Microphone Not Working Properly in Microsoft Teams

Select the intended microphone in Teams, enable automatic mic sensitivity, and run a test call to determine whether the low or intermittent audio originates in Teams or the underlying device.

Configure and test the microphone in Teams

1. Open Teams → Settings and more (…) → Settings → Devices.
2. Under Audio settings:
   • Select the correct device from Microphone.
   • Turn on Automatically adjust mic sensitivity so Teams maintains a consistent voice level.
   • Set Noise suppression to Background noise only. If other nearby voices are the problem, use Voice isolation after creating a voice profile.
3. Select Make a test call, record a short message, and listen to the playback. The test-call feature is available only in English and is not available in Teams for web.^1^

During a meeting, use the arrow next to Mic → More audio settings and verify that the same microphone remains selected. If it is missing, reconnect it; for Bluetooth devices, ensure it is charged and not simultaneously connected to another device.^2^

If speech is still being clipped, test once with Noise suppression turned off—especially when using a high-fidelity microphone in a quiet room. Teams normally uses noise suppression to remove non-speech background sound, but Microsoft recommends turning it off for high-fidelity microphones in low-noise environments.^3^

If the Teams test call is still quiet or intermittent

On Windows:

1. Open Settings → System → Sound → Input.
2. Select the same microphone used in Teams.
3. Confirm that it is enabled, unmuted, and has sufficient input volume.
4. Record a sample with Windows Sound Recorder:
   • Bad in both Teams and Sound Recorder: investigate the microphone, connection, or audio driver.
   • Clear in Sound Recorder but bad in Teams: test the same meeting in Teams for web. This isolates a desktop-client-specific issue without changing the device configuration.

Also check Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone and enable:

• Microphone access
• Let apps access your microphone
• Microsoft Teams (work or school)
• Let desktop apps access your microphone

Close applications and restart the device after changing permissions.^2^

For an external microphone that remains problematic, connect it directly rather than through a USB hub or dock, and install the current audio/device driver. Microsoft’s endpoint guidance identifies docks, hubs, outdated drivers, and non-certified devices as factors to investigate.^4^

Administrator escalation

If the issue continues and affects only Teams, give your Teams administrator the date, time, participant, and meeting or call details. An administrator with Teams Administrator or Teams communications support permissions can open:

Teams admin center → User Search → select user → Meetings & Calls → select affected session → Advanced

Yellow entries are outside the normal range; red entries indicate a significant likely cause. The report can distinguish network degradation from a capture-device failure.^5^

For repeated cases, Call Quality Dashboard can expose microphone initialization or device failures, capture-not-functioning events, and send signal/noise levels. Microsoft lists a recommended audio signal range of -24 to -14 and optimal noise below -60.^6^

References

1. [Desktop](https://support.microsoft.com/teams/meetings/manage-audio-settings-in-microsoft-teams-meetings#change-speaker-and-mic-settings)
2. My microphone isn't working in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Support
3. Reduce background noise in Microsoft Teams meetings | Microsoft Support
4. Use CQD to manage call and meeting quality in Microsoft Teams
5. Use Call Analytics to troubleshoot poor call quality
6. Intelligent media quality classifiers in Call Quality Dashboard (CQD)