose Input devices.
- Follow the steps it shows.
6. Reinstall the audio driver
If Windows doesn’t list the microphone at all, or it stopped working after an update, reinstalling the driver lets Windows set it up from scratch.
- Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
- Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Right-click your audio device and select Uninstall device. Tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device, then select Uninstall.
- Restart your PC. Windows reinstalls the device on the way up.
- If it doesn’t come back, open Device Manager again, right-click Sound, video and game controllers and select Scan for hardware changes.
If it still misbehaves, right-click the device and choose Update driver, or get the current driver from your PC or headset maker’s website.
Check that it worked
Run the Windows test from fix 3 and then the mic test on this site. A good result in both means the problem is solved for every app that uses the default microphone. If one app still can’t hear you, open that app’s audio settings and select the same microphone there.