A number of users have been complaining about microphone issues on Windows 10 devices so, like always, we prepared a comprehensive guide to help them and yourself.

  • If the laptop microphone is not working, you won’t be able to properly communicate with your peers online.

  • Usually, the problem with the built-in microphone not working is caused by problematic drivers.

  • A good solution for this problem is to run the Audio troubleshooter in Windows 10.

  • Updating the drivers with a dedicated tool can also fix the issue right away.

  • Download DriverFix (verified download file).

  • Click Start Scan to find all problematic drivers.

  • Click Update Drivers to get new versions and avoid system malfunctionings.

  • DriverFix has been downloaded by 0 readers this month.

These problems are pretty often, and the solution can fix both built-in microphones as well as headsets that have a microphone.

If your Windows 10 device presents this problem, then this guide will help you fix your microphone. There are a few steps to do if the built-in mic is not working, but rest assured, they are easy and effective.

We’ve dealt with the problem ourselves on one of our Windows 10 laptops. There are a number of solutions and with some luck, with just a few clicks, your microphone will work like new.

But first, let’s have a look at more similar issues reported by our readers so that you know exactly what you’re up against.

Where can this anomaly occur and how to identify it?

  • Internal/laptop microphone not working
  • Lenovo/Samsung/Asus/Dell/HP laptop internal microphone not working
  • Windows 7/8.1/10/11 microphone not working
  • 0x800704ec microphone error
  • Realtek microphone not working
  • Your microphone isn’t ready
  • Headset microphone not working in Windows 10

Here are a few methods for you to try, but before you start, if you have more than one audio port, try plugging your microphone in a different one and try it.

How can I fix built-in microphone issues?

  • Select your microphone as default
  • Use the Audio Troubleshooter
  • Update Audio Drivers
  • Enable app access to microphone
  • Disable audio enhancements
  • Reset Windows Audio Service

1. Set your microphone as default

  • Right-click on the volume icon and select Recording Devices.
  • In the window that opens, select the device which has the status Ready.
  • Click on the Set Default from the bottom of the window.
  • If you’ve done this correctly you should see the green mark on the correct microphone and audio level reacting to sound.

In order to check if your microphone is set to the default value, you must check it from the Recording tab. To access this option, follow the steps above

In most cases, this quick fix is all you need and your microphone should work properly now.

2. Use the Audio troubleshooter

  • Open Windows Search (Windows key + S).
  • Type Troubleshooting in the search box and select the utility from the results.
  • The Troubleshooting window will now open. From the left menu, select View All.
  • From the list that opens, select Recording Audio, and a new window will open.
  • Follow the steps of the troubleshooter and apply the fixes that are provided.

If the first method did not fix your problem, then you should use the Windows audio troubleshooter, which might be of help in some cases. To do this, go through the steps above.

Windows 10 offers a series of dedicated troubleshooters that you can use to fix microphone issues.

To run these troubleshooters, go to Settings, click on Update & Security, then click on Troubleshoot and select and run the following troubleshooters: Playing Audio, Recording Audio and Speech.

If the issue also affects your headset, you can also run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.

Granted that this isn’t as quick as the first method, the troubleshooting utility might just provide the solution if your microphone isn’t working on your Windows 10 device.

3. Update Audio Drivers

  • Right-click on the This PC icon on the desktop and select Manage.
  • In the window which opens, select from the left menu Device Manager.
  • Locate your audio device in the list, right-click it and select Properties.
  • In the window that opens, select the Driver tab and click on Update Driver.
  • Instruct the wizard to search on the Internet for a suitable driver and let it install the updates it finds (if any).

The third time’s a charm, right? If both of the methods above have failed, then you might want to update your audio drivers, which might help if there was a problem with the installed drivers.

Some PC issues are hard to tackle, especially when it comes to corrupted repositories or missing Windows files. If you are having troubles fixing an error, your system may be partially broken. We recommend installing Restoro, a tool that will scan your machine and identify what the fault is.Click here to download and start repairing.

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There are two methods of doing this, and we suggest you try them both. For the manual update, you can use the steps above.

If the default driver update utility does not find an update, visit the website of your sound card’s manufacturer and download from there the latest driver.

Install the driver and that should fix your problem. Additionally, if none of the solutions are working, try the microphone (is you have a headset with a microphone) on a different computer.

We also recommend the tool below to automatically download all the outdated drivers on your PC.

This recommended solution can repair and update your drivers in just one go and just a few clicks. Don’t worry because it’s very simple to use.

⇒ Get DriverFix

4. Enable app access to microphone

If you’re running Windows 10 and you noticed the built-in microphone is not working with particular apps and programs, make sure that the respective software can access your microphone.

The OS automatically blocks app access to your microphone due to privacy concerns. For more information on how to fix this minor issue, check out this step-by-step guide.

5. Disable audio enhancements

Audio enhancement software can help you improve the overall sound quality on your Windows 10 computer, but sometimes these programs can cause more harm than good.

  • Built-in Microphone Has Disappeared From Device List
  • Microphone not working in Windows 10/11
  • Fix Microphone not plugged in error on Windows 10
  • How to turn on microphone in Windows 10 [Simple Guide]
  • Intel SST microphone not working in Windows 11

If your built-in laptop microphone stopped working after you installed or updated an audio enhancement software, try disabling it to see if this solves the problem.

6. Reset Windows Audio Service

  • Go to Search, type services.msc, and hit Enter to launch the Services page.
  • Locate the Windows Audio service.
  • Right-click on it and select Start if the service is not enabled. If it’s enabled, then select Restart.
  • Wait for a few seconds and restart your computer.

If nothing worked, and you still can’t use your built-in computer microphone, try resetting the Windows Audio Service. Follow the steps above to get it done.

We hope that our solutions helped you fix the internal microphone not working issues, and you can now communicate without any problems. If you have any other suggestions, leave us a comment below.

  • Microphone issues

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