My microphone does not work, what should I do?

Your microphone is functional but yet it does not work? In other words, it's on but you can't be heard. It's a shame when a device does not fulfill its basic function. So, whether you have an internal or external microphone to your PC, are there solutions to find a working microphone? Fortunately, the answer is yes. Most of the time, it is a software problem and simple manipulations can then allow you to fix a microphone that doesn't work.

We invite you to follow our troubleshooting guide in order to try to identify the failure, and resolve it as best you can. We will first see the resolution of software failures, then hardware.

Microphone that does not work: fix software problems

When your microphone is detected but there is no sound and therefore that we do not hear you, the majority of the time, the problem comes from a software malfunction. It could be bad settings, a corrupt driver or even an incompatibility between the operating system and your built-in or external microphone.

Before moving on to manipulations, remember to check these two points which can sometimes solve your microphone problem:

• If your headset or microphone has a button to mute the microphone, make sure it is not enabled.
• Check that the connections to your PC or your support are correctly carried out. Make sure the jacks or USB plugs are inserted into the correct connectors. Note that, generally, there are two colors: blue and pink. the blue plug corresponds to the earphones and the pink to the microphone.

Make sure the microphone is on

When the external or internal microphone to the PC does not work, first check that it is activated. For that :

1. Go to Settings on your PC by simultaneously pressing the keys Windows + I or by typing “Settings” in the Windows search bar
2. Select System 
3. Select Conclusion
4. Go to the level of Choose your input device under Starter
5. Make sure the microphone selected is the one you are using
6. Click on Device properties
7. Be sure that Disable option is unchecked and the volume slider is set above 50
8. Try the button Test and check if your microphone detects sound

If your PC detects sound from the microphone, that's good news. This means that the failure is probably due to a software problem and not a hardware one. In any case, continue our troubleshooting guide to try to solve your problem.

Check that apps have permission to access your microphone

If you microphone is on but you cannot be heard when you want to use it under any application, game or software, check that apps are allowed to use your microphone :

1. Go to Settings on your PC by simultaneously pressing the keys Windows + I or by typing “Settings” in the Windows search bar
2. Go to Policy then in Microphone
3. Click on Edit and set the knob to activated 
4. By scrolling down the window, check, and if necessary activate, also the option Allow apps to access your microphone
5. A little further down, check in Choose Microsoft Store apps that can access your microphone, that all the apps you use that require the use of the microphone are activated

Set your microphone as the default device

Finally Yes your microphone works but there is no sound, set your mic as default device by proceeding as follows:

1. In the Windows taskbar, right click on the sound symbol at the bottom right and click Conclusion or click simultaneously on the keys Windows+R, then enter mmsys.cpl And click OK
2. In the window that opens, go to the tab Recording and do a right click on the microphone you want to use. Select Enable if it is not done yet.
3. Again, right click on your microphone again and select Set as default device.

If your mic still doesn't work, go to Settings -> System -> Sound, click Troubleshoot under Starter and select your microphone or headset. Then click on Next. If Windows finds a troubleshooting solution, follow the on-screen instructions. Otherwise, we invite you to continue our guide.

Update mic driver not working

When your mic not working on your pc and therefore it still does not broadcast sound, the problem can also come from its pilot.

The driver is firmware that provides compatibility between devices and your operating system. It sometimes happens that there are conflicts between the two devices, that the driver is corrupted, obsolete or that the update is not correctly installed. As a result, the microphone will not work properly on your PC.

In principle, the Windows operating system automatically searches for the latest updates for each driver using Windows Update. However, sometimes some updates do not work or do not work correctly. In this case, try to manually check for available updates for your microphone that does not work. To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Open the Gestionnaire de périphériques using the Windows search bar 
2. Right-click the arrow in front of the heading Audio, video and game controllers
3. In the list that appears, right-click on the name of your microphone or headset
4. Select Update the driver.
5. A window opens. Choose the option Automatically search for drivers.
6. Your computer will search for available drivers. If it finds one, then launch its installation.
7. Restart your PC and test if your microphone.

If that didn't work, start the procedure again but open the section Audio inputs and outputs and click on "Update the driver” on the driver corresponding to your microphone.
Then restart the PC.

