Zoom Microphone Not Working

Many Zoom meetings involve a lot of “Hey, can you hear me? I can’t hear you!” for the first 10 minutes or so, especially if there are several participants. Only after someone makes sure everyone can hear and see everybody can you finally start with the agenda.

But what if you can’t get your microphone to work? We may lose so much in translation when we hold a meeting online instead of doing it in person, that it’s essential to keep at least our audio clear and working.

Here’s how to ensure that your meeting participants can hear what you’re saying.

What to Do If Your Zoom Microphone Isn’t Working

There are multiple reasons your microphone may not be working. Let’s start with the basics.

1. Make Sure You Haven’t Muted Your Microphone.

It may happen by accident, or you previously muted it for some reason and forgot to unmute it later. You can see if you’re muted by navigating to meeting controls at the bottom. You will see a red microphone icon with a line across it if you’re muted. Click on it to unmute.

2. Check If the Host Has Muted You.

In some meetings, hosts tend to mute other participants if they’re the only ones who need to talk. That way, they can prevent excessive noise, including background noise, coming from people’s microphones even if the main participant is silent. It’s a common practice in meetings with lots of participants, so if you suspect the host has muted you and you need to speak, send them a private chat message to ask them to unmute you.

3. Ensure That Your Volume Is Up.

As silly as it may seem, sometimes simple solutions are the ones we need. Have you accidentally lowered your microphone volume? Make sure that’s not causing the issue.

In the following sections, we’ll look at common microphone problems on different devices and tell you how to solve them.

What to Do If Your Zoom Microphone Isn’t Working on Mac

Mac users are known to experience microphone issues occasionally, and perhaps even more so now with Zoom meetings.

In some cases, it’s because Macs can use different microphones, so you may not have connected the right one. Is your audio set to your headset, to the internal microphone, or an external one? Don’t forget that Mac computers also support USB and 3.5mm microphones, as well as different Bluetooth or wire earphones.

If you’ve started a Zoom meeting and no one can hear you, check audio settings both within Zoom and on your computer.

Check the Sound Input Settings

1. Open “System Preferences.”
   
2. Click on “Sound” and select the “Input” tab to see all devices you can choose as a sound input source.
   
3. Select the “Internal Microphone” if you don’t want to use a headset or other device.
   
4. Below that list, you’ll see the “Input volume” slider. Ensure that it’s high enough for the microphone to detect your speech.
   
   

Allow Zoom to Access Your Microphone

1. Once again, launch “System Preferences” and then go to “Security and Privacy.”
   
2. Click on “Privacy” and choose “Microphone” from the menu on the left.
   
3. On the right, you will see all the apps and software allowed to access your microphone. If Zoom is not checked, check the box next to it to solve the issue.
   

What to Do If Your Zoom Microphone Isn’t Working on Chromebook

If you’re a Chromebook user, you also have several fixes to try with your microphone. After checking to see if you have accidentally muted it or lowered the volume, you can do one of the following things:

Did you know you can record audio and play it to see if your microphone is working? Do a quick audio test to make sure your voice will be heard.

1. Go to “Audio Settings” and click on the microphone.
   
2. Select the “Test Mic” option and say something to test the audio.
   
3. Play the recording back to check if you can hear yourself. If yes, you can proceed to your meeting. If not, keep troubleshooting until you discover the issue.
   

You can also uncheck the “Automatically adjust microphone volume” option within the “Audio” tab. Your microphone may be adjusted too low for an adequate setting.

The next step is to check your Chromebook’s built-in microphone settings. Here’s how to access them.

1. Navigate to the lower right corner and click on the time.
   
2. Click on “Audio” settings.
   
3. You’ll see a microphone slider under “Input.” Drag it to the right to adjust the microphone volume and set it louder.
   

Have you allowed the Zoom app to access your microphone? That may be causing the issue with the audio.

1. Navigate to your Chromebook’s system tray.
   
2. Select the gear icon to open “Settings.”
   
3. Go to “Privacy and security” and select “Site settings.”
   
4. Scroll down to “Permissions” – choose “Microphone.”
   
5. There, you’ll have different settings that you can adjust. Before you click on “Microphone,” you can switch the toggle next to the “Ask before accessing” option to make sure the permissions are in place.
   

What to Do If Your Zoom Microphone Isn’t Working on Windows 10

Is your computer running Windows 10 operating system? Here’s what else you can try.

1. Close Other Programs.

Have you used Skype recently? If so, the software may be preventing Zoom from accessing your microphone. You can quickly solve this issue by turning off all the programs that may be using your microphone. Bear in mind that you can apply this fix to other devices as well.

2. Restart Zoom and Your Computer.

Audio issues, especially if they occur suddenly, may be temporary. You can try restarting the Zoom app or even your computer and try logging in again. You may discover that your microphone is now working as usual.

3. Allow Zoom to Use Your Microphone.

We already mentioned this fix, but the steps are different for Windows. Follow the ones below.

