Microphone Not Working on Discord? 11 Fixes to Try
Reading Time: 6 minutesIf you are having issues using your microphone on Discord, there are a few ways you can try resolve this…
Discord has been gaining massive popularity among the gaming community in recent years. With new features added every few months, it’s becoming a reliable communication tool even for businesses.
The Discord app makes it easy to conduct virtual meetings, live stream gameplay, share screens with friends, and video call your loved ones. However, Discord is not without its flaws.
Unfortunately, you may often run into instances where the microphone you use for Discord stops working during gaming sessions or online meetups.
So, let’s examine some commonly used methods for fixing your microphone and other voice-related issues in Discord.
1. Restart Your Device
When we face technical issues with apps or devices, restarting the device you’re using to run the app is our first response. Most of the time, this fix works like a charm.
Upon restart, all backend drivers and registry files are created afresh, along with removing temporary files created during the previous runtime. Typically, this will fix a wide range of issues.
Therefore, before you try any other fixes, consider restarting your device to check if that resolves the issue. Otherwise, continue with the other fixes listed below.
2. Test Your Microphone
If you’re using an external microphone as an input device, ensure it is not faulty. Trying it in other apps or using another device may help you determine whether the hardware itself is causing the issue.
If your microphone is the culprit, change it. If not, move on to the rest of the fixes.
3. Ensure the Correct Microphone Is Selected
Do you have more than one microphone connected to your device? If so, Discord may be configured to use a device other than the one you’re using. You can either unplug one microphone from your device so Discord will automatically select the other as an input device, or you can set the correct input device in Discord settings.
Follow these steps to change the input device in Discord settings:
- Launch Discord.
- Click on the gear icon in the bottom-left corner to access User Settings.
- On the left sidebar, click Voice and Video.
- Select the correct microphone from the dropdown under Input Device in Voice Settings.
4. Restart or Log Out of Discord
Instead of diving into more complicated fixes, log out of Discord and restart your application. At first glance, it may sound innocuous, but in most cases, this step will resolve the issue.
- In the lower-left corner, click on the gear icon to bring up Discord Settings.
- Scroll down to the bottom and click on Log Out from the left sidebar.
Log out, close the app, and then log back in again.
Doing this alone can solve some issues, but it doesn’t always work. Move on to the next fix if that’s the case.
5. Reset Discord’s Voice Settings
Discord gives you the option to reset the voice settings to default. This usually resolves most voice-related issues within Discord. Therefore, try resetting the voice settings to see if that fixes the problem.
Here is how you can reset voice settings in Discord:
- Click on the gear icon at the bottom-left to bring up the app’s settings.
- Navigate to the Voice and Video settings under App Settings.
- Click on Reset Voice Settings at the bottom of the page.
6. Give Discord Access to Your Microphone
Sometimes, your system permissions may prevent certain desktop applications from accessing your microphone. So, if you have turned off automatic permission to use the microphone, Discord may not have access.
This is how you can enable microphone access for not only Discord but also all other apps:
- Use Windows Search to open Settings on your computer.
- Navigate to Privacy in Settings. You can skip this step if you’re on Windows 11.
- Click Microphone in App permissions under Privacy settings. If you’re on Windows 11, you can access the same by going to Privacy & security > Microphone.
- Activate the toggle for Allow apps to access your microphone.
If you’re running Windows 11, see our guide on how to check apps using your camera and microphone. If the microphone access was already on, continue implementing the remaining fixes.
7. Change the Input Mode
If your microphone still does not work after following other fixes on the list, try changing the input mode in the voice settings to Push to Talk.
Push to Talk settings require you to press a specific keyboard key to allow the microphone to transmit audio. This setting helps solve most microphone problems, including the broken mic input and cracking voice recording, which may also work in this case.
Here is how you can change the input mode in Discord:
- Navigate to Discord settings by clicking on the gear icon.
- From the left sidebar, select Voice & Video under App Settings.
- Change the input mode from Voice Activity to Push to Talk.
- To activate Push to Talk, set any keyboard key as a Shortcut.
Although this fix may solve the problem, it has its quirks from time to time. So, if the microphone problem goes away, you can change it back after some time.
8. Disable Exclusive Mode on Windows
In Windows, there is an exclusive mode that allows a single device to take over the whole sound driver.
This mode could cause issues with your microphone, preventing other apps from using it if a priority app has control. So, to rule out this cause, follow the below steps to disable the exclusive mode.
- Search for Sound Settings using Windows Search and open it.
- Click on Device properties after selecting your input device. Windows 11 users can scroll down on the right pane, click on More sound settings > Recording and choose the input device.
- In the Related Settings, click on Additional device properties. Windows 11 users can skip this step.
- Navigate to Microphone Properties and select the Advanced tab.
- Uncheck the box for Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device in the Exclusive Mode settings.
- To apply the changes, click on Apply.
9. Update Your Audio Drivers
You can also check the system’s audio drivers. You will face issues not only with Discord but also with other apps if the problem is with the drivers. Blue and black screen errors, cracking voices, and poor-quality recordings indicate outdated driver files.
Your device likely has a specific driver for input audio devices that you can update to get your microphone working again. However, depending on the type of device you are using and the sound drivers it has, you may not find the main driver that needs to be updated.
If this is the case, update all audio drivers regardless of the device you’re using. In case the issue persists, you can reinstall all of them.
We will guide you through updating the Inter(R) Audio Display driver using the steps below. You can follow the same process to update other drivers as well.
- Use Windows Search to look for Device Manager.
- Navigate to Sound, video, and game controllers settings in Device Manager.
- Open Intel(R) Display Audio and go to the Driver tab in the pop-up menu.
- Click on Update Driver, and you are good to go.
- Click on Search automatically for drivers and wait for the process to complete.
The name of the device and drivers will differ depending on the hardware you use.
10. Disable Quality of Service
Discord comes with a Quality of Service High Packet Priority feature that signals your router to treat packets transmitted by Discord as high priority to ensure a smooth connection.
However, depending on your ISP and router, having this option enabled in Discord may result in unforeseen issues. Discord not picking up a microphone voice can also be one of those. Here are the steps to disable this option and see if it helps:
- Head to Discord settings by clicking on the gear icon.
- Under App Settings, select Voice & Video.
- Scroll down and find the Quality of Service settings.
- Turn off the toggle for Enable Quality of Service High Packet Priority.
Now, relaunch Discord and see if your microphone works without any issues.
11. Reinstall Discord
If none of the above fixes works, you can reinstall the Discord app after uninstalling it. Sometimes, the hidden corrupted files prevent the app from functioning correctly. Often, it is overlooked as the root of many problems.
Here’s how you can uninstall the app:
- Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features.
- In the app list, find Discord.
- Tap Uninstall by left-clicking on it.
Now, all you need to do is reinstall Discord from its official website.
Solve Voice Related Issues in Discord
The various troubleshooting steps we discussed here will fix most of the microphone problems you were facing in Discord. But if it doesn’t, remember that your hardware could be at fault.
We understand how great Discord is as a platform, so it can be hard to leave once you get used to it. But if you grow bored with it, there are many alternatives you should look into.
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