Welcome back, in today’s video I’ll be showing you how to fix a microphone that isn’t working
on a Windows 11 PC or laptop. You can follow this video for any type of microphone, whether it’s a
separate mic or one that is part of a headset. You can also use the methods for wireless microphones
that might be part of a headset, although you will be able to skip some of them as they won’t
be necessary. Of course, there is always the chance that the problem is caused by physical
damage to your microphone, if after trying all of the methods you think this is the case then
I would recommend contacting the manufacturer or checking the device warranty. Remember to
leave a like and feel free to subscribe if the video helps, let’s get into the methods.
The first thing to focus on is the connection. A common cause for microphones not working is
connecting it 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.
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 your microphone. 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. Within Windows 11, the first thing we can do is
make sure your microphone is enabled and that it is set as the default sound input device.
We can do this in two different ways. The first way is via 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,
scroll down until you are in the section called input. Under here, it should say something like
choose a device for speaking and 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.
Make sure it is not muted here as well. 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 it, right click on an option and choose show disabled and
show disconnected devices. To enable your mic in here, right click on it and then click on
enable. You can set it as the default mic in here too with the button at the bottom of the window.
If you weren’t able to find your microphone in the previous two methods,
then there is likely something wrong with the connection, but feel free to continue with the
methods as they could help. Remember that your microphone could be called something generic,
so check for any devices on the list that could be it, an example would be USB microphone.
We’ll now move on to trying to update the device drivers. There’s a chance that the correct drivers
aren’t installed, and we can check for any driver updates too. To do this, we need to go to the
device manager. You can get there by searching for it in the search bar. In the device manager,
look for the section called audio inputs and outputs and double click on it to expand it,
it should be near the top. In here, look for the microphone you want to update the drivers for.
Double click on its name to bring up the properties window. Now go to the driver tab,
which should be the second option. In here, find where it says update driver and click on that if
you can. Now choose the automatic option, which should be the top option of the two available.
If there are any drivers that Windows finds, it should install them automatically. However,
it might say that the best drivers are up to date. If a recent driver update caused
your microphone to stop working, then you can rollback that driver update from here as well.
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. The next method is to try running the
troubleshooter to try and see if Windows can find any possible problems with sound or your
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 choose the device you
want to use, or the port it is connected to and allow Windows to look for any possible problems.
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. Your microphone may also need extra equipment, such as a power supply
to work properly. I would recommend checking the manufacturers website for information like this.
The next method to hopefully fix your microphone is a Windows update. This can help solve any
minor issues caused by the operating system or with things like compatibility, as there could
be updated drivers on the update. To update your PC to the latest version of Windows 11,
first go to the main settings page. Again, you can get here by searching for it.
In the settings, click on Windows update from the options on the left side. In here, simply
click on check for updates and install any that appear. Remember to save any work before updating.
If for some reason Windows won’t update, click the card onscreen now to watch my video showing you
how to fix Windows updates that aren’t working. If your microphone doesn’t work in certain apps
but does in others, this would most likely indicate that the settings in the app itself
aren’t set up correctly for your microphone. Have a look in the sound or audio settings to
see if you can set it to use your microphone. A quick restart of your PC could also help if
you haven’t tried this already. Just make sure you have any work saved before doing this.
Unfortunately, those are all the tips I have. If you think the problem is physical with your
microphone, then check the warranty or see if there are any repair options by contacting
the manufacturer. 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. Those methods should work
on nearly all versions of Windows. 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!