If your USB microphone is not detected, check whether the operating system sees the device before changing browser permissions. A website cannot select a microphone that is absent from the computer’s available inputs. Check the system input list In Windows 11, open Settings, System, Sound and inspect Input. On a Mac, open System Settings, Sound,…

A Bluetooth headset can sound excellent for music but different when its microphone is active. Calling requires two-way audio, and the available quality depends on the headset, computer, Bluetooth support and application. This guide covers a microphone that works but sounds poor. If the input is completely missing, start with the microphone troubleshooting checklist. Check…

If you can hear through AirPods but their microphone is not working, check input selection first. Playback and recording are separate functions: a computer can send sound to AirPods while recording from a different microphone. Check the microphone selected by the computer In Windows 11, open Settings, System, Sound and inspect Input. On a Mac,…

Mic monitoring lets you hear your microphone through headphones while you speak. It can help you notice clipping, breath noise or speaking too loudly, but different monitoring methods have different amounts of delay. Direct monitoring versus software monitoring Direct monitoring on a microphone or audio interface routes its input to the headphone output without sending…

Microphone echo during a call does not automatically mean your microphone is faulty. Your voice may be coming back through another participant’s speakers, a second device may have joined the same room, or you may be hearing local microphone monitoring. Identify which kind of echo you hear If you hear a delayed copy of your…

A microphone that sounds muffled or tinny may be working normally but recording from the wrong position or through unsuitable processing. Start with the selected input and a short recording before adding an equalizer or buying another microphone. Make sure you are using the microphone you expect A laptop array, webcam and headset can all…

If your microphone sounds robotic or choppy, first find out whether the effect is present in a local recording or only during a call. A clean local sample points toward a different problem from distorted capture in every application. Make a clean comparison Record a sentence and a pause with our online mic test. Use…

If your OBS microphone is not working, check where the signal stops: the source, Audio Mixer or recorded track. A moving mixer meter with a silent exported video is usually a different problem from a microphone that never reaches OBS. Check whether the microphone works outside OBS Make a short recording using our mic test….

Microphone crackling, static and popping do not all have the same cause. A thump on the letter P may be breath hitting the capsule, while distortion on loud words may be clipping. Intermittent clicks can come from a connection or digital audio path. Record the sound before changing settings Use our microphone recording test to…

When a microphone is not working in Windows 11, start by checking whether Windows detects it and receives a signal. This separates a missing-device problem from an app permission or input-selection problem. Find your microphone in Windows Sound settings Open Settings, System, Sound and inspect Input. Select the microphone you intend to use, then open…