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6 Fixes for Laptop Microphone Not Working [Built-in Mics]

Here’s what to do if the internal microphone is not working

6 min. read

Updated onOctober 30, 2024

updated onOctober 30, 2024

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Several users have complained about microphone issues on Windows 10 devices, so, like always; we prepared a comprehensive guide to help them and yourself.

If your Windows 10 device presents this problem, this guide will help you fix your microphone. There are a few steps to do if the built-in mic is not working, but rest assured, they are easy and effective.

Why is my built-in microphone not working?

There are a lot of causes why the built-in microphone is not working. The most common of them is a corrupted driver. However, you should also check if the mic is muted or if the app you’re using it has enough permissions.

Here are some of the most common iterations of these problems, and for some of them, we already have comprehensive solutions:

Here are a few methods for you to try, but before you start, if you have more than one audio port, try plugging your microphone in a different one and try it.

How do I turn my microphone back on my laptop?

1. Set your microphone as default

In the window that opens, select the device which has the statusReady.
Click on theSet Defaultfrom the bottom of the window.
If you’ve done this correctly you should see the green mark on the correct microphone and audio level reacting to sound.

To check if your microphone is set to the default value, you must check it from the Recording tab. To access this option, follow the steps above.

This quick fix is usually all you need, and your microphone should work properly now.

2. Use the Audio troubleshooter

If the first method did not fix your problem, then you should use the Windows audio troubleshooter, which might be of help in some cases. To do this, go through the steps above.

Windows 10 offers a series of dedicated troubleshooters that you can use to fix microphone issues.

To run these troubleshooters, go toSettings, click onUpdate & Security, then click onTroubleshootand select and run the following troubleshooters:Playing Audio,Recording Audio,andSpeech.

If the issue affects your headset, you can run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.

Granted that this isn’t as quick as the first method, the troubleshooting utility might provide the solution if your microphone isn’t working on your Windows 10 device.

3. Update Audio Drivers

The third time’s a charm, right? If both of the methods above have failed, you might want to update your audio drivers, which might help if there is a problem with the installed drivers.

There are two methods of doing this, and we suggest you try them both. For the manual update, you can use the steps above.

If the default driver update utility does not find an update, visit the website of your sound card manufacturer and download from there the latest driver.

Install the driver, and that should fix your problem. Additionally, if none of the solutions are working, try the microphone (if you have a headset with a microphone) on a different computer.

We also recommend the tool below to download all the outdated drivers on your PC automatically.

This recommended solution can repair and update your drivers in just one go and just a few clicks. Don’t worry because it’s very simple to use.

Outbyte Driver Updater

4. Enable app access to the microphone

If you’re running Windows 10 and noticed the built-in microphone is not working with particular apps and programs, ensure that the respective software can access your microphone.

The OS automatically blocks app access to your microphone due to privacy concerns. Luckily, we have a full guide onhow to bypass the mic cam access issues.

5. Disable audio enhancements

Audio enhancement softwarecan help you improve the overall sound quality on your Windows 10 computer, but sometimes these programs can cause more harm than good and bring up issues likestatic noise in your microphone.

If your built-in laptop microphone stopped working after you installed or updated an audio enhancement software, try disabling it to see if this solves the problem.

6. Reset Windows Audio Service

We hope our solutions helped you fix the internal microphone issues, and you can now communicate without any problems.

You might also be interested in reading our guide onwhat to do if the microphone level is too low. We also have a guide on what to do ifmicrophone is not showing up in Device Manager, so don’t miss it.

If you have any other suggestions or questions, comment below, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

6 Fixes for Laptop Microphone Not Working [Built-in Mics]#

How do I turn my microphone back on my laptop?#

1. Set your microphone as default#

2. Use the Audio troubleshooter#

3. Update Audio Drivers#

Outbyte Driver Updater#

4. Enable app access to the microphone#

5. Disable audio enhancements#

6. Reset Windows Audio Service#