During the last year and a half, videoconferencing has become an indispensable tool to keep us in touch, both in work and personal spheres. The truth is that at the time we already analyzed some of the best video calling applications , and among them we have Zoom or Meet. Eventually some of these might fail, and if others can’t hear you on video calls, we ‘ll show you how to test the microphone in Windows 11 and make sure it’s working properly .
The truth is that, to have a good experience in video conferencing, there are two elements that are considered key. On the one hand we have the webcam, which allows others to see you and, on the other, the microphone, which allows others to hear you. That is, you have to check that both components respond to these actions because, otherwise, your video calls will become practically useless and you will have to leave them.
And just as you already know what to do when the webcam does not work in Skype or any other video conferencing app, in this case we wanted to focus on the update to Windows 11, which will become more and more common, and how it can be confirmed that the microphone is responding to the commands we give it.
How to see the microphone status in Windows 11?
Well, first of all you have to check that the microphone is well connected to the computer , something that seems too basic, but which is still a frequent mistake, behind which many of the problems related to this element are solved. Even, it does not hurt to disconnect it and reconnect it.
This should be extremely simple, since today’s microphones are usually connected to computers via a USB cable or via Bluetooth, or are integrated into the webcam or screen. Whatever the case, if you can intervene analogically, do it and, if not, continue with the next steps .
From Sound Settings
Once you have checked the above, you can check the status of the microphone from the Sound Settings .
For which you must go to the lower right part of the taskbar, right-click on the speaker icon, and in the menu that opens, select Sound settings.
Once you are in that section, you will see a whole series of settings related to the sound, although the one that interests us is the Input section, where you should see the microphone you want to test.
In the Properties screen of that microphone you have to scroll down, where you will find a specific function ” Test your microphone “, so click on Start test, and try to speak as in a video call.
If everything is in good condition, you should see a blue line associated with the Input Volume slider, moving left and right, depending on the tone in which you are speaking.
After the test is complete, Microsoft will inform you about the results obtained next to the aforementioned “Start test” button, and those results are expressed in a specified percentage.
Adjust microphone volume
If we talk about ideals, the perfect result should be around 75% of the volume if you are speaking normally, since above that percentage it is possible that the sound begins to distort.
Whenever that happens, you can click the Input Volume slider and lower the volume, so there is room for customization to get a better feel, even with the microphone working.
For the rest, if there is no activity around the microphone, and you cannot connect or disconnect it in analogue mode because it is integrated into the laptop’s camera or peripheral, you can try to reach out on your own, and fix the camera error that does not open in Windows , to see if that solves the problem.
