After you plug your USB microphone to your computer, the microphone doesn’t pick up sound. How can you fix the USB microphone not working issues? Read on to find the possible solutions.
To fix the issue, you can try the following six possible solutions. Try them one by one and see if you can find one that works for you.
Method 1: Reboot your computer
Method 2: Check if your microphone is muted
Method 3: Check Microphone privacy settings
Method 4: Ensure microphone is set as default device
Method 5: Check if it’s a hardware issue
Method 1: Reboot your computer
To fix the USB microphone not working issues, the simple solution you can try is to reboot your computer. A simple reboot can fix many issues like the USB microphone not working issue almost immediately.
1) Shut down your computer.
2) Unplug your USB microphone.
3) Start your computer.
4) Plug your USB microphone again. Ensure the microphone is connected properly and firmly.
If Method 1 doesn’t resolve the issue, go to the next method.
Method 2: Check if your microphone is muted
When the microphone stops working, check if it’s muted and unmute it if needed. Here’s how to do it:
1) Right-click on the speaker icon in the notification area (near the time in the bottom right corner of the desktop), then select Sounds. Then the Sound window will pop up.
2) On the Recording tab of the Sound window, select Microphone and click on Properties.
3) On the Levels tab of the Microphone Properties window, check if the microphone is muted. If it’s muted, click on the speaker to unmute it, then click OK to save the changes.
Besides, ensure the volume of the microphone is not too low. You can adjust the Microphone slider and the Microphone Boost slider to increase the volume.
If Method 2 doesn’t resolve the issue, go to the next method.
Method 3: Check Microphone privacy settings
In many cases, the USB microphone can stop working after updating Windows (10 or 11). The Microphone privacy settings can be reset so your device and the apps can’t access the microphone. You can check Microphone privacy settings to ensure your device and the apps have permission to use the microphone.
Here’s how to do it:
1) Right-click on the Start menu button and select Settings.
2) Go to System -> Sound -> Microphone privacy settings.
3) Ensure Microphone access for this device is on.
4) Ensure Allow apps to access your microphone is On.
If Method 3 doesn’t resolve the issue, go to the next method.
Method 4: Ensure microphone is set as default device
If your USB microphone is not set as the default audio recording device, you can’t use it to record or listen to the sound. The default audio recording device is the device that Windows uses to record or listen to the sound.
So check if your USB microphone is set as the default device and change the settings if needed.
Here’s how to do it:
1) Right-click on the speaker icon in the notification area (near the time in the bottom right corner of the desktop), then select Sounds. Then the Sound window will pop up.
2) On the Recording tab of the Sound window, check if the microphone is set as default. If not, select the microphone and click on Set Default, then click OK to save the changes.
If you don’t see your USB microphone show up, the device can be disabled and hidden. You can manually make all disabled devices show up and see if the USB microphone shows up.
On the Recording tab of the Sound window, right-click on any empty space and select “Show disconnected devices” and “Show disabled devices”.
If your USB microphone shows up, ensure it’s enabled. To enable it, right-click on it and select Enable.
If Method 4 doesn’t resolve the issue, go to the next step.
Method 5: Check if it’s a hardware issue
If none of the above methods works, it can be a hardware issue. The USB port or the microphone can be damaged.
- Try plugging your USB microphone to another USB port. If it works on another USB port, it means the current USB port is the culprit. The port is dusty or damaged.
- Try connecting your USB microphone to another computer. If it doesn’t work on another computer either, it means the microphone itself is faulty.
Hopefully you can fix the USB microphone issues with the above steps. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below. I’ll get back to you ASAP.