Laptop microphone is no longer listed as a device on my dell laptop

Chuck Studler 0 Reputation points
2026-10-06T07:32:29.83+00:00

while triaging an issue with a new headset, my microphone on my dell laptop disappeared from my input devices, how do I get it back?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers
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  1. GsN5034 - IA 78,260 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-06T08:23:24.83+00:00

    Hello,

    If you find "No Audio Input devices Found" error when selecting the default input device, here's what you can try to bring back the device again.

    1. Go to Device Manager.
    2. Expand the arrow next to Sound, video and game controllers.
    3. Right-click your default audio output driver such as Realtek (R), select Uninstall device > Select "Attempt to delete the driver software for this device" check Box and then click Uninstall.
    4. Once uninstalled, restart your computer.

    See whether your Microphone is now being detected.

    You can then pair your headphones and selct your headphones Microphone as the default input device from the System Sound settings.

    Let me know how it goes.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-06T07:32:44.66+00:00

    Try these steps in Windows 11 to restore the missing laptop microphone:

    1. Check microphone privacy access.
      • Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
      • Turn on Microphone access.
      • Turn on Let apps access your microphone.
      • Turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone.
      • Then go back to Settings > System > Sound > Input and check whether the laptop microphone appears.
    2. Make sure the correct input device is selected.
      • Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
      • Under Input, check Choose a device for speaking or recording and see whether the internal microphone is available.
      • If it appears, select it.
      • To test it, select the > next to the device, choose Start test, speak, then Stop test and Play.
    3. Reinstall the audio driver.
      • Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
      • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
      • Right-click each audio device and select Uninstall device.
      • If prompted, select the option to remove the driver for the device, then uninstall.
      • Restart the PC.
      • After restart, Windows should reinstall the audio devices automatically.
      • If it does not, open Device Manager, right-click Sound, video and game controllers, and select Scan for hardware changes.
      • Then right-click the audio driver and select Update driver.
    4. Check whether the audio device is hidden or disabled.
      • Open Device Manager.
      • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
      • If the audio device is shown, right-click it and select Enable device if that option is available.
      • If it is not shown, select View > Show hidden devices, then Action > Scan for hardware changes.
    5. Restart Windows.
      • Select Start > Power > Restart.
      • After restart, check Settings > System > Sound > Input again.

    If this started while switching to a new headset, these steps are the most relevant because Windows can lose the input device after a driver change, device disablement, or microphone permission reset.

    References:

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