Windows 10 Microphone Not Working: Most Appropriate Corrective Measures

Windows 10 microphone not working is one of the technical glitches that most of the Windows users have encountered on their system. Generally, this issue crops up if the driver is outdated. Sometimes, if the sound is muted then also this problem can arise on the system. If the audio driver is missing or corrupted, then this can also cause this problem. Many users have reported that they cannot use Skype or other applications due to this microphone not working glitch on their Windows 10 devices. They want to resolve this issue as soon as possible on the system. If you are also in the same problem then this article will help you. In this guide, you will get to know all the process to eliminate this problem. After following the solutions provided here, you can easily get rid of this error message on your computer.

Effective Fixes to Get Rid of the Windows 10 Microphone Not Working Problem

Try to apply the undermentioned fixes to resolve the Windows 10 microphone not working problem. Here we are going to discuss a number of processes that can help you to solve this issue on your computer. Apply them one by one, in the order given until you get the issue fixed.

Fix 1 # Update the Audio Driver

This is one of the most important solutions, i.e., updating the audio driver. An older version of the audio driver can cause the Microphone not working Windows 10 issue. So you should update the driver on your computer. To upgrade the driver follow these steps:

1. Firstly, you need to press the Windows button and X key to open the WinX Menu list.
2. In the Menu list, select the Device Manager application.
3. When the Device Manager application opens, you need to go to the left side panel and find the Sound, Video and Game controller section, select it to expand.
4. Next, you need to right-click on the Audio driver and then you’ll get an option Properties, select it.
5. In the Properties window, take the mouse to the Driver tab and then click on the Update Driver button to start the update process.
6. Once the update process is complete, you can restart the device and then check if the Microphone works properly without any problem.

Fix 2 # Check if the Microphone is Turned On

When you find the Windows 10 Microphone not working, you can check whether the Microphone is turned on or off. If it is off then you will face this error on the system. To check and turn on the microphone, follow these steps:

1. First of all, you have to hold down the Windows button and press the I key to launch the Settings application.
2. In the Settings window, you can see a section Privacy, double-click on it.
3. When the Privacy window opens, go to the Microphone from the left side panel.
4. On the right side window, you can slide the On to Off button and then Off to On button to enable it.
5. Once you are done, you can check whether the problem is resolved or not.

Fix 3 # Set Microphone as Default Device

For the microphone to work properly, you need to set the microphone as a default device. To fix this problem follow these steps:

1. You need to right-click on the Sound icon which is present at the bottom right side on the Task Manager.
2. From the list, select the Recording Devices button.
3. In the Sound window, move the cursor to the Recording tab, select it.
4. After that, select the Microphone and then click on the Set Default button.
5. After these steps, you can select the Apply button and then click on the OK button to save the settings.

Fix 4 # Unmute the MicroPhone and Increase the Volume

If the microphone is muted, you will probably face the Windows 10 Microphone not working issue on the system. So you have to unmute this feature. Go through the directions:

1. Firstly, you need to right-click on the Sound icon to launch the Menu list.
2. Next, click on the Recording Devices option from the list.
3. From the Sound window, go to the Recording section and then select the Properties button.
4. In the Sound Properties window, navigate to the Levels section.
5. In the Levels section, if you see the sound is muted then click on the Sound icon to unmute the Microphone.
6. Once it completes, you can click on the Apply button and then select the OK option to save the changes.
7. Reboot the device and then check whether the error message still shows up or not.

Fix 5 # Run the System File Checker

Damaged and corrupted files can cause the Windows 10 microphone not working problem. So you can run the system file checker tool to check for any damaged files which are probably the cause behind this microphone glitch. Follow the steps carefully to complete this process:

1. At first, you need to press the Win + X keys together to open the WinX Menu list and then click on the Command Prompt(Admin).
2. Type SFC/scannow in the Command Prompt window and then hit the Enter button to run the command.
3. Once the scanning process is finished, you must restart the device and then check whether the Microphone works normally like before.

Fix 6 # Turn Off All the Sound Effects

You need to turn off all the sound effects of your computer to fix this problem on the system. If the sound effects are turned on, then this can cause this issue on your PC. So you have to turn it off. To do so, follow these steps:

1. First of all, go to the Task Manager and then right-click on the Sound icon.
2. In the list, you will get an option Recording Devices, select it.
3. After that, you need to click on the Properties button from the Recording Devices section.
4. When the Properties window opens, take the mouse to the Enhancements tab, select it. Then, unmark the Disable all sound effects button to turn it off.
5. Once you are done with these steps, reboot the system and check if the issue with the microphone gets fixed or not.

Fix 7 # Reinstall the Audio Driver

If the audio driver is damaged or corrupted then you can face the Windows 10 Microphone not working issue. So you need to uninstall the audio driver and again install it. The steps are cited below.

1. You should press the Win + R keys to launch the Run box.
2. Type Device Manager in the Run box and then hit the Enter key or click on the OK option.
3. When the Device Manager window opens, navigate to the Audio driver and right click on it.
4. Select the Uninstall Device button from the list to remove the device.
5. Once it is removed, go to the Device Manager window and right click on the Computer name.
6. Then, click on the Scan for hardware changes button to start the scanning process and find the missing audio driver.
7. Once found, Windows will automatically install the driver.
8. After completing the installation process, reboot your Windows 10 system and then check whether the problem is eliminated or not.

Fix 8 # Run the Hardware Troubleshooter

If this problem continues to trouble you, then you can run the hardware troubleshooter to get rid of this issue on the device. To do that, follow the steps given below.

1. In the beginning, you need to press the Windows button and I key together to open the Settings window.
2. When the Settings window opens, you can select the Update and Security section.
3. From the Update and Security window, go to the left side panel and select the Troubleshoot tab.
4. On the right side page, scroll down and find the Hardware and Devices portion, select it. After that, you need to click on the Run the troubleshooter button to start the troubleshooting process. When you do that, you need to follow the instructions carefully to finish it.
5. Once it completes, reboot the device.

Fix 9 # Restart the Windows Audio Service

If the Windows audio services stopped working then you can face the Windows 10 Microphone not working on your PC. So you have to restart the Windows audio services to resolve this issue immediately. To restart the service follow the under mentioned steps:

1. You can press the Win + R keys to launch the Run dialog box.
2. When the Run box opens, type services.msc and then select the OK button or hit the Enter button.
3. From the Services window, you will find Windows Audio services. Right click on it to open the menu list. After that, select the Restart button to restart the service.
4. Next, again right click on the Windows Audio services and then click on the Properties option to open it.
5. Once the Properties page opens, set the Startup Type to Automatic.
6. After this, save the changes by pressing the Apply button. Then you can simply restart the system and then check whether the problem still occurs or not.

Fix 10 # Using the System Restore  

If the above-mentioned processes did not work, then you need to try this process to resolve this problem. To perform the system restore process follow the steps:

1. You need to open the Run box, by pressing the Windows Home key + R key.
2. When the Run window opens, type rstrui.exe and then hit the Enter button or click on the OK option.
3. From the System Restore window, you can select the Next button.
4. In the next window, you can see all the restore points you created. Then choose the restore point when the microphone was working correctly, and then select the Next button.
5. Now you should see the Confirm your restore point window appearing. Check the details and then click on the Finish button. Now you will find the restore process has begun.
6. Once it completes, restart the device.

Now, with the help of the above-mentioned processes, hopefully, you can easily resolve the Windows 10 Microphone not working issue. Try these steps on your computer to solve this issue. After performing these steps if the issue is still present then you can take help from an expert.