Welcome back, in today’s video I’ll be showing
you how to fix a microphone that isn’t detected on a Windows 11 PC or laptop.
We have a few different things to try so hopefully one of them will work. Remember
to leave a like and feel free to subscribe if the video helps, let’s get into the methods.
We’ll begin by focusing on the connection of our microphone to our PC or laptop.
A common cause for a microphone not being detected is because it is connected to the wrong port.
Check that you are not using the headphone port by accident. If you use USB, then make sure the port
is compatible such as with USB 2 and 3, although this is unlikely to be an issue. I would recommend
trying as many ports as possible if you can in order to rule out this being the cause.
Also ensure that the device is fully inserted into the port and that the port or connectors aren’t
broken or blocked by dust or debris. There should be plenty of ports on the back of your PC to try.
The next thing to do is try your microphone on another device if you can, such as a different
PC or your phone. This will help rule out that the issue is with the microphone itself.
If your microphone doesn’t work on a separate device, it’s likely that there is physical damage.
If your microphone works normally on your other device, then the problem is likely
caused by something within Windows, so that’s what we’ll focus on next.
In Windows 11, we will first check that our microphone is enabled or allowed.
This can prevent it from being detected as an input device. There are two ways to do this
and it might be worth trying both. First, head to the main settings page. You can get there
a number of ways, but we’ll be searching for it in the search bar. In the settings,
go to the system settings from the options on the left although you should be already in there by
default. In the system settings, click on the option called sound. Within the sound settings,
find the section called input. Under here, it should say something like choose a device
for speaking or recording. Below this, you should see the list of microphones connected to your PC.
If you have multiple, select the one you want to use by checking the box to the left of its name.
If you don’t see your device here, scroll down and click on all sound devices.
Now find your device from the input section, click on it and then choose allow on the next page.
It should now appear back in the input section of the main sound settings page.
The second way to do this is the traditional method via the control panel. You can get
there by searching for it in the search bar. In the control panel, click on hardware and sound.
Now click on sound and it should open a separate window. In the new window, first
go to the recording tab. You should see all of the microphones in here. If you don’t see your device
in here, right click on an option and choose show disabled and show disconnected devices.
To enable your microphone in here, right click on it and then click on enable.
You can set it as the default sound input device in here too
with the button at the bottom of the window. Remember that your microphone might have a
generic name such as Realtek High Definition Audio, or USB microphone so it might be worth
trying all of the possible input devices in case one of them is your microphone.
The next method is to try running the troubleshooter to try and see if Windows can
find any possible problems with our microphone. To do this, go to the main settings page by searching
for it and then in the settings, click on system from the options on the left side,
but again you should be in here by default. In the system settings, click on troubleshoot
and then on the next page, choose other trouble-shooters. Now click on run next
to the recording audio troubleshooter and try choosing a device that could be your microphone.
Next, think back to when the issue started appearing. There is a chance that a software
change or hardware change caused the problem. This could be some new audio software or a new
component. If you are certain that one of these changes caused the problem, then you could revert
them or research how this will have affected your device and what you can do to work around it.
A quick method to try is to check that your microphone is allowed to be used in Windows.
Search for microphone privacy settings in the search bar and click on it.
On this page, make sure that Windows has permission to use your microphone at the top
as well as on the app you want to use it on. Your microphone may need a power supply,
so have a look on the manufacturer’s website or the box for more information on setting it up.
The next method will be to try reinstalling some of the sound drivers on your PC.
Only do this if you are confident in uninstalling and reinstalling drivers. To do this head to the
device manager by searching for it and then scroll down and look for either audio inputs and outputs
or sound and video game controllers. Expand these sections by double clicking on them and look
for your device in here. If you see it, right click on it and then choose uninstall device.
You now need to restart your PC or reconnect your device. Also, try updating the drivers
for your devices. To do this, right click on it and select update driver and then the automatic
option. Stay in here for the next method. The final method is to manually update your
Realtek Audio drivers. There are two ways to do this, and I have a separate video
that will cover how to do this in detail so click the card onscreen now to watch that.
Unfortunately, those are all of the methods I have, if you think the problem is physical with
your microphone or its connections then check the warranty or for repair options. As always,
I will keep the description updated with any new solutions I find and if any of you find a fix in
the future then it would be great if you could return to the video and post it in the comments
to help others. Click the card on screen now to watch a video of mine showing you ten easy ways
you can speed up your Windows PC. Help support the channel by visiting the store – the link
is in the description and at the end of the video. If you have any questions, then let me know in the
comments below and if you did find today’s video helpful remember to leave a like and feel free to
subscribe for more tips in the future. Be sure to stick around to see some of my other videos
that you might be interested in. Thanks so much for watching and I will see you in another video!