Test it in your browser
- Open Microphone Test and click Start test.
- Allow microphone access when the browser asks.
- Speak: the level bar should move. Click Record 5 seconds to hear yourself played back.
This uses the same microphone access as Zoom, Teams, Meet and other browser calls, so if it works here, it works for them.
If the bar does not move
- Wrong microphone: pick another one from the list. Laptops often have a built-in microphone as well as your headset.
- Muted headset: many headsets have a mute switch on the cable or ear cup.
- Blocked in the browser: click the icon at the left of the address bar and allow the microphone for the site.
- Blocked in the system: on Windows, Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone, and make sure desktop apps and your browser are allowed. On a Mac, System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
- In use elsewhere: close other apps that may be holding the microphone, such as a call in another tab.
Choose the default microphone
- Windows 11: Settings → System → Sound → Input, and choose the device.
- macOS: System Settings → Sound → Input.
Sounding better
Keep the microphone a hand's width from your mouth and slightly to the side, so breaths do not hit it. A headset microphone almost always sounds clearer than a laptop's, because it is closer to you and further from the fan and keyboard.
How loud is right
Speak at your normal volume and watch the level. The loudest parts should reach about two thirds of the meter, with no red. Too low and the other side has to turn you up, which brings up the background noise as well. Too high and loud words distort.
Common problems on calls
- Others hear an echo of themselves. Your microphone is picking up their voices from your speakers. Use headphones, or turn on echo cancellation in the call app.
- Your voice cuts in and out. Noise suppression may be treating your voice as noise, or the connection is weak. Lower the suppression level and check the network.
- A Bluetooth headset sounds muffled once the call starts. Many Bluetooth headsets switch to a low-quality mode when the microphone is in use. Use the laptop's microphone and keep the headset for listening, or use a wired or USB headset.
- You are too quiet even at full volume. On Windows, the input device's properties may offer a microphone boost. Raise it in small steps, since it also raises noise.