microphone doesn't work

Enable Windows 11 microphone access for desktop applications, because Epic may not appear as an individually selectable app even though the microphone works during video encounters.

Enable desktop-app microphone access

1. Open Start → Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone.
2. Turn on:
   • Microphone access
   • Let apps access your microphone
   • Let desktop apps access your microphone
3. If Epic is listed individually, also enable its switch. If it is not listed, that is normal for a desktop application; desktop applications are controlled collectively by Let desktop apps access your microphone.^1^
4. Completely close Epic, reopen it, sign in again, and retry dictation.

Since changing the input device and port and restarting did not help—and the microphone worked during a video encounter—do not reinstall drivers unless Windows itself fails the test below.

Distinguish a Windows problem from an Epic problem

1. Open Settings → System → Sound.
2. Under Input, select the microphone currently intended for dictation.
3. Select Start test, dictate a short sentence, then select Stop test → Play.
4. Use the result:
   • Recording plays correctly: Windows can access the microphone. The remaining problem is specific to Epic or its dictation component.
   • No recording: Run the input troubleshooter from Settings → System → Sound → Advanced → Input devices under Troubleshoot common sound problems.^2^

If the Windows test passes but Epic still reports “microphone not connected”

Contact the organization’s Epic/help-desk team rather than continuing with Windows hardware changes. Ask them to check:

• Which dictation component your Epic installation uses.
• Whether that component is running and signed in.
• Whether its client-side audio components are installed and current.
• Whether the intended microphone is selected inside that dictation component.
• Whether your Epic profile or workstation configuration has the dictation device assigned correctly.

If the organization uses Dragon Medical One (DMO), Nuance, or a PowerMic, close and reopen both Epic and the separate dictation client. Epic environments using DMO can require organization-managed software and configuration beyond the base Epic application.^3^

Only if the Windows microphone test also fails should driver repair be considered. Microsoft’s next-level procedure is to uninstall the audio device under Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers, restart Windows, and then update the reinstalled driver; this is unnecessary when Windows records correctly.^2^

References

1. Windows 11
2. Windows 11
3. Dragon Medical One (DMO) Voice Recognition Software