Welcome back, in this video we’ll be looking at ways to fix a microphone that isn’t working
in Windows 10 whether it’s a separate mic or part of a headset. Unfortunately, I won’t
be able to advise on any physical damage and that will probably be the best starting point.
Check that your microphone and its wires are not broken and if you’re confident that
the microphone should work, we’ll now look at some of the possible solutions.
The first thing to check is that you are connecting the headset or microphone to the correct port
and if you can, it is worth trying another port if you have the option. There could be
more ports on the back of your PC if it’s a desktop.
If a different port didn’t help, we’ll now check that Windows is detecting your microphone
and that it is enabled. This should help confirm whether the problem is within Windows or with
the microphone itself. To check, first go to the sound settings. You can get here through
the main settings page or by right clicking on the sound icon in the taskbar and then
selecting open sound settings. In here, find the input section and have a look below where
it says choose your input device. If your microphone appears to be working in here,
then the issue is likely within the software you are using it so check the audio settings
of your program to see if it is selected there. It may also be worth checking to see if you
are allowing your microphone to be used, to check search microphone in the search bar
and then select “microphone privacy settings”. Ensure that the box is checked to allow your
microphone to be used. Now back in the sound settings, if you don’t see your microphone
in this box, then click on it and choose it from the list if it is there. If it still
doesn’t show, we’ll now look in the sound control panel. You can get here by clicking
on the blue sound control panel link on the right of this page. Click on the recording
tab at the top and you should now see a list of all the microphones connected. Make sure
you can view disabled and disconnected devices by right clicking and checking the boxes.
You should now be able to see your microphone on the list and you can right click on it
and select enable and set as default if you wish. If your microphone is labelled as disconnected,
then Windows isn’t detecting it so double check that it is connected properly.
If Windows is detecting your microphone but it isn’t working properly, make sure that
it is not muted. This may be on the mic itself or within Windows. To check within windows,
double click on your microphone in the recording section of the sound control panel and then
go to the levels tab. Ensure that the mic level is not set to 0 or too low to be able
to pick up any noise. Also, in the advanced tab, uncheck both the boxes under where it
says exclusive mode. Remember to click apply or ok to save these changes.
If you’re still unable to use your microphone or it doesn’t work correctly, we’ll now
move on to some more solutions. We’ll start by updating or rolling back the device drivers.
To do this, go to the device manager, you can search for it in the search bar. Your
microphone or headset should be in the audio inputs and outputs section near the top. Click
on that to expand it and then right click on your headset or microphone and select properties.
Now go to the driver tab, which should be the second option. In here, you can first
try updating your drivers unless the issue has only just occurred since a driver update
in which case you can try the roll back driver option. To update a driver after selecting
the update driver option, you first have to choose either a manual or automatic search.
Try searching for driver updates automatically, and if that fails have a look online on the
manufacturer’s website for the latest version and then install it from there. If this doesn’t
work, you can also try uninstalling the device from here and then try it again after reconnecting
it. If your microphone uses a 3.5 millimetre port,
for example a combined headphone and mic port if using a headset, then we can also try updating
the drivers of Realtek HD audio. To do this, go back to the device manager and this time
look for sound, video and game controllers and expand it. Right click on Realtek High
Definition Audio and select properties. Go to the driver tab and click on update driver
and then choose “browse my computer for driver software”. Now click on “let me
pick from a list of available drivers on my computer”. In here, make sure the “show
compatible hardware” box is checked and choose one of the options. Feel free to try
installing each of the options if they do not work and you may have to restart your
PC when you complete the installation. Next, we’ll try troubleshooting the device
to see if Windows can find any problems with it. To do this go to the settings page. You
can get here by clicking on the icon in the start menu. Now click update and security
and then troubleshoot from the options on the left. Scroll down until you find the recording
audio option and click on it and then select run the troubleshooter. Allow Windows to then
look for problems and follow any suggestions it gives.
If the problem has only just occurred since a recent update or new software installation,
then uninstall any software that could have caused the problem. If it has only just started
since a recent Windows update, then you can try uninstalling that update by first going
to the control panel. Search for it to get there. Then click programs and then view installed
updates in blue. Find the Windows update that caused the microphone to stop working and
right click it and then select uninstall. Note that you only need to do this if you
know the Windows update caused the problem. The next thing I recommend doing is to search
your specific make and model of microphone to see if there are any current problems or
incompatibilities with it. There should be specific solutions to follow online for those
problems and you can always contact the manufacturer if you still can’t find a fix.
Those are all the solutions I have but as always I will try to keep the description
updated with any new fixes I manage to find and if you find any solutions in the future
it would be great if you could return to this video and post them in the comments to help
others. Hopefully I was able to help you today, if I did remember to leave a like and feel
free to subscribe. Thanks for watching and I will see you in another video!