Microphone Not Working in Microsoft Teams? What to Check
When your microphone is not working in Microsoft Teams, check the microphone selected in Teams before changing Windows drivers. A headset can work elsewhere while Teams continues to use a laptop, webcam or disconnected input.
Open the audio or device settings available in your Teams client and select the intended microphone by name. In a meeting, open the options beside the microphone control to inspect the active device. Also check the headset mute switch and the meeting mute button.
Find out whether the problem is limited to Teams
Record your voice with our microphone test, using the same input you selected in Teams. If that recording is clear, your device can capture sound through the browser. Focus next on Teams permissions, settings and meeting restrictions.
If the microphone is silent in Windows or macOS too, follow the broader microphone troubleshooting steps. A missing device needs connection and detection checks; a device that works everywhere except Teams needs app-specific investigation.
Check the pre-join audio choice
Before joining, confirm that the meeting is using computer audio if you want the computer microphone. If you joined with phone audio or without audio, changing the computer input may not solve the problem you are hearing. Follow the join-screen controls to use the intended audio method.
Do not join computer audio on two nearby devices at once. That can create echo and make it difficult to tell which microphone other participants hear.
Review microphone permissions
In Windows 11, open Settings, Privacy & security, then Microphone. Enable the applicable access controls. Traditional desktop clients and browsers depend on desktop-app access; not every application appears as its own individual switch.
On macOS, open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone and review access for Teams or the browser you actually use. Quit and reopen the application if requested after a permission change.
Teams in a browser also needs permission for its own website. Our microphone access guide explains how browser and system permissions work together. A successful TestMic recording does not grant Teams permission automatically.
The meter responds, but participants cannot hear you
Check whether you are muted by the organizer or whether the meeting restricts attendee microphones. If a control is unavailable on a work or school account, ask the organizer or administrator about the policy.
Where your Teams client and account provide a test call, use it to record and play back a sample. Otherwise, make a brief call with a colleague who agrees to help. Confirm whether the failure affects one meeting or every Teams call. A moving input indicator alone does not prove the voice reached the other person.
Your voice is too quiet or disappears between words
First compare a normal recording outside Teams. If that is quiet too, adjust device gain and placement using our Windows 11 microphone settings. If only Teams sounds poor, compare the available noise-suppression or automatic adjustment options one at a time.
Use a complete sentence that includes quiet words. Aggressive processing can make a meter move while parts of speech are lost. Select the setting that preserves intelligibility in your room rather than simply choosing the strongest suppression.
Check after reconnecting a headset or dock
Reconnect the device, reopen Teams audio settings and select it again. A docking change can alter the default input and output. If Teams still fails while another app records normally, compare the supported web client with the desktop client to narrow the fault; sign in using your normal organization-approved method.
Microsoft provides additional client-specific steps in its Teams microphone troubleshooting guide. After a fix, test the same headset in an actual call and ask the listener to confirm clear, uninterrupted speech.
