When you try to record an audio message through your computer’s microphone, does the volume seem too low? When you have a conversation on Skype, who on the other side can’t hear what you say right? Perhaps you would do well to check the correct operation of the microphone you use on your computer.
How do you say? Not sure how to test the microphone ? No problem, I’ll give you a hand. Read the tips I am about to give you and immediately test your microphone with all the programs in which you use it most often. If there’s a volume or amplification issue, you’ll be able to fix it in no time. Guaranteed!
So take a few minutes of free time and concentrate on reading the information below. I am sure that in no time at all you will be able to solve all your problems and that, even, if necessary you will also be ready and happy to explain to all your friends in need and eager to receive a similar tip how to do in order to test the microphone of their computer. What do you say, we bet?
Index
- How to test the PC microphone
- How to test the microphone on Windows 10 and later
- How to test the Mac microphone
- How to test the microphone on Skype
- How to test the mobile phone microphone
- How to test the Android phone microphone
- How to test the iPhone microphone
- In case of problems
How to test the PC microphone
Despite what it might seem, testing the PC microphone is an extremely simple operation: before proceeding, unless the microphone is integrated into the webcam or into the computer sound card, make sure that it is correctly turned on and connected to the multiple port. appropriate.
How to test the microphone on Windows 10 and later
On computers with Windows 10 and later versions of the Microsoft operating system (eg Windows 11 ) you can conveniently test the operation of the microphone directly from the audio settings panel. To access the latter, right-click on the Windows Start button (the flag icon located on the left of the taskbar), select the Settings item from the menu that appears and, when you reach the new window, first click on the ‘ System icon and then on the Audio item .
Once this is done, locate the Input section and make sure that the name of your microphone or the sound card to which it is connected is selected in the Choose input device / Microphone menu, otherwise adjust the aforementioned menu accordingly.
At this point, try to speak and check that the control bar called Test the microphone / Volume , located immediately under the input device selection menu, turns color when there is noise and “empties” when, instead, there is ‘is silence.
If the name of your microphone does not appear at all in the list of devices connected to the computer, you may have inadvertently disabled it: to remedy the problem, if you use Windows 10 , click on the item Manage audio devices , locate the name of the sound card / microphone at the inside the Input Devices section , click on it and then on the Enable button to activate it.
If, on the other hand, you are using Windows 11 , click on the Other audio settings button located at the bottom of the page, select the Recording tab from the window that appears, right-click on the name of the microphone or sound card to which it is connected and select the Enable item from the contextual menu that appears.
As a further test, try to record your voice using the Voice Recorder , which you can call up from the Windows Start menu (if you don’t have it, you can download it for free from the Microsoft Store ): after opening it, click on the microphone symbol and start to talk, to start recording; then, press the Stop button to stop the audio acquisition and then the Play button to listen to yourself again.
Should you realize that the microphone is working correctly but that one or more applications cannot access it, you may have to authorize the latter to use the device: to do this, open the Windows Settings again as I have shown you previously, go to the sections Privacy / Privacy and security> Microphone and make sure that the levers corresponding to the words Allow apps to access the microphone and Allow desktop apps to access the microphone are set to On , otherwise you can do it.
Finally, find the name of the problematic application in the list that appears on the screen and make sure that the corresponding lever is set to On , to give the software in question access to the microphone.
How to test the Mac microphone
Also on Mac you can test the operation of the microphone directly from the System Preferences , which you can access by clicking on the gear symbol located on the Dock : once you reach the dedicated window, click on the Sound icon and reach the Input tab , using the appropriate item at the top.
Now, select the name of your microphone / sound card from the list of devices for audio input , set its volume using the appropriate adjustment bar and try to speak: if the microphone is working correctly, the small rectangles that make up the Level bar input should be colored with the sound of your voice. Finally, make sure that the Mute box corresponding to the Output Volume bar is checked (to avoid the annoying echo effect) and indicate whether to use ambient noise reduction or not, if the option is available.
As a further test, you can try to record your voice using the Voice Memos application , which you can start using the appropriate icon residing in the Launchpad of the operating system: after opening the program, click on the Record button , in order to start the voice acquisition and start speaking. When you’re done, press the End and Play buttons to listen to yourself again.
If the microphone is working properly but some programs cannot access it, you may need to manually provide user permissions for the device: to do this, open the macOS System Preferences again , click on the Security and Privacy icon and select the tab Privacy , located at the top.
