How to Fix Microphone Not Working Windows 10 Laptop?

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Last Updated on: 10th July 2019, 11:36 am

Windows 10 Microphone Not Working [Fixed]

Table Of Content

Perform These Initial Checks

Check Windows 10 Microphone Options

Turn on the microphone in Windows 10

Update Audio Drivers in Windows 10

Check Microphone Sound Settings

Use Windows Troubleshoot Method

Check device manually

Most Common User Queries:

Why is my microphone not working?
How do I fix my microphone in Windows 10?
How do I re enable my microphone?
How do I test my microphone in Windows 10?
How do I fix my microphone on Windows 10?
Why is my headset microphone not working?
How can I hear myself on mic?
How do I reinstall my audio driver Windows 10?
How can I test my mic?

If your microphone isn’t working on Windows 10, go through the troubleshooting steps below to fix it.

When Microsoft launched a new version of Windows, i.e., Windows 10 back in 2015, more than 20 million users updated to the latest version of Windows within 24 hours.

Microsoft, time and again, releases various updates to maintain this version problem free, but unfortunately, users faced issues with this version as well.

Many users complained that after updating to Windows 10, microphone has stopped working. Most of the users didn’t know how to resolve this Microphone Not Working on Windows 10 issue.

Perform These Initial Checks

Make sure it’s not a hardware issue

Let’s check that your mic isn’t damaged or faulty first and get that out of the way. The best way to check that is to connect your microphone to another computer running any operating system other than Windows 10.

If the microphone doesn’t work on the other computer too, that means it could be faulty. If it does work on the other computer that means you probably have a software problem on your Windows 10 computer.

Before you go ahead and make yourself familiar with the quick fixes, make sure you dismiss the following issues –

First > unplug your microphone > plug it back in > Open the Start Menu and search for ‘Device Manager’ > click to expand the Audio inputs and outputs section

If you cannot see your microphone here, unplug it and plug it back in again.

Then comes,

Power – If the microphone’s primary source of power is batteries, then you have to ensure that the batteries are rightly placed and they are functional as well. On the contrary, if some external power is responsible for the operation of the microphone, then you need to be sure that the all the power connections are secure and the power cord is connected correctly to the source of power.
Connection – Try connecting and disconnecting the microphone from the port of your PC/laptop.
Jack Connector – In case the device makes use of a jack connector, you need to disconnect and reconnect the connector to your PC/laptop. It is essential that the type of connector you are using is compatible with your PC/laptop.
USB Connector – In case the device makes use of a USB connector, you need to disconnect and reconnect the connector to your PC/laptop. In case your PC still does not recognize the device, you can try using the connector in a different port of your PC/laptop.
Software – In case of the microphone came bundled with software, you have to be sure that it is installed correctly and should be compatible with Windows 10.
Volume – If you have a microphone with volume control, then you have to ensure that the volume is at least turned up halfway.

But you don’t need to worry. Here are quick fixes you can follow to resolve the microphone not working on your laptop in Windows 10.

Suggested Read – How to set up and test microphones in Windows 10

Check Windows 10 Microphone Options

Windows 10’s Settings app has a few options that disable your microphone system-wide, in all applications.

If your microphone isn’t working,

Go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone.

Check > “Microphone access for this device is on.”

If Windows says microphone access is off,

Click “Change” button and set it to “On.”

If access is off, Windows and all applications on your system can’t access audio from your microphone.

Check > “Allow apps to access your microphone” is set to “On.”

If microphone access is off, all applications on your system won’t be able to hear audio from your microphone.

Go to “Choose which apps can access your microphone” > set it to “Off.” or “On.”

Traditional desktop apps will always have access to your microphone as long as the “Allow apps to access your microphone” setting is on.

Turn on the microphone in Windows 10

First and foremost, go to the settings and check whether the microphone is turned on. Enabling it will be a piece of cake. Once you are done, check if the problem has resolved. You will have to follow the below-mentioned steps –

Open the settings by hitting Win + I
Once you have opened the settings, you need to select Privacy option (towards the middle right side of the window)
You need to hit the Microphone tab which you will see towards the left side of the screen
Towards the right section, turn on the microphone. You also have the option of enabling or disabling the apps to use the microphone.

