14 Ways To Fix Mic Not Working On Discord
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It is an obvious fact that one of the best discord features is the audio and video facet. An app made for gamers and people to connect in real-time, Discord has become a popular favorite amongst the community for holding conversations and chatting online.
We can thus assume this app itself is not free of microphone issues either, at certain times, you may experience a glitch on your audio output or the microphone not picking up any audio. During gaming, it is an annoying problem if your discord mic suddenly stops working and fails to deliver your calls on time.
To save you time figuring out why your discord mic fails to capture voice when you are in a voice channel with your friends and gamers, we have compiled 14 different ways to fix discord not picking up the mic. Before proceeding through.
You should make sure that your external microphone has been connected properly with your PC or not and that there were no bugs when you downloaded the discord application. If the trouble persists, you can follow the guide given to fix the mic not working on discord.
Solutions To Fix Mic Not Working On Discord
You might have tried the old book gimmicks of restarting your computer or re-installing Discord as well as giving a try with a new headset when your Discord is not detecting your mic. If such issues still occur then you can choose few methods from this guide on the 14 ways to fix the mic not working on Discord:
Method 1: Logging out of Discord
This may be a temporary solution if you want to reconnect with your friends online and talk over the voice channel which is not detecting your mic. Follow the given steps to try this method out:
- Open the Discord app on your computer.
- On the bottom left, locate the Settings button under your User Id panel that looks like white gear.
- From the list of options on the left column, scroll down and select the Log-Out option.
- Confirm logging out of discord.
- After successfully logging out of your account, log back in and check whether the problem is still there or not by doing a mic test from the Voice and Video settings.
- Do this a couple more times and if discord is not picking up the mic, you may go ahead and try another method.
Method 2: Running Discord as Administrator
Sometimes, there are chances for Discord to not have the available rights on your computer due to which it fails to detect your mic. To fix this, you can try to run your discord as an administrator but carrying out the given steps:
- On your windows page, right-click on the Discord icon.
- Click on run as administrator.
- Open discord again and check for the mic issues on the mic test option.
Method 3: Tweaking the Automatic Input Sensitivity settings
Another common problem that makes your discord microphone not work is when the Automatic Input Sensitivity settings are disabled. If you have already made changes to your sensitivity input then this option will be unchecked.
The automatic input sensitivity itself has glitches at times due to which your discord will not pick up audio from your mic. When you manually change the settings, you can control the slider of sensitivity to adjust it to your liking. Here is the guide to do so:
- Go to the settings option on discord, located on the bottom left corner under the user ID panel.
- Navigate to App settings and click on Voice and Video settings.
- Scroll down and locate the Automatic Input Sensitivity settings.
- Enable it by clicking the slide button next to it if it is disabled and speak on your mic. If the bar turns green, it is detecting your voice.
- You can also manually change the decibel sensitivity, negative is better, and check for the sensitivity input again.
However, if this method fails to work for you and discord isn’t detecting the mic then you can opt for the other methods in the article.
Method 4: Selecting your headset microphone under Input Device
Usually, when you connect your headset after turning your computer on, Discord has a habit to remain on the default option for input and output voice settings. This may be one reason why your voice is inaudible to your friends while speaking on a voice channel.
The main reason for this issue is due to the inbuilt microphone in your PC. Now it is very easy to fix this kind of problem if you haven’t specified the headset you are using to discord. Such mics do not require any external drive to function unlike Discord so we can continue with the guide given below to fix the discord mic not working:
- Go to the settings option on discord, located on the bottom left corner under the user ID panel.
- Navigate to App settings and click on Voice and Video settings.
- You will see two options on the top of the page namely Input device and Output device.
- Click on the input device and change it to Microphone Array of your headset if it is in default and the output to Headset if again it is at default settings.
- Max out your input volume for a better outcome.
After you have finished setting the options, try to test your mic and see if it is picking up the input or not. If the problem persists, then you may continue reading for another solution.
Method 5: Disabling Exclusive Mode in Windows
Some applications can control the audio device driver of their devices. It is a common problem in Windows and this can cause Discord to behave strangely when playing audio. To prevent this from happening, you should disable them in the settings and fix Discord not detecting mic. To do so, follow the steps mentioned ahead:
- Right-click the sound button present on the taskbar at the bottom of your windows screen.
- Choose the option named recording devices.
- A sound page will be displayed. Click on the recording option and select Microphone.
- Select the properties button and navigate to the Advanced tab.
- Disable the checkboxes that are mentioned under Exclusive Mode and press the Apply button.
- Give your system a reboot before starting discord and check whether your mic can detect your voice or not.
Method 6: Resetting Voice Settings
According to the users who complained about discord not picking up mic, this has been the best solution so far which has worked for a huge crowd. Resetting your voice settings may definitely eliminate the problem of the discord microphone not working on the desktop. To do this, read through the steps given down below:
- Go to the settings option on discord, located on the bottom left corner under the user ID panel.
- Navigate to App settings and click on Voice and Video settings.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and locate the reset voice settings option.
- Select the option and press Okay when the confirmation box appears on the screen.
- Give a restart to your discord app after reconnecting your headset and check if discord is picking up the mic or not.
This method is also helpful to remove any headset problem that may occur while connecting it to the PC so it is a very handy method if none other works.
