It is quite frustrating when you open up Discord to voice chat with your friends, only to realize the mic is not working. I, myself have gone through this trouble in the past.
Why is the discord mic not working?
Your discord mic won’t work if the Automatic input sensitivity is disabled. This feature blocks discord from detecting input from your microphone. Go to User Settings > Voice and Video > Input device and max out the input volume option to fix the mic on discord.
So, I researched this topic a lot and found some quick and easy ways to fix it.
Follow along with this guide step by step to fix your Discord mic in minutes.
How to fix mic not working in Discord
Before troubleshooting, make sure your front panel audio jack is working properly. Plugin your headphones to other devices to check if it works perfectly or not.
After that move on to the steps.
Here are the steps to fix discord mic not working:
1. Check Discord Voice Settings
First of all, before checking anything else, it’s best to start from the basic Discord voice settings.
To do that:
- Open the user settings by clicking the gear icon on the left bottom.
- Click on Voice & Video under APP SETTINGS.
- Under MIC TEST, click on the Let’s Check button and try to speak. If the meter does not go yellow or green, Discord is not picking up any sound input.
Now, let’s check for the Discord input devices.
On the same screen above MIC TEST, there is a dropdown list of INPUT DEVICE. Click on that and see if the correct input device is selected.
Also, check if the INPUT VOLUME is okay.
If these are not working or if you are unsure which is your correct input device, follow the next step.
2. Check Operating System’s Sound Input Devices
For Windows 10:
- Right-click on the volume icon on the Windows taskbar.
- Select Open Sound Settings.
- On the right side, select the Sound Control Panel.
A new Sound window will appear. Here, click on the Recording tab.
You’ll find a list of all your input sound devices. Try to speak and make sure you’re getting input from the correct device.
For macOS (High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur):
- From Apple Menu, select System Preferences.
- Then click on Sound, after that click on Input.
Here you’ll see a list of your input devices.
For Ubuntu (and most distros based on it):
- Press the super/Windows key to bring the search bar and then type sound
- Alternatively, go to settings, then click on sound from the left.
- Depending on Ubuntu versions, you’ll see either an input tab or an input section below.
There will be a list of available audio input devices there.
At this point, if you realize you were using the wrong input device on Discord, you can go back to Discord and select the correct input device.
Note: If you are not a Windows user, you can skip step 3.
3. Check Windows Input Device Settings
If you are a Windows OS user, the problem might not be with the Discord app, but rather the OS itself.
Let’s check that:
- Go to the Sound Control Panel as in the previous step.
- Select the Recording tab, then right-click your input device and click properties.
Here, you can check some settings.
- On the Listen tab, try checking the Listen to this device box.
- On the Levels tab, you can try to adjust the level of the microphone and also the boost.
- For some people, checking the Disable all sound effects box from the Enhancements tab comes in handy.
- In some cases, disabling the Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device box works. See, if that’s the case for you.
Note: Every time you change something in the properties window, don’t forget to click the Apply button!
4. Check Privacy Settings
As a Windows user, it is not common for us to experience issues after a Windows update, right?
Sometimes a Windows update might reset the privacy settings.
A lot of users on various forums fixed their issues following this step.
This is a good time to check if that’s the case for you, too.
- From Windows Settings, go to Privacy.
- Then, from the left, choose the microphone.
Scroll below and make sure Allow desktop apps to access the microphone is turned on.
If you’re on macOS, you can also check as follows:
- From Apple Menu, click on System Preferences.
- Then click on Security & Privacy, after that click on Privacy.
- Click on the microphone here.
You’ll see a list of apps. Make sure Discord is checked so that it has access to the microphone.
5. Check Discord Advanced Voice Settings
There are some advanced Discord voice settings that might cause the issue, especially after an update.
Let’s check them:
- Go to the Discord Voice & Video setting.
- Try turning off Automatic Input Sensitivity and adjust the levels manually.
This option automatically adjusts your input device sensitivity.
There is another setting that’s bound to this:
- Scroll below, under VOICE PROCESSING, find Advanced Voice Activity.
