If you play multiplayer games alone, they might be fun at the start, but after some time, they will become stale, and you might even leave the game (except for hardcore enthusiasts). Playing multiplayer games with friends, however, is far more fun and makes the game interesting and enjoyable for longer durations of time. To make the multiplayer gaming experience even more fun, Discord is what you might want to use. TeamSpeak is a VoIP platform that popularized voice communications among players in a multiplayer game without any built-in voice chat support. Although it is not as popular as Discord is, many professional players prefer TeamSpeak over Discord, mainly due to its low latency and superior audio quality. That being said, Discord is one of the popular VoIP platforms, and it is safe to call it a social media platform with voice chats and rooms. It is becoming one of the most basic gaming needs. What makes Discord unique is it is free to use, and a person can create their server(s) for free. Where the person can add his friends for content sharing and voice chats. Discord has over 350 million users across the globe. Maintaining the service quality is one of the biggest challenges that the Discord devs face almost every day. The platform is decent, but it comes with its own set of issues. One of the most common issues that users reported is Discord not picking up the mic. It means after joining a voice channel, despite speaking, nobody can hear you. This mic issue is reportedly not working with the desktop version of the application. Discord is quick on fixing bugs, which is why users love the application. However, this issue is not a recent one and has been going around for a couple of months. Discord has not released a proper fix for this issue, and users are not sure when they will be getting an update to fix this problem. Finding the exact culprit behind this irritating issue can be a little tricky, and it might cost you your precious time in search of a fix. To save yourself from a hassle, I have discussed several reliable workarounds that might fix this issue for you in no time. So, without any further ado, let us get to the fixes.
How To Fix Discord Not Picking Up Mic?
There is not an exact reason which causes Discord not to pick up the mic. Finding the root of the problem can be tricky. It could be due to Windows or your respective OS, or it could be due to a poor headphone mic. Discord has been around for a few years now, and during these years, the devs have released a lot of updates and features. Having a lot of features ensures a smooth and delightful experience, but they can be the cause of many issues as well. To be on the safer side, before following the guide, make sure your headphone does not have a faulty mic. You can check your mic by right-clicking the playback device (speaker icon on the right side of the taskbar) and selecting “Sounds.” From the new window, select the “Recording” tab. You will see some bars right beside your headset/mic, Now, test your mic by speaking, if Windows detects any sound, you will see those bars light up in the green color. If you do not see any of the green bars, it means it is time to replace your headphone or get yourself a new mic. If that is not the case, try restarting your system and Discord. Many times a simple restart can fix issues. However, if still Discord not detecting the mic, we can proceed by following the workarounds listed below.
#1- Update The Audio Driver
A faulty driver, many times, is the root of the issue, and it is not hard to corrupt the driver files, especially if you are on Windows 10. This problem can happen due to unexpected interruption of downloading/installation of the driver due to electricity or faulty storage drive. Driver issues are not caused by corrupted files only, but outdated drivers cause the same number of problems, if not any less. To rule out the possibility that your driver’s audio is not corrupted or is of an older version, you can check for the latest version of your audio driver. There are a few ways you can update your audio driver. The most popular and common practice that users do is to check for updates via Windows updates. I will be discussing two ways through which you can update your audio drivers to the latest version (if it exists). To update your audio driver manually, you will have to: Method 1 – Update Audio Driver via Device Manager With this method, you will be able to check for updates of the audio driver manually by using the Windows Device Manager utility. Here is what you need to do:
Open Device Manager by searching “Device Manager” in the Windows search box. Click your system model and again expand the “Audio inputs and outputs” section. The expanded list will contain audio input and output devices attached to your computer, find the device that you are currently using, right-click the device, and select “Properties“. Under the Driver tab, click the “Update Driver” button. From the new popup window, click the “Search automatically for drivers” button. Wait until the prompt finds a newer version of the respective driver. If found, it will automatically download and install it on your PC.
Method 2 – Update Audio Driver Via Windows Update If you have Windows update on pause on the stop, reconsider turning it back on. Updates are necessary as they include fixes for vulnerability in the system security but also update the drivers along the way. It is the most convenient way to update the drivers if you ask me. If you did not stop or pause the Windows update, you can still search for the latest version of drivers. Follow these steps:
Open Windows Settings, you can do that by clicking the Start button and clicking the gear icon. In the Settings window, click the “Update & Security”. Then, click “Check for updates.” Windows will check for updates, download, and install the pending updates. Then, under the “Check for updates” button, click the “View optional updates” link. Expand the “Driver updates” section and check any box with audio driver updates that are pending and press “Download and install.” Windows will download the pending update automatically and install it.