Method 7: Changing the Input Mode to Push to Talk
This solution may be a hassle for people who get engrossed during gaming and prefer to not be interfered with some manual key presses all the time. But, as tiresome as it sounds, it has been reported by discord users that changing the Input mode to Push to talk has resolved their Discord mic not working. So we can go ahead and give it a try if the other methods have failed you on the go. To do this, just follow these simple steps for the change:
- Go to the settings option on discord, located on the bottom left corner under the user ID panel.
- Navigate to App settings and click on Voice and Video settings.
- Scroll down and locate the Input mode.
- Check the box next to Push to talk.
- Now select the record key bind option and select your preferred key.
- After you have done so, press the stop key bind and you are good to go as Discord has initialized the key for your Push to talk.
Method 8: Change Privacy Settings
Many a time, it is noticed that when there is an update from Microsoft regarding windows, the access of privacy to various applications gets revoked as a result Microphone stops working on your PC and Discord does not detect the mic.
Now to fix this problem, you can manually set permissions to applications which also includes Discord. Giving Discord access to your mic may fix the application not picking up the mic. Given below is the step-to-step guide on changing the privacy settings:
- Click on the Windows key and in the search bar type Privacy settings and click on the option displayed.
- Scroll down the left panel and select the Microphone option.
- On the right-hand side, locate the option to access the microphone and turn it on.
- Scroll down on the right panel and check whether microphone permission is enabled for Discord.
- Give a restart to your PC and check for the mic by testing it on Discord. This should resolve the issues of permission settings on Discord.
Method 9: Disable QoS on Discord
QoS settings generally give hints to your router that the connections received by Discord are of top priority. This may hamper the functions of other systems and it is best to toggle it off if it is enabled on the app. This may help you figure out the solution of how to fix the discord mic.
To do this:
- Go to the settings option on discord, located on the bottom left corner under the user ID panel.
- Navigate to App settings and click on Voice and Video settings.
- Locate the option named Enable QoS high packet quality and turn it off.
- Check your mic for the issue again.
Method 10: Disabling Advanced Voice Activity
This option may be one cause for your discord to not detect mic. If your microphone is an old one, we recommend you disable the advanced voice activity option by following the steps given below:
- Go to the settings option on discord, located on the bottom left corner under the user ID panel.
- Navigate to App settings and click on Voice and Video settings.
- Scroll down and locate the “Advanced Voice Activity” option.
- If it is toggled on, turn it off.
- Check your mic for the issue again.
Method 11: Changing the audio jacks
Often, the audio jacks may give your trouble with your microphone if you haven’t connected your headset in the port properly. If you have your audio jack connected to the backside of your PC then try connecting it on the front side. After doing so, check the microphone connection on discord whether it is detecting your voice or not. If the problem persists, then you can use a USB cable to connect your headset to the audio ports on your PC.
Method 12: Installing Realtek Microphone drivers
Installing Realtek microphone drivers may solve the issue of discord not picking up the mic. Since they are easily compatible with various applications, they will help you with problems that you may generally face with your headset microphone even on other apps.
To install the drivers, you can follow the steps given ahead:
- Go to the manufacturer’s website to download the drivers.
- Wait for the download to finish and click on the option Executable.
- Install the drivers via the instructions displayed on your screen.
- Reboot your computer for the installation to finish.
- Press the buttons “Windows” + “R” to open the Run prompt and type in “devmgmt.msc“. This will help you check if the installation has happened properly or not.
- Click on enter and the device management prompt will open.
- Navigate to the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers and from the dropbox locate the Realtek driver.
- Select the Volume icon and select on sound.
- Select the recording option and right-click the Realtek HD Audio Device option.
- Click on the enable option, apply and press Okay.
Method 13: Disconnect your audio from your computer
Often a loose connection with your headset may make the microphone unable to detect any sounds. In order to fix the problem, you can simply unplug the audio jack from the port. If you are using Bluetooth connectivity, then disconnect your device and wait for few minutes. After the wait, re-insert the jack in the port or reconnect your BlueTooth device and check for the microphone detecting your voice on discord or not. This may be useful to solve the discord microphone not working.
Method 14: Make sure Discord is using the correct microphone
Discord has this problem of resetting the input and output devices to default due to which there are changes it is unable to pick up your voice or audio. To avoid this, you need to ensure that Discord is using the correct microphone that is linked to your headset. To do this, read through the steps given below:
- Go to the settings option on discord, located on the bottom left corner under the user ID panel.
- Navigate to App settings and click on Voice and Video settings.
- In the Input Device option, check whether the option is in default or the microphone you are using.
- If it is the default, click on the default button and select your microphone from the dropdown list.
- Make sure the input volume is maximum and check whether discord is picking up the mic or not.
Conclusion
We do very well know how troublesome it can be when discord mic does not work. We hope this article has provided all the possible methods on how to fix the discord mic not working and that you can get in touch with your friends and gamers again.
If you still face this issue, we would recommend you to seek support from Discord itself or get your PC checked for some driver issues or port defects.
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By Sam Rhodes
Hi, I’m Sam Rhodes, a passionate tech reviewer, and gamer. I started Geekyslug with the motive of sharing my knowledge about tech gadgets like gaming laptops, tablets, graphic cards, keyboards, and whatnot.
I also share troubleshooting guides, helping people resolve issues with their gadgets. When I’m not writing, I prefer playing Valorant, Call of duty, GTA5 or outdoor activities like skateboarding and off-roading on my bike.