Microphone Not Working After Windows 11 Upgrade? Apply These Simple Fixes
If your device’s microphone stopped working after you upgraded to Windows 11, don’t stress it. You’d be relieved to know that you’re just one of the many Windows 11 users who are plagued with this issue after upgrading their operating system.
The problem is not a general one but is particularly common in some tablets and notebook models with an embedded microphone.
I’ve thoroughly investigated the microphone issue across three devices, but the tricky thing is that each required a different solution before I could get the microphone to work again. This begs the question: What could be wrong with my PC after the Windows 11 upgrade? And how do I fix it?
Don’t despair. One of the solutions I’m proffering below should get your microphone working again, effortlessly.
Why is Microphone Not Working After Windows 11 Upgrade? Possible Causes
When you upgrade your PC to Windows 11, several things could go wrong in the system binary. Therefore, the underlying issues may vary depending on your PC model. Below are some more common causes:
- Wrong Default Microphone – You may have set the wrong system microphone as default in your PC’s sound settings
- Outdated Drivers – Sometimes, Windows 11 installs a generic, incompatible equivalent of specific drivers, causing the target hardware to stop working.
- System File Corruption – It’s highly possible that some systems files directly related to your microphone got corrupted while upgrading to Windows 11
- Denied Access to Microphone – Windows 11 adopts some of the privacy mechanics on smartphones OS, which grants access to certain hardware based on the app in use. Likely, the app on which you’re trying to use the microphone doesn’t have access to it.
How to Fix Microphone Not Working on Windows 11
Troubleshoot
The recording audio troubleshooter on Windows 11 can diagnose the root cause of your microphone issues and fix them with its automated repair strategies.
- Use the combo of Windows Key + R to open Run and type ms-settings: troubleshoot in the text bar to open the Troubleshoot window
- Navigate to and click Other Troubleshooters on the left
- A list of troubleshooters will appear in the next window. Navigate to and click “Run in front of Recording Audio” to initiate repair scanning
- A prompt will pop up asking you to select the affected device. Ensure to click on your system’s default microphone
- Once the diagnosis is complete, click Apply this fix to complete the repair
Check If the Recording Device is Enabled
Your microphone might have been disabled as hardware or at the software level. Given this, you have two windows to inquire into: the Device Manager and Sound Settings.
- Type Control Panel in Windows search box and open the relevant result
- Once in the Control Panel, type Device Manager in the search box and click the accompanying app
- In the device manager, navigate to and click Audio Inputs and Outputs
- Right-click on Microphone to ascertain if the hardware is enabled
If your system microphone is already enabled, skip this process and try the one below:
- Again, open the Run command with a combination of Windows key + R
- Type control + mmsys.cpl sounds in the search box and click OK
- Once you’re in the Sound Settings window, click on Sounds and right-click on your microphone
- Enable it if it’s disabled
- Next, reboot your PC
Check Microphone Privacy Settings
As suggested earlier, the app on which you’re trying to use your microphone may not have access to it. To ascertain this,
- Open windows settings with Windows key + I
- Navigate to and click Privacy and Security > Microphone
- A list of apps with access to your microphone will appear. Ensure your target app is also allowed to access the microphone
Update Your Drivers
- Go to Device Manager again via Control Panel using the previous steps
- Once you’re in Audio Inputs and Outputs, right-click on your PC microphone and click on Update Drivers
- Ensure you connect to WI-FI, and the update will begin to download
A Wet Mic?
Albeit rarely, there’s also the possibility of your PC microphone going bad when exposed to moisture. You cannot rule out this possibility, so you might want to explore the hardware troubleshooting route if all software fixes prove abortive.
2 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
BTW, I should have mentioned that this method of starting applications (using a .CMD file) worked fined under Windows 10, but the upgrade to Windows 11 provoked that behavior with the microphones.
Ever since upgrading to Windows 11 certain apps don’t detect the microphone at all when started from a command file (.CMD o .BAT).
I like to configure my PC so it does not load any network-related/required applications (chats, e-mail readers, etc.) after login into Windows. This way the PC is ready to use just a few seconds after logging in.
Then I use a .CMD file to start the several network-related applications (when I’m ready) and some of them require access to the microphone (a phone extension app that I use in the office, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp for Desktop): If started that way, the apps don’t detect any microphone (the notebook’s built-in one on the top of the screen, nor the one in my USB headset).
At this point, any microphone diagnostic shows it’s there and working just fine, except for these applications.
If I close Zoom (right-click on the system tray’s icon and Exit) and then manually restart it using the standard shortcut in the Start menu, Zoom detects the microphones and works just fine with any of them… but the other apps still don’t until I manually close and restart them as well.
Suffice to say I stopped using the .CMD and resorted to manually starting the applications after login into Windows.
This behavior remains the same up until today with build 10.0.22000.556 (Windows 11 Pro 21H2) on a Lenovo E580 with 16GB RAM.