Once you have completed every step mentioned in the list, restart your PC. Another fix for the people facing the error: Discord update failed loop 2023
#2- Test Your Mic Input In Discord
Discord has a very useful feature that was introduced almost a year ago. This handful feature will allow a user to test their mic input without leaving Discord. Mic testing can increase the chances of finding the culprit behind the issue and save a lot of time. To test whether your mic is working properly or not, here is how you can put the “MIC TEST” feature to use.
First, open the Discord client. Open User Settings by clicking the gear icon in the bottom left, as shown. A new window will pop up, find and select “Voice & Video.” Then under the “VOICE SETTINGS” section, find and click the “Let’s Check” button. After clicking, start speaking into your microphone. If you have selected “Voice Activity” as your “INPUT MODE,” your voice will be played automatically. If you can hear your voice back after speaking, it means your mic is working fine. In case you have selected “Push to Talk,” make sure to press the keybind for “Push to Talk” for Discord to pick your mic up. You will run into something like this, in case Discord does not pic up your mic: In case you are seeing the same thing as in the image above, it means there is something wrong with your audio driver or your headphone.
#3- Make Sure Discord Is Using The Correct Microphone
If you have multiple input/output devices attached to your computer, even the graphics card or even your monitor, chances are Discord is using the default device and is not using the right device. Due to this the program is not picking up the mic. Yes, you can check and change the default device to your desire. Here is how you can do that.
From your desktop, open the Discord client. Click the gear icon right beside your profile name and ID. From the left side of the Discord UI, select “Voice & Settings.” Right above the “MIC TEST” section, under the “VOICE SETTINGS,” select the “INPUT DEVICE,” and from the drop-down menu, select the mic, which you are trying to use. After you have selected your desired device as the “INPUT DEVICE,” press the “Let’s Check” right beneath “INPUT DEVICE.” If you have selected “Push to Talk” as your “INPUT MODE,” make sure to press the keybind before you speak. You will now be able to hear your voice after selecting the correct input device.Close the window when done.
If Discord is still unable to detect the mic, there are many workarounds that you can try. We have not started yet. Related guide: Discord rtc connecting no route
#4- Reset Your Voice Settings
If you have tried the circumvents listed above, yet you are still unable to use your mic in any voice channel while on Discord, you can try resetting your voice settings in Windows 10. By resetting, I mean restarting the audio service, and it might fix the mic issue. The pros of restarting the audio driver, it will fix any issues related to the driver. To restart your audio driver, you will need to:
Search for “Device Manager” in the Windows search box. Expand the “Audio inputs and outputs” section under your system model. Find the device that you are having trouble with, right-click and select the “Disable device” option. Select “Yes” on the warning prompt. Restart your PC. After restarting, follow from step-1 till step-3, now this time, click the “Enable device” option. Close all windows that are opened in the background. Open Discord and test if your mic is working as intended or not.
#5- Run Discord As Administrator
Windows 10 has some basic features that every application can access, but some restricted areas cause other applications to ask for permission before running. Discord is a third-party application, and it requires administrator permission to get access to restricted parts of the Windows 10 environment. Discord might not be picking up the mic due to restrictions put on by Windows. You can try running the application as an admin, and it could fix the issue and might be the solution that you are looking for all along. If you are not familiar with how to give an application admin rights, please follow the steps mentioned down below:
On your desktop, find the Discord shortcut. Right-click the shortcut and select “Run as administrator”. Select “Yes” from the prompt asking if you want to run the program as an administrator or not. When Discord opens, open the User Settings by clicking the gear icon. From the left side of the Discord UI, select “Voice & Settings”. Then select “Let’s Check”. After clicking the “Let’s Check,” start speaking, If you have selected “Voice Activity” as your “INPUT MODE,” your voice will be played automatically. If you hear your voice back, it means your mic is fine. If you have selected “Push to Talk,” make sure to press the keybind for “Push to Talk.” Test your microphone after following the above steps to check if the issues persist or not.
