Start with a known signal
Open our microphone test and click Start microphone. Speak at your usual distance. If the level bar moves, the browser is receiving audio. Make a short clip and play it back: movement without audible playback can mean your output device or volume is the problem instead. If the meter does not move at all, work through the input checks below.
Check the physical path
Make sure the mic or headset is connected and powered. A USB microphone may need a different port; a headset may have a cable or in-line mute switch. If you use a mixer or audio interface, select that interface as the input and confirm its hardware gain or mute state. Avoid changing several settings at once: test again after each change so you know what fixed it.
Check Windows and browser permissions
In Windows 11, open Settings → System → Sound → Input and select the intended microphone. Speak into it and watch the Windows input level. If Windows does not see it, the website cannot use it either. Then check Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone, including access for desktop apps. Finally, use the icon beside this site’s address in your browser to allow microphone access. Reload the test page after changing permission.
Narrow down the remaining issue
Close a video call or recording app that may be holding the device. If Windows sees the microphone but the browser does not, try a fresh browser tab and reselect the input. If the browser test works but one calling app does not, check that app’s own input setting. A working test proves the browser got a signal; it does not measure microphone quality or fix app-specific routing.
On a Mac
Open System Settings → Sound → Input and choose the microphone. Watch the input level while you speak. Then open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and make sure your browser is switched on. macOS asks you to quit and reopen the browser after that change. In Safari, also check Safari → Settings → Websites → Microphone for this site.
Quick checklist
- Microphone connected, powered and not muted on the cable or headset
- Correct input selected in the system and in the browser test
- System privacy setting allows the browser
- Site permission set to Allow, then the page reloaded
- No other app holding the microphone
Further reference: Official device or browser documentation ↗
Permission checklist by system
| Where | What to allow |
|---|---|
| Browser address bar | Click the padlock or microphone icon and set Microphone to Allow for this site, then reload |
| Windows 11 | Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone: turn on Microphone access and Let apps access your microphone. For browsers installed from the web, also turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone |
| macOS | System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone: turn on your browser, then quit and reopen it |
| Headset or mic hardware | Check the mute switch or button on the cable, the headset or the microphone itself |
Make sure the right input is selected
A computer can have several inputs at once: a built-in laptop microphone, a webcam microphone, a headset and a USB microphone. The test uses the device chosen in the Input device list, and call apps use their own setting. On Windows 11, Settings → System → Sound → Input shows every microphone, with a live level bar under each one. Speak and watch which bar moves, then select that device here and in your call app.
Common questions
The browser never asks for permission.
It probably remembered an earlier Block. Reset it from the padlock icon in the address bar, or in the browser's site settings, and reload.
My headset mic works on my phone but not the PC.
Headsets with a single four-pole plug need a combined headphone and mic jack. A PC with separate pink and green jacks needs a splitter adapter.
Reviewed October 2026 · How we write our guides · Suggest a correction