TenSecondCheck

Microphone not working in Zoom?

Start the test below first. In ten seconds it shows whether the problem is the microphone or Zoom.

Runs in your browser only

What the result tells you

It works here

The microphone, the system and the browser are fine. The problem is inside Zoom: another microphone is selected, the meeting audio was never joined, or the system has not given Zoom itself access. Start with step 2 below.

It does not work here

Zoom is not the cause. The microphone is muted, unplugged or blocked for every app. Check the mute switch on your headset and the system settings under “If it does not work” below, then go back to Zoom.

Check in this order

Most “Zoom can’t hear me” reports come down to a handful of causes. Going through them in order saves time, because each step rules out a whole group of reasons.

  1. The microphone itself. Use the test at the top of this page. If the bar moves when you speak, the microphone, the cable and the system are fine. If it stays flat, fix that first: Zoom cannot hear what the computer does not hear. The microphone test page has the same tool with more explanation.
  2. Joined audio. Zoom can put you in a meeting without connecting sound. If the button in the bottom-left corner offers to join audio instead of showing a microphone, you are not connected yet. Press it and choose computer audio.
  3. Mute. A crossed-out microphone means Zoom mutes you. The host can also mute everyone and stop participants from unmuting themselves; then only the host can help. If Zoom tells you that you are talking while muted, the microphone works and only the mute is in the way.
  4. Which microphone Zoom listens to. The small arrow next to the microphone button opens a list of devices. Zoom does not always follow the system default: after you plug in a headset or a webcam, it may keep listening to the old one. Pick the microphone that moved the bar above. The audio settings in the same menu let you test it inside Zoom.
  5. Permission for Zoom. Systems give microphone access to each app separately. The browser having access, as on this page, does not mean Zoom has it. How to check this is described below for each system.
  6. Other apps. Teams, Discord, recording software and other call apps can hold the microphone or change its level. Quit them completely, not just close the window, and join the meeting again.
  7. Too much processing. Zoom filters background noise, and at a strong setting it can swallow quiet speech. If people say your voice keeps dropping, lower the noise suppression in the audio settings.

On Windows

Open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone. Microphone access must be on, and lower down there is a separate switch that lets desktop apps use the microphone. Zoom installed from its website is a desktop app, so this second switch matters even when the browser works. Below it Windows lists desktop apps that recently used the microphone. In Windows 10 the same switches live under Settings → Privacy → Microphone.

Then open Settings → System → Sound, look at the input section and speak. If the level stays still, check the mute switch on the headset cable or ear cup. Headsets with a USB receiver sometimes appear twice; choose the entry that reacts to your voice.

On a Mac

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and make sure the switch next to zoom.us is on. If Zoom is missing from the list, it has never asked; start a meeting and accept the request. After changing the switch, quit Zoom completely and open it again, because macOS applies the permission on a fresh start.

In System Settings → Sound → Input, check which device is selected and that its level moves when you talk. AirPods and other Bluetooth headsets switch to a lower-quality mode while their microphone is in use. That is normal, not a fault.

On Android

Open the system settings, find the list of apps, open Zoom and look at its permissions: the microphone must be allowed. Menu names differ between phone makers, so search the settings for “permissions” if you cannot find the screen. Android 12 and newer also have a microphone access tile in the quick settings panel; when it is off, no app can hear you.

In the meeting, tap the audio button if Zoom has not connected sound yet, and choose the option that uses the phone’s internet audio. A connected Bluetooth headset takes over the microphone, so switch Bluetooth off for a moment to test the phone on its own.

On iPhone and iPad

Open Settings, find Zoom (in recent iOS versions it sits under Apps) and make sure the microphone switch is on. The same list is in Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. In the meeting, join audio if Zoom offers it and check that the microphone icon is not crossed out. With AirPods in your ears the iPhone listens to them, not to its own microphone.

When Zoom hears you, check how you look with the webcam test and whether you hear others with the headphone and speaker test. If Discord has the same trouble, go through Discord mic not working.

If it does not work

On your system

  1. Open Settings → System → Sound and check that the right microphone is set as the input device.
  2. In the same place, speak and watch the input level bar move. If it does not move there either, the problem is outside the browser.
  3. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone and make sure microphone access is on for apps and for your browser.
  4. Close any call app that may be holding the microphone — Zoom, Teams, Discord and Meet keep it even when minimised.
  1. Open System Settings → Sound → Input and check that the right microphone is selected and its level moves when you speak.
  2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and switch your browser on.
  3. After changing that setting, quit the browser completely and open it again — macOS only applies it to a fresh start.
  1. Open Settings → Apps → your browser → Permissions and allow the microphone.
  2. Check whether a case or a finger is covering the microphone hole, usually on the bottom edge.
  3. Menu names differ between phone makers, so look for the app permissions screen rather than an exact path.
  1. Open Settings → Safari (or your browser) and check the microphone entry.
  2. If you use a browser other than Safari, also check Settings → that browser → Microphone.
  3. Turn off any Bluetooth headset that may be capturing the sound instead.

Allowing access in your browser

  1. Click the icon at the left end of the address bar, next to the site address.
  2. Find the camera or microphone entry and set it to allow.
  3. Reload the page — the permission only takes effect on a fresh load.
  4. If the entry is missing, open chrome://settings/content/microphone or chrome://settings/content/camera and remove this site from the blocked list.
  1. Click the icon at the left end of the address bar, next to the site address.
  2. Set the camera or microphone to allow, then reload the page.
  3. If the site is blocked, open edge://settings/content/microphone or edge://settings/content/camera and remove it from the blocked list.
  1. Click the icon at the left end of the address bar and remove the blocked permission.
  2. Reload the page and answer the permission prompt again.
  3. Permissions for every site live in Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions.
  1. On a Mac: Safari menu → Settings → Websites → Camera or Microphone, then set this site to Allow.
  2. On an iPhone or iPad: tap the page settings button at the left of the address bar and check the camera and microphone entries.
  3. Also check Settings → Safari on the device, where camera and microphone access can be blocked for every site at once.

Questions and answers

Zoom says it cannot detect a microphone. What does that mean?
Zoom found no input it is allowed to use. Either nothing is connected, the system blocks microphone access for desktop apps, or the only microphone is switched off in the sound settings. If the test on this page works, the microphone exists, so look at the permission for Zoom itself.
Why does the browser version of Zoom hear me but the app does not?
The browser and the Zoom app ask for the microphone separately. On Windows the app counts as a desktop app in the privacy settings, and on a Mac Zoom has its own switch in the microphone list. Allowing one does not allow the other.
People say my voice cuts out when I speak quietly. Is the microphone failing?
Usually not. Noise suppression can treat quiet speech as background noise. Lower the suppression level in Zoom's audio settings, sit closer to the microphone, or raise the input volume in the system so your voice stands out more clearly.
Should I reinstall Zoom?
Only after the steps above. Almost every case is the wrong device, a missing permission or audio that was never joined. Updating or reinstalling helps when Zoom stays silent after a system update even though every setting looks right.