#6- Reset Voice Settings On Discord
Out of all workarounds that are discussed in this guide, resetting your voice settings has by far the highest chances of success. Due to misconfigured settings, your Discord client might not be picking up the microphone. To rule out this possibility, try resetting your voice settings to the default values. Before resetting your voice settings to the default, make sure to remember the keybinds that you generally use. Take a screenshot of your settings in case you want to bind the keys back to your desire. As the workaround suggests, all of the voice settings will be set to the default, and any changes that you have made will be rolled back. To reset the voice settings, here is what you need to do:
Open Discord from your desktop or Start menu. Now click the (User Settings) gear Icon On the main window of Discord as shown. From the left side of the Discord UI, select “Voice & Settings”. Scroll down to the bottom of “Voice & Settings” and find the “Reset Voice Settings” button. A popup will appear and select “Okay” to reset the Voice Settings. Restart your system if necessary, open Discord again, and again select the “Voice & Video” category on the left side of the UI. Test your microphone again to check if the issue has been resolved or not.
If the issue persists, keep following the guide for more workarounds. Suggested guide: Easy Ways To Solve “Discord Javascript Error” – (Updated)
#7- Push To Talk
“Push to Talk” is a feature that allows the users to only use the mic after pressing the keybind, which they have set for push to talk. “INPUT MODE” is set to “VOICE ACTIVITY” by default. You can change the option to “Push to Talk” if none of the workarounds worked for you till now. It is a handful feature that can allow you to speak with others only when you want them to hear what you are saying just by pressing the keybind. When the key is not being pressed, no matter how much you will talk, others will not be able to hear a single thing. Changing the “INPUT MODE” is pretty straightforward, and here is how you can do that:
Launch Discord from your desktop by right-clicking the shortcut and then selecting “Run as administrator.” Select “Yes” from the prompt. After that, click on the gear icon. From the left side of the Discord UI, select “Voice & Settings.” Under the “INPUT MODE,” select “Push to Talk” if you have never used this option, make sure to record a shortcut. When you press anywhere on the “SHORTCUT BOX,” the client will start recording the button as a keybind. Press any key during “Stop Recording,” and after pressing, it will automatically save your preference. You can also change the “PUSH TO TALK RELEASE DELAY” to your desired values. A high value will take longer for the mic to stop taking input and vice versa. Test your mic and check if this fix works for you or not.
#8- Automatic Input Sensitivity
Discord has come a long way ever since it was released, and at the time of writing, it has a lot of options and can become overwhelming for a person who never saw or know about Discord. One of the features that are not that popular among users that you can tweak to fix the Discord not picking mic issue is by tweaking the automatic input sensitivity. This feature tries to determine the sound level required to use the mic automatically. This feature sounds great on paper and is a decent feature that works most of the time, however, a better manual configuration is much better and can do a better job. You can tweak the automatic input sensitivity to your liking, and it could be worth a shot. Here is how you can automatically or manually tweak the automatic input sensitivity option on Discord:
Open Discord from your desktop or Start menu. On the left pane of the Discord window, click the gear icon to open User Settings. From the left side of the Discord UI, select “Voice & Settings.” Scroll down and find “Automatically determine input sensitivity” under the “INPUT SENSITIVITY”. It should be on by default, in case it is not enabled, enable the service. Speak into the mic, if you see a green glowing bar when you talk, it means Discord is picking up the microphone. If you want to manually adjust the microphone sensitivity, turn off the option and set the bar somewhere in the middle. Try using your mic again and see if this works.
#9- Logout And Log Back In
One of the quickest fixes that can potentially fix this glitch that is preventing you and your friends talk on Discord. Logging out and logging in the back might do the trick. It could be the solution that you might be looking for. This fix has worked for many people, and it does the job, but it is a temporary fix. You might want to try other workarounds before trying logging out and logging back in again. There is a chance you might have to do this every time until Discord devs fix this issue, and you will not find a suitable fix to this issue. Logging out is pretty straightforward and can be done by:
Open Discord from your desktop or Start menu. On the main window of Discord, on the bottom left corner of the GUI, right beside your profile name and ID, click the gear icon (User Settings).After opening the “User Settings”, scroll down and click the “Log Out” section labeled in red color. On the new prompt, select “Log Out” to log out from Discord. Now close Discord and log back in again using your credentials. Check if Discord is picking up the mic, or does the problem still persists?
#10- Is Exclusive Mode Enabled On Windows?
