my mic not working

Question

my mic not working

Ryan 0

i was in a call with my friend when mid-sentence my mic cut off. already tried troubleshooting, didnt work, restarted it in Windows Services, tried turning off Stereo Mix, turned off enhancements, nothing worked... my mic sometimes switches from repurposing desktop audio to absolutely picking up NO noise. what do i do???

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hold down Windows + R keys, type in mmsys.cpl and hit enter. Then go to the Recording tab. Do you see the Microphone? If so, please make sure it is not disable (you can right click to enable it). Also make sure it is set as default device. Then double click on the microphone, go to Levels tab, make sure it is not muted.

Go to Windows Settings > Privacy > Microphone, make sure allow apps access is turned on.

Install audio driver from computer manufacturer website. If you need help finding driver, please type msinfo32.exe in the search on the taskbar and hit enter, then share a screenshot of the pop up please.

Answer 2

Since restarting services, disabling Stereo Mix, and turning off enhancements already did not help, focus on input selection, privacy, driver reinstall, and driver fallback.

Verify the correct input device and test it
- Select Start > Settings > System > Sound.
- Under Input, make sure the intended microphone is selected.
- Open its properties and raise the input level.
- Use the microphone test. If the test meter does not react, Windows is not receiving usable input from that device.
Check microphone privacy settings
- Select Start > Settings > Privacy > Microphone.
- Make sure Allow access to the microphone on this device is On.
- If the problem happens in a specific app, make sure that app is also allowed to use the microphone.
Reinstall the audio drivers
- Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
- Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Right-click each audio device and select Uninstall device.
- Check Delete the driver software for this device, then uninstall.
- Restart the PC.
- After restart, if Windows does not reinstall automatically, 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.
Try the built-in High Definition Audio driver
- In Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- If IDT High Definition Audio CODEC appears, right-click it and select Update driver.
- Select Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
- Select High Definition Audio Device and continue.
If the mic level is extremely low or dead
- Confirm the mic is connected correctly and positioned correctly.
- In Settings > System > Sound, select the microphone, then adjust its level and test again.
If the mic keeps switching behavior during calls
- Test it in a basic recording app to confirm whether the issue is system-wide or only in the calling app.
- If it fails everywhere after the driver reinstall, install the latest audio driver offered through Windows Update optional driver updates or from the PC manufacturer.

The strongest next step, based on what was already tried, is a full audio driver reinstall and then a fallback to High Definition Audio Device if the vendor driver is unstable.