Newly launched laptops and PCs come with Windows 11 and provide the ultimate Windows experience to users. While Windows 11 is relatively stable, it is nowhere near as trouble-free as Windows 10. So users are bound to face some issues when using Windows 11 devices, specifically one’s that come with built-in microphones.
Now the Microphone related issues in Windows 11 are not just limited to brand-new laptops. Users that upgraded to Windows 11 also reported the microphone not working after the upgrade. The issue appears without error codes, so while your device’s built-in microphone might appear active, it won’t get any audio input. While in the case of an external headset, you can blame the issue on the faulty accessory, in the case of a built-in microphone, this is rarely the case.
So unless your device’s built-in microphone is the cause of the issue, there are ways you can fix a malfunctioning microphone in Windows 11. The trick to resolving the issue is to address the reasons one by one until you get to the source of the problem. So if you are wondering how you can fix your built in microphone on a Windows 11 device, then keep reading to know exactly what you should do.
What Causes The Microphone To Stop Working On Windows 11 Devices?
Often the Microphone related issues in Windows 11 are only a matter of incorrect settings and insufficient permissions. The settings and permissions may be altered if you use an external microphone with your device. However, in other cases, your laptop’s settings may prohibit the built-in microphone from working as it should. So adjusting the microphone permissions and tweaking the audio input settings can often resolve the issue.
In some cases, the microphone may not work if the drivers for recording devices are either missing or aren’t up to date. This problem is not uncommon, and updating or installing the required microphone drivers usually fixes it. Since all the hardware on your PC requires drivers to function correctly, the microphone drivers are an excellent place to start when troubleshooting bad audio input.
Moving on with the potential causes of microphone-related issues, another reason your audio input is not working could be the Windows itself. If Windows is not up to date, your OS may be missing some necessary files required for the microphone to work correctly. So something as simple as keeping your Windows 11 up to date can help fix most of the issues you face related to the microphone.
Now that you know the possible causes of a bad microphone in Windows 11 devices, you are ready to get to the solutions. The next section of the article will explain all the potential fixes in detail, so read on.
Possible Fixes For When Your Mic Stops Working In Windows 11
The possible fixes for microphone-related issues range from tweaking settings to updating drivers and OS. Without further ado, let’s jump into the step by step process that you can use to fix the microphone of your Windows 11 devices:
Use the recording audio troubleshooter
Considering that audio-related issues are relatively common, Windows 11 comes with a built-in recording audio troubleshooter. You can follow these steps to fix your microphone using this troubleshooting utility:
- Press the Windows and R keys simultaneously to open up Run. Copy and then paste “ms-settings:troubleshoot” in the Run dialogue box and hit enter to load up the troubleshooter.
- Select “Other troubleshooter” and then find the Recording Audio option.
- Click on Run next to the Recording Audio, and the Windows will start the scan.
- Select the input device you want to troubleshoot, which is usually named Default Device, and select Next.
- Now, simply apply the fixes that Windows finds, which should fix your microphone.
Grant Necessary Permissions To Use The Microphone
Often, your computer or the apps installed don’t have permission to access the microphone. You can grant the required permissions with the help of these steps:
- Press Windows and R keys simultaneously to load up Run. Copy and paste “ms-settings:privacy-microphone” into the Run dialogue box and click Enter.
- Now check if the Microphone access is toggled to on position or not.
- Next, toggle the buttons next to all the apps you want to give access to your microphone, and this should resolve any permission-related issues.
Update The Microphone Drivers
As mentioned earlier, drivers are essential for any hardware installed on your computer to work correctly. To update microphone drivers, all you have to do is:
- Open up Run by pressing Windows and R keys simultaneously. Copy and paste “devmgmt.msc” into the Run dialogue box and press Enter.
- Now that you are inside the Device Manager, find the Audio inputs and outputs option and click the small arrow at the start of the option to expand it.
- Next right, click on the Microphone option and then click on Update driver.
- Select “Search automatically for drivers”, and Windows 11 will automatically scan for any available driver updates, and all you have to do is follow the steps to install the updates.
Update Your Windows 11
Windows 11 is constantly being improved, and chances are, if your microphone hasn’t been working correctly, a new update might fix the issue. Updating Windows 11 is as simple as updating the drivers. Here are some easy steps to update your Windows:
- Type Check for updates in the Windows search and select the Check for updates option that appears above.
- Click on the Check for updates button within the Windows updates section.
- Windows will scan for available updates and allow you to Download and install updates.
- Simply follow the instructions to update your Windows 11, which should fix any microphone-related issues on your laptop.
How Do I Test If My Microphone Is Working Or Not?
The easiest way of checking whether your microphone is working or not is to simply head into the audio settings in your computer and check the mic from there.
How do I reinstall my microphone on Windows 11?
- Type “Device Manager” into your windows search bar
- Under Audio Inputs and Outputs, select your Microphone
- Right click on it and press update drivers
Windows 11 not detecting microphone on headset
If the microphone is not being detected by windows then chances are that either the wire of the mic is damaged or the headphone jack on the motherboard is faulty.
To fix this problem you need to plug in your microphone in another computer or laptop and see if it’s working in another machine, if it is then you need to get your headphone jack replaced or a better way to fix the problem is to buy a USB Audio Dongle.
Conclusion
All the fixes mentioned above have worked for many Windows 11 users that faced microphone-related issues. It is recommended to restart your computer after applying the fixes to make sure they take effect.
Not to mention you can apply the fixes in any order to get the issue fixed.