- Turn that off.
Still not good? Maybe the error is in the packets that Discord is sending to your router. The next step discusses this.
5. Uncheck Quality of Service
First of all, let me describe this option to you.
The Quality of Service option of Voice Processing allows Discord to send high-quality packets to the router.
A few times, the Discord mic misbehaves when this option is turned on.
Here’s how to disable it:
- Inside the Voice & Video setting menu of Discord, find the Quality of Service setting.
- Turn it off.
6. Try Logging In Again in Discord
More than often simply logging out and then logging in solves issues.
Here’s how to find that log out button in Discord:
- In Discord, open user settings by clicking the gear icon on the left bottom.
- Then on the left, scroll to the bottom.
- Click the red Log Out button to log out.
Then login again using your credentials.
7. Run Discord as Administrator
Note: This step is only for Windows users.
In many cases, quitting Discord and running it as an administrator helps to solve the problem.
Here’s how to do it:
- Make sure you quit Discord properly. To do this, find the Discord icon from the hidden items on the taskbar. Right-click and select Quit Discord.
- Search Discord on Windows search and from the right, select run as administrator.
8. Reset Discord Voice Settings
Note: This will cause you to lose all Discord voice settings you have previously configured!
Quite often, resetting the voice settings on Discord helps remove all the issues.
Here’s how to do it:
- Open user settings by clicking the gear icon on the left bottom.
- Click on Voice & Video under APP SETTINGS.
- Scroll to the bottom.
- Click on the red Reset Voice Settings button.
9. Change Input Mode
Some users face issues with the default Voice Activity mode. Changing it to Push to Talk might help.
In Push to Talk mode, Discord will pick up your voice only when you are pressing down a certain key.
Let’s change it:
- From user settings, click on Voice & Video from the left.
- On the right, under INPUT MODE, select Push to Talk.
- Then, you’ll see a Record Keybind button below. Click that.
- Next, click on any button to assign for Push to Talk.
Once done, you will be able to speak on Discord while pressing down that button.
10. Random Factors Checklist
A lot of factors outside Discord can cause the Discord mic to not work. It is a good idea to check them now.
- Try unplugging – plugging and change ports (if you have extra).
- Make sure the audio drivers are up-to-date.
- You can also try troubleshooting the input devices inside Windows Sound settings.
- Check if your mic/headphone or other devices (like audio splitters) are broken.
- If you have another computer/phone around you, consider checking your mic/headphone on that device.
11. Contact Discord Support
If you’re still without a fix at this point, reaching out to Discord Support will be the best option. It might be possible that there’s a bug with the current release, and they’ll patch that bug with an update in the near future.
Why can no one hear me on Discord?
The reason behind this issue is the improper audio settings and mic glitch error. In most cases, the main problem deals with Discord updates or a bug in the Discord app. Restarting the software registers your mic by discord.
Sometimes, the problem doesn’t deal with the software itself. Check if your audio drivers are backdated or not. Go to Device Manager > Audio input and outputs > Check for any warning sign. A warning sign indicates your driver is backdated.
Visit your motherboard’s manufacturer site and download the latest version of the required driver.
Another possible reason is that the Automatic Input Sensitivity option is disabled under Voice and Video section in discord settings.
How to Enable Microphone on Discord
Discord automatically registers your microphone if you connect a USB headset to it. However, check the front panel audio jack and see if your microphone is working properly or not.
You won’t face any mic issues on mobile devices. If you do, re-installing fixes the issue quickly.
But in the case of the windows version, you have to ensure you plugged your mic jack or USB in the appropriate port.
Also, when the windows OS detects your device, make sure to select the USB headset as default audio.
You can check an unregistered microphone in the discord app. Go to User settings > Voice and Video > Checkmark the Automatically determine input settings > Click on Mic Test and then talk with your beautiful voice. Discord will detect your voice if no microphone issues.
Final Thoughts
If you have followed these quick fixes, you’ll agree with me that fixing Discord mic is no big deal. Anyone following this guide step by step can fix it easily.
