Here’s the problem: Windows can detect the mic, but Discord fails to detect the mic. Besides, this only occurs on the desktop version of Discord. The browser version works fine.
If you’re experiencing this issue, you can try the methods below. The 8 methods listed below have been reported by some Discord users that help them fix the Discord mic not working issues. You can try them all and see if you can find one that works for you.
Before you move on to the actual methods, ensure your microphone is connected properly and tightly.
To fix Discord not detecting mic issues, you can try these methods:
Method 1: Restart Discord
Method 2: Run Discord as administrator
Method 3: Check Discord settings
Method 4: Reset Voice Settings on Discord
Method 5: Set Audio Subsystem to Experimental
Method 6: Reinstall Discord
Method 7: Allow Discord to access your microphone
Method 8: Turn off Exclusive Mode in Windows sound settings
Method 1: Restart Discord
To fix Discord not detecting mic issues, the first thing you can do is to restart Discord. Restarting Discord is easy. But sometimes, it works like a charm.
Before restarting, you need to log out of Discord and then log back in. Here’s how:
1) Log out of Discord.
To do so, launch Discord, click the User Settings icon in the bottom left corner, and then click on Log Out.
2) Close Discord.
3) Log back into Discord.
Method 2: Run Discord as administrator
To run Discord as administrator, you can follow these steps:
1) Right-click on the shortcut of Discord (or right-click on the Discord executable file), and then select Properties.
2) Go to the Compatibility tab and check Run this program as administrator.
3) Click Apply -> OK to save the changes.
Method 3: Check Discord settings
If the Discord settings like the Input Device settings are not configured properly, Discord may not be able to pick up your mic. So check the Discord settings and adjust them if necessary.
Launch Discord, click on the User Settings icon at the bottom left corner and then click on Voice & Video. In the Voice Settings page, check and adjust the following settings:
Input Device
If you had other microphones connected to your PC, Discord may be selecting another microphone but not the one that you’re currently using. So ensure the correct Microphone is selected.
Under Input Device, select the microphone you’re using from the dropdown.
Input Volume
Make sure the Input Volume is adjusted properly. Move the slide to the right to turn up the Input Volume. It’s recommended to make the volume full.
Input Mode
Generally, the Input Mode is set as Voice Activity. In some cases, changing the Input Mode to Push to Talk can fix the mic not working issues.
Under Input Mode, check the box next to Push to Talk, click on the Shortcut box and then press your desired key.
Note: With Push to Talk enabled, Discord will mute your mic automatically until you press and hold the pre-defined key to speak.
Input Sensitivity
The “Automatically determine input sensitivity” can cause the mic not detecting issues. Disable it and adjust the sensitivity manually. After that, check to see if the issue is fixed.
Method 4: Reset Voice Settings on Discord
Discord has a built-in feature called Reset Voice Settings. It allows you to reset voice settings to default within Discord if any audio issues occur. This helps fix some Discord audio issues including the mic not detecting issues.
Here’ s how to reset Voice Settings on Discord:
1) Launch Discord.
2) Click on the User Settings icon at the bottom left corner.
3) Click on Voice & Video, and then click the Reset Voice Settings button at the bottom.
4) Reboot Discord and check to see if your microphone works.
Method 5: Set Audio Subsystem to Experimental
Setting Audio Subsystem on Discord may help fix the problem. Here’s how:
1) Launch Discord.
2) Click on the User Settings icon at the bottom left corner.
3) Click on Voice & Video, scroll down to Audio Subsystem, and then select Experimental from the drop-down menu.
4) Reboot Discord and check to see if your microphone works.
Method 6: Reinstall Discord
To fix the Discord not detecting mic issues, you can try to reinstall Discord. To completely uninstall Discord, you can follow the steps below:
Firstly, uninstall Discord from the Control Panel. To do so:
1) Click the start menu button, type Control Panel and select it from the results.
2) Select Programs and Features.
3) Right-click on Discord and select Uninstall or Uninstall/Change. Then follow the on-screen instructions.
Secondly, delete the cache folder. Here’s how:
1) Press Win+R keys to open the Run box.
2) Type “%appdata%” into the Run box and click OK. This will open the Roaming folder.
3) In the Roaming folder, find the “Discord” folder and delete it.
4) Open the Run box again.
5) Type “%localappdata%” into the Run box and click OK. This will open the “Local” folder.
6) In the Local folder, find the “Discord” folder and delete it.
Lastly, delete the Discord key from the Registry. Here’s how:
1) Press Win+R keys to open the Run box.
2) Type “regedit” into the Run box and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
3) Navigate to the following path:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Discord
Tip: To navigate to the path easily, you can copy and paste the path into the address bar of the Registry Editor, and then press Enter.
4) Right-click on the Discord key and select Delete.
5) Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
Once done, Reboot your computer. Reinstall Discord from its official website and check to see if Discord detects your microphone works.
Method 7: Allow Discord to access your microphone
Discord may not have the permission to access your microphone. If that’s the case, you need to configure Windows settings to allow discord to access your microphone.
If you’re on Windows 10, follow these steps:
1) Right-click on the Start menu button and select Settings. This will open the Settings window.
2) Click on Privacy in Settings.
3) Click Microphone in the left pane.
4) Turn on Microphone access for this device.
5) Enable the toggle under All apps to access your microphone.
If you’re on Windows 11, follow these steps:
1) Click the Start button and select Settings from the menu.
2) Click on Privacy & security in the left pane, and then select Microphone in the right pane.
3) Turn on Microphone access.
4) Enable the toggle next to Let apps access your microphone.
Method 8: Turn off Exclusive Mode in Windows sound settings
The Exclusive Mode in Windows could cause issues with your microphone. So, to fix this issue, you can try to turn off the Exclusive Mode. Follow these steps:
1) Press Win+R keys to open the Run box.
2) Type “mmsys.cpl” into the Run box and click OK. This will open the Sound dialog box.
3) Select the Recording tab, right-click on your Microphone device and select Properties from the context menu.
4) Select the Advanced tab, and uncheck the box for Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device In the Exclusive Mode section.
6) Click Apply -> OK to apply the changes.
Hopefully you find this post helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below. I’ll get back to you ASAP.