Despite the exciting features that Windows 11 offers, only some have had a seamless time using it. Unwanted errors frequently occur, which is the leading cause of microphone malfunction.
For instance, the device may occasionally fail to recognize peripherals like headset microphones, or security updates may fail to install successfully. This guide will focus on the former microphone not working on Windows 11 because there are already many guides on the latter.
Please choose the one that best fits your scenario from the options we’ve provided below.
Possible Causes for the Microphone Issues on Windows 11 PC
Because there might be several explanations for this problem, more than a single troubleshooting strategy is needed. You’ll need to go through many troubleshooting stages to find the answer for your specific instance. Here’s the list of possible causes below.
- The laptop’s microphone abruptly ceased working as if it was on mute.
- Your audience or listeners cannot hear you in conversations because the app does not recognize the mic.
- After updating from Windows 10 to Windows 11, the internal microphone stopped working.
How to Troubleshoot and Fix Microphone Not Working on Windows 11 PC Problem
Before we get into system-level debugging, it’s essential to examine the physical connection of the microphone. Before tinkering with your PC’s settings, do the following.
- Perform a hardware check.
- Check that the microphone is attached correctly to a working jack.
- Try inserting your headphones/earphones into another device to rule out a hardware issue.
- Once you’ve determined that the microphone doesn’t cause the problem, use the troubleshooting procedures listed below.
Allows Access to the Microphone on your Windows 11 PC
Like Windows 10, Windows 11 is quite specific about which programs may utilize your camera and microphone. If you only have this problem while using particular apps, go to your Microphone Privacy Settings and see if the program can utilize your microphone.
- Press Windows + R. It will launch the Run dialog box. Then, in the text box, type ‘ms-settings:privacy-microphone,’ then press Enter to access the Microphone tab in Windows 11’s Privacy & Security settings menu.
- If the User Account Control prompts you, click Yes to allow administrator access.
- Once inside the correct window, go to the right-hand side and set the toggle for Microphone access to Enabled.
- After you’ve confirmed that the toggle associated with microphone access is enabled, proceed to the next step and check that both the main toggle and the particular toggle of the app having microphone troubles are enabled.
- After you’ve made the above changes, restart your computer and check to see whether the microphone will work.
Set the Correct Microphone as Default in the Sound Settings
One circumstance that may lead you to believe your microphone is not working is if you have the incorrect microphone configured as the default choice. In this instance, you may open the Sound settings inside your Control Panel and check that the correct recording device is the default option.
- In your taskbar, right-click on the speaker icon.
- Select Sound Settings.
- Locate and choose More sound settings.
- Select the Recording option.
- Choose the microphone you want to use and click the Set Default button.
- Then click OK.
Check for Outdated Microphone Drivers and Update them
In this instance, having the most recent microphone drivers is crucial. Here’s what to do.
- In Windows search, type Device Manager and press the Enter key.
- Expand the Audio inputs and outputs area in the following window.
- From there, right-click on the desired device and select: Update driver from the context menu.
- Select Automatically search for drivers. Windows will now check for available driver updates on the machine. If it finds any updates, install them and see if that resolves the issue.
You can now use Windows 11 Microphone with ease. If none of the methods in this post has worked, try performing a reset or having your device checked for hardware faults by a specialist.
