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Fix: My Microphone Doesn’t Work on Windows 10

Author: Chris Hoffman / Source: How-To Geek

Windows 10 may not hear your microphone’s audio for several reasons. All the usual PC microphone troubleshooting steps are still important, but Windows 10 contains a new system-wide option that completely disables microphone input in all applications.

Check Windows 10 Microphone Options

Windows 10’s Settings app has a few options that disable your microphone system-wide, in all applications.

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If your webcam is disabled in Settings, even desktop applications can’t receive microphone input.

This is a bit confusing. In general, the app permissions under Settings > Privacy only affect new applications from the Store, also known as Universal Windows Platform, or UWP, applications. But the microphone and webcam options also affect desktop applications.

If your microphone isn’t working, head to Settings > Privacy > Microphone.

At the top of the window, check that it says “Microphone access for this device is on.” If Windows says microphone access is off, click the “Change” button and set it to “On.” If access is off, Windows and all applications on your system can’t access audio from your microphone.

Below that, ensure “Allow apps to access your microphone” is set to “On.” If microphone access is off, all applications on your system won’t be able to hear audio from your microphone. However, the Windows operating system itself will still have access.

Under “Choose which apps can access your microphone,” ensure the app that wants to access your microphone isn’t listed and set to “Off.” If it is, set it to “On.”

Only new-style apps from the Store appear here. Traditional desktop apps from outside the Store will never appear in this list and will always have access to your microphone as long as the “Allow apps to access your microphone” setting is on.

Ensure Your Microphone Isn’t Disabled in Other Ways

It’s possible to disable your microphone in other ways. If you have a laptop with an integrated microphone, some laptop manufacturers let you disable this microphone in your PC’s BIOS or UEFI settings. This option isn’t available on all laptops, but will likely be near an option that lets you disable your webcam if it exists.

If you’ve previously disabled the built-in microphone through your computer’s BIOS, you’ll need to head back to your BIOS settings and re-enable the microphone device.

It’s also possible to disable the integrated microphone device through your computer’s Device Manager. If you’ve previously done that, you must return to the Device Manager and re-enable it.