As the name suggests, Windows Exclusive mode is a feature in Windows that allows applications with exclusive permissions to have direct access to system resources like a sound card. If an app has exclusive permission, the app can directly access the sound card bypassing the Windows audio engine first. Disabling the exclusive mode might ensure superior audio quality and low latency. There is a chance that this mode is preventing Discord from accessing the mic. Follow the steps listed down below to check if Exclusive Mode is enabled on Windows:
On the taskbar, right-click the volume/speaker icon and select “Sounds.” Select the “Recording” tab on the top of the window, and right-click the microphone that you are using, and select “Properties.” Select the “Advanced” tab and make sure to uncheck both of the boxes under the “Exclusive Mode” section. Press “Apply” and then select “OK.” Restart your system and check if your mic is working fine on Discord.
#11- Turn Off Quality Of Service On Discord
If you are having bad luck and still are unable to use the mic on Discord even after trying all of the fixes listed above, there is one feature that, after disabling, might fix the obnoxious issue for you in no time. Discord has been around for some time now and includes many features that make the voice chat a delightful experience. One of these features might likely be preventing Discord from getting access to the mic. Related article: Discord server bots One of these features is the QoS (Quality of Service) high packet priority policy which prioritizes the traffic to the default QoS classes. By default, this option is turned on in Discord, and this option could be the main culprit behind the issue. To rule out the possibility of this feature being the main issue, you can try disabling the QoS high packet priority on Discord by:
Open Discord from your desktop or Start menu. Open User Settings by clicking the gear icon right next to your user profile. After opening the “User Settings,” scroll down to the bottom to find “Voice & Video.” Select the “Voice & Video” section on the left side of the UI. Scroll down and find “Enable Quality of Service High Packet Priority.” Make sure that the option is turned off. If not, toggle it to turn it off. Check if this fix resolves the issue or not.
#12- Change Privacy Settings
Just like in any android or iOS device, privacy is now a thing in Windows that can prevent the applications to work as intended due to privacy issues. We cannot rule out the possibility that Windows privacy settings might be the reasons which prevented your friends from listening to your voice. Microsoft rolled out Privacy Settings that revoked access to computer hardware from all applications. These applications would have to require permission explicitly to be able to use the system hardware. Discord is another third-party application, which increases the probability of Privacy Settings to be the main culprit. Here is how you can change these settings:
In the search bar located on the taskbar, search for “Privacy Settings“. Under the “App permissions,” find and select “Microphone”. Before proceeding, make sure under the “Allow access to the microphone” the microphone access is on. If it is turned off, make sure to turn it on by clicking “Change” and toggle the prompt to on. Next, makes sure that the option for allowing apps to access the microphone is turned on, if not, toggle the button to turn it on. Last but not least, in the “Choose which Microsoft Store apps can access your microphone,” find Discord and check if the permission is enabled. If you cannot find Discord, search for “Win32WebViewHost”. Restart your system for any changes to apply properly. After restart check, if you are able to use the mic in Discord.
#13- Disabling Advanced Voice Activity
There is one more option on Discord, which can be disabled to check if it makes the app pick up the mic. This feature is called “Advanced Voice Activity.” You might wonder what it does, well, I have no clue either. But according to Discord, you can disable this option if your voice is not detected by automatic input sensitivity. That implies this feature is somehow related to mic usage in Discord, and it might be causing issues with other services. To disable this service:
Open Discord from your desktop or Start menu. Now from the main home screen, click the settings icon right beside your Username and mic/headphone. After opening the “User Settings,” scroll down to the bottom of the left side of the UI. Now select the “Voice & Video” option. After selecting “Voice & Video,” scroll down on the right panel of the User Settings window and find “Advanced Voice Activity.” The option should be enabled by default. Press the toggle button to turn it off. Restart your computer and check if the issue is resolved or not.
I am quite positive that after following the fixes from this list, you will be able to resolve the issue in no time. The majority of these fixes require two or three mouse clicks, no more than that. These all are unofficial fixes popular around the web, I am not sure when Discord is going to fix this problem. Considering how quickly they released patches and updates to fix any issues, and yet this months-old issue is still bugging people. However, frequently Discord users face issues one way or another. Discord developers are quick and fix these bugs, issues, and glitches. However, there is one issue that has been bothering people for a while now, and the devs have yet to release a patch to fix this issue. This issue is whenever you join any voice channel, you are speaking to your friends, you can hear them, but they cannot hear your voice. The issue can happen due to a lot of reasons. Discord has not released any patch to fix this issue as of now. There are quite some workaround to this issue and can resolve the issue in no time. Fixing this issue hardly takes a few minutes. The quickest workaround is by restarting your system and Discord. Make sure to run Discord as an administrator to grant full access to Windows resources. I have carefully gathered and worked on this list that tends to work for users across the world. With the help of the workarounds mentioned in this list, you will be able to fix the mic issue on Discord in no time.