1. Click on the “Start” button in the bottom left corner of your screen on the taskbar. You can also use a shortcut: the Windows key + I on the keyboard.
   
2. Select “Settings” and then click on “Privacy.”
   
3. Choose “Microphone” and switch the toggle in the “Allow apps to access your microphone” section.
   
4. Scroll through the list of approved apps to see if Zoom is there.
   

4. Enable Join Audio.

Logging into Zoom, you can choose to join with audio on immediately upon entering a meeting. But sometimes we’re in a hurry, and that step can get lost in all the clicking. If you haven’t enabled this option, it may be the reason why others can’t hear you, but it’s an easy fix. Navigate to the bottom of the call screen and click on “Join Audio.”

5. Select the Right Microphone.

When you join a meeting, you’ll be able to see a microphone icon at the bottom, where you can mute or unmute it. If it’s unmuted, but people still can’t hear you, click on the arrow next to the mic icon. A menu will appear, and you’ll see the “Select a Microphone” section at the top. There will be different microphone sources on the list, so choose another and check if other meeting participants can hear you then.

6. Update the Driver.

An outdated driver may cause audio to malfunction on your computer. Open the “Device Manager” on your Windows PC to see if the microphone driver is up to date. If not, you might need to download a newer version.

What to Do If Your Zoom Microphone Isn’t Working on iOS Devices

The smaller screen of mobile devices makes it even easier to accidentally tap something that will turn off your camera or mute your mic. Before you try other solutions, make sure you haven’t disabled anything yourself by accident.

For example, you can open the Zoom app settings to check if your microphone is on before a meeting starts, so you can be ready when it does.

1. Launch Zoom on your iOS device and tap “Settings.” It’s at the bottom of the screen.
   
2. Select “Meeting” to see more settings.
   
3. You’ll see the “Always Mute My Microphone” option. Is the toggle set to “On”? If so, switch it to “Off.”
   

When you join a meeting, don’t forget to enable the “Join With Audio” option, located in the lower-left corner of the meeting screen.

Of course, restarting your phone or tablet may solve the issue if there’s a temporary bug. Conversely, background noise may stop the microphone from picking up your voice – it’ll instead pick up the TV noise or anything else that might be making sound around you. You can try using Zoom in a quieter environment or adjusting the mic settings to suppress the background noise.

What to Do If Your Zoom Microphone Isn’t Working on Android

Sometimes, the Zoom app for mobile phones like Androids works better with earphones. So if you can’t seem to unmute yourself using your phone without them, you may try to use your headset and join the call. If you’re using wireless headphones, make sure the battery is fully charged to avoid further problems.

Another cause of a microphone not working during a Zoom meeting might be that you haven’t connected your mobile device’s audio for the purpose. What should you do then?

Navigate to the meeting controls at the bottom and tap the speak icon with a red “X” sign. Choose “Call via Device Audio” and then give Zoom permission to access your mic if asked to do so. You can also allow it access to your microphone via your phone’s settings.

1. Open the “Settings” app and go to “Apps” (or “Apps & notifications,” depending on the model you have.)
   
2. Tap on “App permissions” and find “Microphone” on the next screen.
   
3. On the list of the apps that have access to your mic, find Zoom and switch the toggle.
   

If you want to make sure no other apps are using the microphone at the time, tap on the multi-task button. Close all the apps that are currently running.

You can also try reinstalling Zoom or rebooting your device.

What to Do If Your Zoom Microphone Isn’t Working with Headphones

If you’re using headphones, but other meeting participants can’t hear you, there can be several reasons. The headphones, if connected via Bluetooth, may not be connected properly or are out of battery power. If you’re using traditional headphones, make sure you’ve plugged them into the right port.

Just as when you’re troubleshooting the mic connection when using Zoom without headphones, check your device’s audio settings and the audio settings within the Zoom app. You may have selected the wrong microphone, or you have muted it by mistake.

If you can’t seem to fix the bug, try joining the meeting without headphones.

Additional FAQs

Here are a few more troubleshooting options for those whose microphone doesn’t seem to work.

Why Has My Microphone Suddenly Stopped Working in Zoom?

If everything was fine a moment ago, but your microphone suddenly stops working, you’ll no doubt be wondering why it happened? There are several possible reasons.

How Do I Turn My Microphone On in Zoom?

It’s simple to turn on the microphone within this app – tap or click the mic icon at the bottom when you start your call. It’s located in the meeting controls. You can also select the gear icon to open the settings, and then open the audio settings to access even more options to create the best audio experience during your meeting.

Simple Fixes for a Stressless Meeting

We know it can be stressful when you realize you’ve been talking on Zoom for a whole minute and other people have heard nothing. The more you try to make the microphone work (and fail), the more nervous you may get. But the truth is, there’s always a solution for a mic that is not working, and it’s usually quite simple.

Is your microphone often muted when you log on to Zoom? Do you have other solutions that have worked in your case? Let us know in the comments section below.