Note: If Windows cannot find drivers, you may need to download them from the sound card or microphone manufacturer's website. You will then have to follow the instructions for installing the software and start the previous procedure from scratch, this time choosing in step 5 the option “Browse my workstation to search for drivers”.

Uninstall the microphone driver

If nothing helps and your microphone still does not work or no driver update is available, then try uninstall its driver. This allows the errors stored in the driver's memory to be deleted and therefore a version to be reinstalled without any malfunction potentially responsible for the problem.

As a first step, simply try to mute and then re-enable the microphone :

1. Go to Device Manager using the search bar
2. Right-click on the arrow in front of the heading Audio, video and game controllers
3. In the list that appears, find your headset or microphone and right-click on it
4. Select Deactivate the device
5. Wait a few seconds
6. Right-click again and select Activate the device
7. Restart your PC.

If your microphone still does not work, uninstall the driver :

1. In Peripheral manager, click on the small arrow in front of Audio, video and game controllers
2. Right click on the mic driver and choose the option Uninstall the device
3. Open the section Audio inputs and outputs And click Uninstall the device in front of your microphone device
4. Then restart your PC
5. The drivers should automatically reinstall on reboot. Otherwise, do the procedure again and this time click on Install device.

Run the troubleshooter

When your microphone is not broadcasting sound, you can also launch Windows troubleshooter :

1. Go to Settings using the Windows search bar
2. Select Update and security and Problem resolution
3. Click on Additional troubleshooting utilities
4. Select Hardware and peripherals
5. Press Run the troubleshooter

Check operating system compatibility

Many user testimonials report that certain versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 cause incompatibility issues with certain devices. In other words, it may be that the Windows version installed on your PC cannot recognize your microphone.

If you haven't done windows update for a long time, we recommend that you launch it. On the contrary, if the malfunction appeared after a new update, reinstall the old version.

If the problem comes from an incompatibility between your operating system and your microphone, do not hesitate to ask for help at Microsoft support.

Microphone not working: Troubleshoot hardware issues

We have just seen the software problems that can be responsible for the fact that your microphone does not play sound. If nothing helps, the failure you are experiencing may then come from a hardware problem.

To check if it is a hardware problem, connect your microphone to another compatible device (another PC, TV, etc.). If the sound works normally, then it is indeed a software problem. In this case, if the previous checks and manipulations did not give anything, contact the support of the brand of your microphone (or your PC if the problem comes from the microphone integrated into your PC) for additional information on the origin of the breakdown (incompatibility between the microphone, the sound card and/or the operating system, corrupted update, etc.).

Si your microphone does not work on another medium, this confirms that the problem is hardware-based.

jack problem

At first, it may be that your microphone does not work because of the jack.

If you are using a headset with single jack, check that your PC's input jack supports headphones and microphone. If this is not the case, you will need to equip yourself with a USB adapter. Likewise if the headset is composed of two jack sockets but that there is only one output on your PC. If, on the other hand, your micro-headset and your PCs are both equipped with two jack sockets, check that the connections are correctly made (microphone plugged into the micro socket and headphones plugged into the headphone socket).

If you have a desktop computer, it often has several sound inputs (at the front and at the back of the PC). Then try plugging the headphones and microphone into a different outlet.

Broken microphone: contact support, a professional or replace the microphone

If unfortunately after all these checks and manipulations the microphone still does not work and you cannot be heard, then it may be that a component or connector is dead inside your device.

At this stage, we recommend that you first check whether your equipment is still entitled to guarantee (2 years minimum in France). Attention, the guarantee is valid only if you are not responsible for the breakdown following a bad use (shock, oxidation, bad maintenance etc). In the case of the guarantee, call the after sales service the brand of your microphone.

If you don't have a warranty, we also advise you to contact your microphone support first. An advisor can provide you with more personalized solutions depending on your hardware configuration and the exact failure you are experiencing. You can also request a quote for the repair price. To compare and make an enlightened choice, do not hesitate to contact and request a quote from a independent repairer specializing in electronic devices. You will then be able to determine whether it is better to have your device repaired or replaced.