5 Solutions to Fix Microphone Not Working on Windows 10

Jun. 24, 2022 / Updated by Helia to Windows 10

Many users have reported that the internal microphone can't work on their laptop which moved to Windows 10 Fall Creators Update/Creators Update/Anniversary Update recently and they did not know how to do the mic test to solve the problem.

There are many factors that result microphone not working on your laptop, like broken drivers, incorrect microphone settings, hardware problems, etc. If you did ran into trouble with the internal microphone, you could try the 5 solutions below to fix laptop microphone not working on Windows 10 Fall Creators Update/Creators Update/Anniversary Update.

Method 1: Check Microphone Driver on the PC

Always remember to check the associated drivers on your PC firstly when you encounter any computer problems.

Outdated microphone drivers are incompatible with the new-installed Windows system and will cause computer problems such as a no sound PC, a mute microphone, a recording fail, etc. So it is necessary to uninstall and reinstall the microphone driver, and sometimes you also need to update the sound card drivers to the latest version.

You could run Driver Talent on your PC to quickly reinstall as well as update all the drivers. Driver Talent is a safe and professional driver troubleshooter with premium driver management features. (Note: If there is no such tool on your PC, you could get it directly by clicking the button below.)

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Here are 3 easy steps to fix microphone driver issue:

Step 1: Check Drivers on the PC

Click Scan and Driver Talent will detect all the drivers and find problematic microphone driver or sound card driver on your PC.

scan microphone drivers

Step 2: Fix the Driver Issues

You may see a list of drivers waiting to be repaired or updated. Come to the Uninstall menu and click the button Uninstall to remove the microphone driver.

Uninstall.PNG

And then click the button Repair or Update in Download & update menu to download and install proper drivers for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update/Creators Update/Anniversary Update.

update microphone drivers

Step 3: Restart Your PC

The new-installed drivers will take effect after a computer restart.

Once all the driver issues are fixed, the microphone will work. Now, have a mic check to see if the internal microphone works fine on Skype or other software.

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Read More:Free Download, Update Sound Card Drivers for Windows Laptop/Desktop

If the specific repair makes no help to the problem, don’t worry and go on reading the content in Method 2.

Method 2: Turn on the Microphone in Windows 10 Settings

Except for microphone driver issues, it is likely a forgetfulness of turn on the microphone in Windows 10 Settings.

Here’s how to check if the internal microphone is on:

Step 1. Use Windows shortcut keysWin + I to open the Settings.

Step 2. Select the Privacy.

Step 3. Click Microphone in the left column.

Step 4. Turn on the microphone on the right section. You could also enable or disable apps to use the mic.

Turn-on-the-microphone.png

Now speak to your laptop to check if the internal microphone can work. If not, you need to do more complex settings by following steps in Method 3.

Method 3: Check Microphone in Sound Settings

A modification to sound settings may help to release the pain of “laptop microphone not working”, and here is how to unmute the microphone.

Step 1: Set Microphone as a Default Device

1. Use the key Win + X (or right click the Start menu).

2. Select Control Panel.

3. Click Sound and open the dialog window.

Control-Panel.png

4. Choose Recording tab and find the Microphone on the recording devices list. (If you fail to find it, right click on the list and select Show Disable Devices. Then right click the Microphone and select Enable.)

5. Select the Microphone and click the button Set Default below the list.

Recording-tab.jpg

Step 2: Increase the Volume

1. On the Sound dialog window, select the Microphone.

2. Click the button Properties.

3. Choose Levels tab in the pop-up Microphone Properties dialog window.

4. Set both the volumes to a higher value. (If there are red marks beside the speaker icon, turn it on by clicking on the icon once.)

Levels-tab.png

Step 3: Disable All Sound Effects

1. Choose Enhancements tab in the same dialog window.

2. Tick the option Disable all sound effects.

3. Click OK to finish all the settings.

Disable-all-sound-effects.png

Hopefully, the mic not working is resolved by this. You could try to speak to your laptop again to see if there is any reaction from the green bar on the list, or use Windows 10 voice recorder to test the microphone.

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Method 4: Use Windows Troubleshoot

Windows 10 can solve the microphone not working issue by its Troubleshoot option. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Open the Control Panel.

Step 2. Select the Troubleshoot.

Step 3. Click Troubleshoot audio recording under the Hardware and Sound item.

Step 4. Click the button Next on the pop-up dialogand Windows 10 will detect and repair the problem automatically.

Troubleshoot-audio-recording.png

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Method 5: Check the Hardware

If you still fail in unmuting the microphone with methods above, there may be some problems with the hardware on your PC. You’d better check the internal microphone on your laptop, or send the device to repair.

Any knowledge to solve microphone not working is welcome. Don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions about how to fix the microphone not working problem on your Windows 10 Fall Creators Update/Creators Update/Anniversary Update. Please comment in the section below or click the LEFT MENU on this page for help. Any other driver issues, please see Windows Driver Solutions on this site.

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