Microphone Not Working on Windows? – 7 Ways to Fix

The microphone is essential to a system, especially if your work involves recording audio. Be it playing games, attending a video call, making voice-over videos, or any other task, and you need a microphone. Laptops come with an in-built microphone, which does the job for many people, while many use earphones/headphones with the mic as a substitute. 

Facing issues with the Microphone can be frustrating and nobody wants to spend hours fixing the issue. There can be multiple reasons you may face these issues, like mic access not being given to the PC, damaged mic cable, outdated/corrupted drivers, mic not being connected properly, etc.

If your microphone has stopped working on Windows 11 and you don’t know why it is happening, then this article will help you fix it. 

Fix Microphone not Working on Windows 11

If the Microphone is not recording audio or you are facing any such issue, then you can follow the steps given below to fix it-

1. Check Microphone Cable 

Before going through any system settings, check the cable of the microphone. Follow this step only when using an external mic, not an internal one like a laptop. Check if the cable is properly connected to your PC or not. If not, then properly connect it to your PC. If that doesn’t work, unplug the microphone and plug it in again. 

Also, check for damage to the cable. Any wear and tear on the Microphone’s cable may also cause this issue. Many microphones have a detachable cable, so you can replace it if damaged. If that’s not the case, you will have to replace the mic. 

2. Allow the PC to Access Your Microphone

Ensure you have allowed microphone access on your Windows PC; if not, that may cause the issue. To do so, follow the steps given below-

1.  Firstly press the Windows + I key combo to open Settings.
2. Then click on Privacy & Settings on the left pane.
3. On the right side, click on Microphone.
4. Then enable the Microphone access if it is disabled.
5. Enable the Let apps access your microphone option and then enable all the apps on which you want to use the microphone.

3. Make Changes to the Sound Properties Dialog

Another thing that you can do is make changes to the sound properties dialog. Given below are the steps to do so-

1. Press the Windows + R key combo, and type mmsys.cpl and press Enter.
2. Now click on the Recording tab.
3. Then right-click on Microphone and click on Properties.
4. Then click the Advanced tab and uncheck the checkbox for Give exclusive mode applications priority.
5. Click on Apply and then on OK to save changes.

4. Run Recording Audio Troubleshooter

Windows has a troubleshooter for every hardware and software. You can try running the recording audio troubleshooter if you face this issue. You can do so by following the steps given below-

1. Firstly click on the search icon on the taskbar and type Settings and open it.
2. Under the System tab on the left pane, click Troubleshoot option.
3. Next, click on Other troubleshooters.
4. Here search for Recording Audio and click on Run next to it.
5. Then select the device in which you are having issues and click on Next.
6. The troubleshooter will now run a scan again and fix the issue. Then you click on Apply this fix.

5. Restart the Windows Audio Service

Try restarting the Windows Audio Service and check if you still face the issue. To do so, follow the steps given below-

1. Press the Windows key, and search for Services; click on the relevant search result to open Services.
2. Here, search for Windows Audio service. Right-click on it and click on Restart.

6. Update Microphone Drivers

Outdated Microphone drivers are likely to cause this issue. You can try updating the Microphone driver to fix the issue. You can do it by following the steps given below-

1. Right-click on the Start icon on the taskbar and click on Device Manager.
2. Then look for Audio inputs and outputs and expand them by double-clicking on them.
3. Then right-click on your microphone and click on Update driver.
4. Click on Search automatically for drivers to scan for driver updates from the internet.

7. Reinstall Microphone Drivers

If updating the driver does not work, you can try reinstalling drivers. To do so, follow the steps given below-

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard, search for Device Manager and click on the first option that appears.
2. Here, double-click on Audio inputs and outputs to expand it.
3. Then right-click on your microphone driver and select Uninstall device.
4. On the confirmation prompt, click on Uninstall button to confirm uninstalling the device. 
5. Once done, restart your PC and this will automatically reinstall the microphone. 

Final Words

The above steps should help you to fix Microphone not working in Windows 11. If the microphone is still not working after the above fixes, try using the mic with another PC.

If the mic works with another PC, the issue might be with the Audio Card or the motherboard. In that case, you will have to take your PC to a technician and get it repaired.