Now, to unlock the settings change, press on the locked padlock symbol visible at the bottom left, enter the Mac password and press Enter ; Finally, click on the Microphone item in the left sidebar and put the check mark next to the name of the programs for which to enable the use of the device.
How to test the microphone on Skype
After you have properly configured the microphone on your computer, do you want to make sure that it also works correctly on Skype for computer? Nothing could be simpler: it is sufficient to intervene from the settings of the latter software, with a procedure valid both on Windows and on Mac.
So, to start, open the program in question, calling it from the Windows Start menu or from the MacOS Launchpad , log in to your account (if necessary) and then click on the button (…) , located at the top left, right next to your name.
Now, select the Settings item from the menu that appears, click on the Audio and video section residing in the sidebar of the new window that opens and scroll down the next screen, until you find the word Microphone .
At this point, make sure that next to this last item is specified the option Default communication device or the name of the microphone to use (otherwise you do it) and try to say a few words: if the microphone is working correctly, you will see the indicator below fill up when you talk or there are noises and empty when you are silent.
If you want to manually set the microphone volume, move the lever next to the item Automatically adjust the microphone settings to OFF and intervene, as you see fit, on the adjustment bar that appears immediately after. Finally, use the menu located next to Noise Cancellation to select the degree of “isolation” from the surrounding noise.
When you are done, click on the item Make a free trial call , in order to check the operation of the microphone during voice conversations and / or video conferences and follow the instructions of the voice guide: generally, all you have to do is say a voice message immediately after hearing the “beep” and wait for the recording to be played.
How to test the mobile phone microphone
Testing the operation of the microphone on smartphones and tablets is extremely simple: just use one of the many applications dedicated to the acquisition of voice notes and check that your voice is actually acquired.
How to test the Android phone microphone
If yours is a smartphone with an Android operating system , first check if there are voice recorders pre-installed directly from the manufacturer: for example, on Google Pixel devices , Xiaomi , Samsung and HUAWEI , the app in question is already available and is called Recorder or Voice Recorder .
If there is no voice recorder application on your device , you can download the one you like best from the Play Store, or from the alternative market on your device, always taking care to check the reviews left by other users , in order to avoid downloading software. full of invasive banners, spyware or other unwanted elements.
In any case, once you open the app in question, allow access to the microphone (if necessary) by answering affirmatively to the warning that appears on the screen and start recording your voice by pressing the appropriate button, usually in the form of a red circle . When you are done, tap the Stop button and then press Play , in order to listen to the recording again.
If the microphone works correctly but there are apps that cannot access it, you may have to provide the necessary permissions directly from the Android Settings , which you can access by tapping on the gear symbol on the Home screen or in the drawer of the device.
Now, reach the section Privacy / Privacy protection> Authorization management / All permissions (or similar, the precise path varies according to the version of Android in use), select the Microphone item , press on the name of the app for which to allow the ” access the microphone and put the check mark next to the item Always allow or Allow while the app is in use , resident in the panel that appears later.
How to test the iPhone microphone
To test the iPhone microphone you can use the Voice Memos app , available “standard” on the phone and accessible through the icon residing on the Home screen or in the iOS app Library; if you have deleted it in the past, you can download it for free from the App Store.
Once the application is open, tap on the red circle to start recording the voice and then on the stop symbol to stop it; finally, tap the Play button to listen to your voice again and check the correct operation of the microphone.
If, despite the test being successful, you notice that one or more apps are unable to access the microphone, you may need to authorize its use from the iOS Settings : open the latter by tapping on the gear symbol located on the Home screen or in the App Library, tap on the Privacy and Microphone items and make sure that the lever corresponding to the name of the app you are interested in is ON , otherwise set it yourself.
In case of problems
If the tests you carried out earlier did not return the desired result, you may need to carry out some additional operations, to improve the performance of the incoming audio: for example, if the microphone of your smartphone does not seem to work after coming into contact with sand, dust or other agents that could have dirty it, you can follow the directions I gave you in my guides on how to clean the phone microphone and how to fix the phone microphone , which could be extremely useful.
If, on the other hand, your problem mainly concerns the computer or a specific program, I suggest you read my guide on how to raise the volume of the microphone , in which I have given you clear indications on what to do.
Again, if the “problematic” microphone is not integrated on the computer, smartphone or tablet, but is on board a pair of wired earphones or Bluetooth headphones, try to verify that the device is correctly connected to the computer: if you don’t know how to do it, check out my tutorials on how to connect headphones to your PC , how to connect Bluetooth headphones and how to activate the microphone of the headphones .