#1 – Why isn’t Discord picking up my mic?
Discord not picking up the mic is one of the most obnoxious issues people have been facing around the globe, and it is not recent. It has been bothering people for a couple of months now. The app has a lot of features that can prevent the client from using the mic as intended. It is not just Discord features that can cause this issue, some people have reported that Microsoft Windows settings also caused this issue. It is nearly impossible to tell which issue might have caused Discord not to pick up the mic. On the contrary, the issue can be easily fixed with a lot of known workarounds.
#2 – How do I get Discord to access my microphone?
Discord does not need any explicit permission to run on your computer. It gets the necessary permissions when you install Discord. There is one way through which you can see if Windows has allowed Discord to use your microphone. To check that, in the Search box located on the taskbar, search for “Privacy Settings”. Find and select “Microphone” under the “App permissions” section. Make sure that the “Allow apps to access your microphone” option is turned on. If not, press the toggle button to turn it on.
#3 – How do I fix the Discord access denied microphone?
There is not any specific fix for this issue as there are a couple of reasons which can cause this issue to occur. The quickest fix that you can try is by running Discord as an administrator. By running the app as admin will give it access to restricted parts of the Windows ecosystem. However, if you are still getting the same error, open Settings from the Start menu and go to the Privacy section. Scroll down to the right pane of the window and select Microphone. Make sure that the “Allow apps to access your microphone” option is turned on. This fix should allow Discord access to the microphone.
#4 – Why can’t my friend hear me in Discord?
Discord not picking up the mic is one of the few reasons that will make you wonder why your friend cannot hear you. There are a couple of fixes that you can try the fastest is by restarting your PC/Laptop and Discord. You can also try running Discord as an administrator. Another quick fix is by logging out and logging back in again. Make sure in the Privacy settings of Windows apps are granted permission to use the mic.
#5 – Why can I not unmute myself on Discord?
This is a very widely spread issue for people who tend to use Discord on browsers like Google Chrome. If you have muted yourself and somehow are unable to unmute yourself, here is what you can do. Open your browser and go to the browser’s settings. Then open the Privacy settings, find and select Microphone, and then find Discord. Click the trashcan to delete the entry. Now open Discord again and unmute your microphone to see if this works. You will see a new prompt and press Allow.
#6 – How do you unmute Discord on the keyboard?
You can easily unmute Discord by using the respective keybinds that can mute your mic during using the app. The default keybinds for muting is “Ctrl + Shift + M.” Press these keybinds again to unmute. You can also change the keybinds in the User Settings to your choice.
#7 – How do I enable my mic in Safari Discord?
You will have to grant access to your microphone in Safari for Discord. First, you need to check if your Mac is granting access to use the mic to Discord. To do that, on your Mac, one the Apple menu and then go to “System Preferences.” Then find and open “Security & Privacy,” then select “Privacy.” Click “Microphone,” and find the Discord app and make sure the box is checked. Now open Safari on your Mac, go to “Preferences,” then select “Websites.” Find Discord on the list and make sure that mic access is granted to the website.
#8 – How do I enable the microphone on my computer?
You can enable the mic on your system by right-clicking the volume icon and select “Sounds.” Then under the “Recording” tab, right-click your mic and select “Enable.” Press “Apply” and then press “OK.” By default, it should be enabled, the user does not have to enable the microphone explicitly in Windows 10.
#9 – Why is my mic not working on Discord on Mac?
Your mic might be working on your Mac due to the fact the mic access is restricted for Discord. Here is how you can grant access to Discord for using the mic, on your Mac, on the Apple menu, and then go to “System Preferences.” Then find and open “Security & Privacy,” then select “Privacy.” Click “Microphone,” and find the Discord app and make sure the box is checked.
#10 – How do I fix my microphone not working?
There are a lot of reasons that can cause the microphone to not working on your system. Before trying any fix, make sure your microphone works. You can check that by using it on other devices. If your mic is working fine, then open the “Sounds” window by right-clicking the volume icon on the taskbar. Then select the “Recording” tab and double click your mic. Select the “Listen” tab and check the “Listen to this device” box. Speak into your mic to check if your microphone is working or not.
