Windows 10 Microphone Does Not Work

Windows 10 Microphone Does Not Work

One of the common problems in Windows 10 is microphone malfunctioning, especially since the recent Windows update. The microphone may not work at all or in any specific programs, for example, in Skype, or in the whole system.

In this instruction step by step, what to do if the microphone in Windows 10 stops working on a computer or laptop, both after updating, and after reinstalling the OS, or without any action on the part of the user. Also at the end of the article there is a in which all the steps are demonstrated. Before proceeding, be sure to check the microphone connection (so that it is connected to the desired connector, the connection is tight), even if you are completely sure that everything is in order with it.

The microphone stopped working after updating Windows 10 or reinstalling

After a recent major update to Windows 10, many were faced with the issue in question. Similarly, the microphone may stop working after a clean installation of the latest version of the system.

The reason for this (often, but not always, may require the methods described below). new OS privacy settings that allow you to configure access to the microphone of various programs.

Therefore, if you have the latest version of Windows 10 installed, try these simple steps before attempting the methods in the following sections of the guide:

  1. Open Settings (Win I keys or through the Start menu). Privacy.
  2. On the left, select Microphone.
  3. Make sure microphone access is turned on. Otherwise, click “Change” and enable access, also enable access to applications for the microphone a little lower.
  4. Even lower on the same settings page in the section “Select applications that can access the microphone”, make sure that access is enabled for those applications where you plan to use it (if the program is not listed, everything is in order).
  5. Here, enable access for the Win32WebViewHost application (or the Web-based classic application viewer).

After that, you can check whether the problem has been resolved. If not, try the following methods to correct the situation.

Checking recorders

Make sure your microphone is set as the default recording and communication device. For this:

  1. In the latest version of Windows 10, right-click the speaker icon, select “Open Sound Settings”, and on the next screen. “Sound Control Panel” in the “Related Settings” section, then go to the “Recording” tab. In Windows 10 of earlier versions, right-click the speaker icon in the notification area, select the Sounds option, and in the window that opens, open the Record tab.
  2. If your microphone is displayed but not specified as the default communication and recording device, right-click on it and select “Use default” and “Use default communication device”.
  3. If the microphone is listed and is already set as the default device, select it and click the “Properties” button. Check the settings on the “Levels” tab, try disabling the “Exclusive mode” marks on the “Advanced” tab.
  4. If the microphone does not appear, in the same way, right-click anywhere on the list and turn on the display of hidden and disconnected devices. is there a microphone among them?
  5. If there is and the device is disconnected, right-click on it and select “Enable”.

If nothing was achieved as a result of these actions and the microphone still does not work (or does not appear in the list of recorders), we proceed to the next method.

Checking the microphone in device manager

Perhaps the problem is in the drivers of the sound card and the microphone does not work for this reason (and its operation depends on your sound card).

  1. Go to the device manager (for this you can right-click on “Start” and select the desired context menu item). In the device manager, open the Audio Inputs and Audio Outputs section.
  2. If the microphone does not appear there. we either have problems with the drivers, or the microphone is not connected, or is malfunctioning, try to continue from step 4.
  3. If the microphone is displayed, but you see an exclamation mark near it (it works with an error), try right-clicking on the microphone, select “Delete”, confirm deletion. Then, in the Device Manager menu, select “Action”. “Update hardware configuration.” Perhaps after that it will work.
  4. In a situation when the microphone does not appear, you can try reinstalling the sound card drivers, for starters. in a simple way (automatically): open the “Sound, game and devices” section in the device manager, right-click on your sound card, select “Delete “, Confirm the deletion. After removal in the device manager, select “Action”. “Update hardware configuration.” The drivers will need to be reinstalled and perhaps after that the microphone will again appear in the list.

If you had to resort to the 4th step, but this did not solve the problem, try installing the sound card drivers manually from the website of the manufacturer of your motherboard (if it is a PC) or laptop specifically for your model (i.e. not from the driver pack and not just “Realtek” and similar from third-party sources). Read more about this in the article Missing Windows 10 Sound.

The microphone does not work in Skype or another program

Some programs, such as Skype, other programs for communication, screen recording and other tasks, have their own microphone settings. Those. even if you install the correct recorder in Windows 10, the settings in the program may vary. over, even if you have already set up the correct microphone, and then disconnected it and reconnected, these settings in programs can sometimes be reset.

Therefore, if the microphone stopped working only in a specific program, carefully study its settings, perhaps all that is required to be done is to indicate the correct microphone there. For example, in Skype, this option is located in Tools. Settings. Sound Settings.

Also keep in mind that in some cases, the problem may be caused by a faulty connector, unplugged connectors on the front panel of the PC (if we connect a microphone to it), a microphone cable (you can check its operation on another computer), or some other hardware malfunction.