Is your microphone not working on laptop? You’re certainly not alone. But don’t worry – it can be quite easy to fix…

4 Fixes for Microphone Not Working On Laptop

Here’re 4 fixes that have helped other users resolve the microphone not working on laptop in Windows 10, 8.1 and 7 issue. Just work your way down the list until the problem is fixed.

  1. Allow access to microphone
  2. Update your audio driver
  3. Adjust your audio settings
  4. Troubleshoot hardware issues

Fix 1: Allow access to microphone

If your microphone is not working on laptop, the first thing you want to check is whether you’ve allowed the app you’re using the mic on access to microphone.

Here’s how to do it: 

1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and type microphone, then click on Microphone privacy settings.

2) Under the Allow apps to access your microphone section, make sure the toggle is On so that you can allow apps access to your microphone.

3) Scroll down to the Choose which apps can access your microphone section and make sure the toggle for the app you’re playing the microphone on is turned On

4) Check the mic and see if the microphone not working on laptop issue has been resolved. If yes, then great! But if the microphone is still not working, you should try Fix 2, below.


Fix 2: Update your audio driver

One of the most common causes of this problem is an outdated or a faulty audio driver. So you should always make sure to keep the latest audio driver up-to-date. If you don’t have the time, patience or skills to update the driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.

Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to be troubled by the wrong driver you would be downloading, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy handles it all.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 steps (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):

  1. Download and install Driver Easy.
  2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.

  3. Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (this requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).

    You can also click Update to do it for free if you like, but it’s partly manual.

  4. Restart your laptop and check if the microphone not working issue has been solved. If the problem lingers on, don’t worry. Here’re two more fixes for you to try.

Fix 3: Adjust your audio settings

Ideally Windows can automatically detect your microphone and set it as the default playback device every time it’s plugged into. But that’s not always the case and sometimes we’ll have to set default devices manually and set its sound levels.

To do so:

  1. Right-click on the sound icon on the lower-right of your computer screen, then click Sounds.

  2. Click the Recording tab, then click on your microphone device and click Set Default.

    If your microphone device doesn’t show up in the device list, then right-click on the empty space and tick Show Disabled Devices. Then right-click on the microphone device once it appears and click Enable before you do step 2).
  3. Click on your microphone device again and click Properties.

  4. Click the Levels tab, then drag the Microphone slider all the way to its top and click OK.

  5. Click OK to apply the changes in the windows.
  6. Now that with microphone set as default device and the volume turned up, test your mic and see if the microphone not working on laptop problem has been fixed. If it’s still not working right, move to Fix 4, below.

Fix 4: Troubleshoot hardware issues

If none of the fixes works for you, it’s time to check for potential hardware issues.

You can follow the steps below to narrow down and troubleshoot:

  1. Connect your microphone device to another port on your laptop. If the mic works in the other port, it suggests this issue is probably caused by a faulty port, if your mic still doesn’t work, move on to 2), below.
  2. Connect your microphone device to another computer. If your mic works in another PC, you should contact the vendor of your laptop for advice; if your mic still doesn’t work in another PC, you should contact the vendor of your microphone device for support.

How have the methods above helped you with the troubleshooting? Do you have any ideas or tips to share with us? Drop a comment below and let us know your thoughts. 

Featured image by Seej Nguyen from Pexels

218
218 people found this helpful

Available in other languages

Das Mikrofon auf Laptop kann aus diversen Gründen nicht funktionieren. Wenn Sie dieses Problem haben, probieren Sie die Lösungen in diesem Beitrag aus.
guest
15 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments