Mic test: is your microphone working?

If your microphone isn’t working

The test tells you when something blocks it. These are the usual causes and fixes:

• The browser blocked it. Click the icon at the left of the address bar, allow the microphone for this site and press the button again. If you blocked it earlier, the browser won’t ask a second time.
• The wrong input is selected. Check the input device in the sound settings on Windows or macOS. The browser may also be using a different microphone than you expect; use the Input menu here if it appears.
• It’s muted. Many headsets have a mute switch on the cup or the cable, and some laptops have a microphone mute key.
• Another app is using it. If the test says the microphone is in use by another app, close video call apps and other tabs that might hold it, then try again.
• No microphone was found. Check it’s plugged in and switched on, then reload the page.

What the level should look like

In a quiet room the meter should sit near the left with the level close to -60 dB or showing silent. When you talk at your normal distance, the bar should jump well into the meter and the wave should swell with each word. The status only switches to working once the sound is clearly louder than the background.

If the bar barely moves when you speak, move closer or raise the input volume in your sound settings. If you see the clipping warning, do the opposite. With Noise and echo reduction on, the browser adjusts the volume by itself, so the level can drift up or down over a few seconds. Untick it to judge the microphone’s own level.

A short recording is the best final check. Play it back and listen for hiss, hum, echo or a muffled sound, which you won’t always notice on the meter.