You need to save the changes and exit. See if the problem has resolved.

Update Audio Drivers in Windows 10

There may be a driver conflict behind the issue. All you need is to update the drivers to fix the issue. Windows 10 tries to install and update device drivers automatically. It usually works fine, but sometimes it doesn’t.

If you’re having problems with sound, you may want to go to your PC manufacturer’s website and install the latest sound drivers available for your laptop or desktop PC

If you’re having trouble with a USB microphone, you might also want to try downloading the latest USB controller drivers from your PC manufacturer’s website.

Also Read – How to Update Audio Drivers in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista & XP

The best part is that the drivers can be updated automatically with Driver Restore.

It will, automatically, identify your system and will find apt drivers for your system accordingly. You don’t have to take the pain of knowing what drivers you need to download and committing a mistake while installing them. Here is what you need to do –

Download and install Driver Restore
Run Driver Restore and hit scan now
You need to hit the button of Update beside all flagged devices. This needs to be done to install the correct version of the drivers. As an alternative, you can also hit Update All; this will automatically install all the required drivers.

Check Microphone Sound Settings

You can attempt to set the microphone as your original hardware for the input of voice. This may change even though you plug in an external device.

You can right-click on the Start Menu and hit Control Panel. Besides, you can press Windows + R; this will open a dialogue box where you can type in Control Panel.
You will have various options in front of you. You need to select the option of Sound.
You will have the sound settings in front of you, click on the recording tab and locate the microphone on the list of recording devices. In case, you are not able to identify it; you need to right-click on the list and click on Show Hidden Devices. Right-click on the microphone to enable it.
Select the option of Microphone, and towards the bottom of the screen, you will see the button of Set Default preset which you need to click.

Now you need to disable the enhancement settings from the settings. There is a possibility that your hardware does not support additional functions which are already there and it may be the reason that the microphone is not working.

Stay in the same window and go to the Enhancements Tab and check the option of Disable All Sound Effects.
Once you are done, hit OK, save all the changes and exit.
Restart your PC/laptop and see if the problem has resolved.

Use Windows Troubleshoot Method

Inbuilt hardware troubleshooter can also be used to resolve the problem of the microphone not working in Windows 10. Windows will automatically find out the existing problems with the help of the tool and will try and fix it. All this will be done by kick-starting the driver.

You can open the control panel with the method described above.
Hit the Troubleshoot option.
Under the main heading of Troubleshoot Computer Problems hit Troubleshoot Audio Recording (under the subheading of Hardware and Sound).
Make sure you follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process. You may have to restart your windows to fix the issue.

Also Read – How To Update Drivers In Windows 10 Manually?

Check device manually

You can also check your device manually to fix your microphone isn’t working on Windows 10 problem. For this, you need to follow below-mentioned steps –

You need to right-click on the speaker icon and then hitting Recording Devices.
You will have a list of all the connected recording devices to your PC/laptop. Now, you need to speak on your microphone to see if the green bars are moving up and down while speaking.
In case, you don’t see any green bars moving; you can skip to the fifth point directly.
But, if you do see the green bars moving, but you don’t see that happening in some program, then, in this case, your microphone is not correctly configured in Windows 10. You can make changes in the program settings.
Have a look at the list of devices to make out which one is yours. If you can successfully identify your device, hit it and click the button of Set Default.
Repeat the process of speaking into your microphone. A new window will open having Microphone Properties; you need to hit the Levels tab (4th one).
While you are at the Levels Tab, push the slider all the way to the right side until the volume level reaches ‘100’ mark.
Hit Ok and save the changes.
Try to speak into your microphone, and if you see green bars rising, this means that your microphone is now correctly configured.

Follow the above-discussed tips to get your microphone up and running again. We have also added an image below , you can follow these too and save it for futute reference, in order to fix microphone not working on windows 10 laptop easily.