Microphone not working? Fix it by platform
Most "microphone not working" reports come down to one of three things: the browser doesn't have permission, the operating system has it muted or set to the wrong device, or another app is holding it exclusively. This page works through all three, by platform, then links back to a live level meter so you can confirm the fix actually worked.
Check these first, in this order
- 1.Confirm the browser has permission for this site (see the browser section below) — this is the single most common cause.
- 2.Confirm the operating system is not muting the input or pointing at a different device than you expect.
- 3.Confirm no other application or browser tab is already using the microphone exclusively.
- 4.Rule out the hardware itself — a physical mute switch, a loose cable, or a Bluetooth pairing issue.
Once each step below checks out, open the microphone tester and speak — the meter moving is the proof, not a guess.
Windows
- Microphone privacy access: Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone. Confirm "Microphone access" is on, and that "Let apps access your microphone" (and, for desktop browsers, "let desktop apps access your microphone") is enabled.
- Input device and mute: right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar → Sound settings → Input. Confirm the correct device is selected and its volume is not at zero, and check the input device isn't disabled in Sound Control Panel → Recording (right-click in the blank area → "Show Disabled Devices").
- Exclusive mode: in the device's Properties → Advanced tab, an "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" setting can let one app lock the microphone away from everything else — worth disabling if several apps need to share it.
macOS
- Microphone privacy access: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. Confirm your browser is listed and its toggle is on — macOS added this system-wide gate independently of any in-browser permission, so both must be granted.
- Input device and level: System Settings → Sound → Input. Confirm the correct device is selected and the input volume slider is not at the bottom.
- Restart after granting access: some macOS versions require the app (including the browser) to fully quit and reopen after a Microphone permission toggle changes before it takes effect.
Browser permissions
Chrome / Edge / other Chromium browsers
Click the padlock (or tune/info icon) to the left of the address bar → Site settings → Microphone → Allow. Alternatively, go directly to the browser's content settings for microphone and check this site isn't listed under "Not allowed."
Firefox
A camera/microphone icon appears in the address bar once a site has requested access; click it to change the choice. Permissions can also be managed globally under Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Microphone → Settings.
Safari (macOS)
Safari menu → Settings → Websites → Microphone, and set this site to Allow. Safari also respects the macOS-level Microphone privacy toggle described above — both need to be set.
Safari / Chrome on iOS
iOS gates microphone access per-app under Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, where "Safari" (or "Chrome") must be enabled. There is no separate per-website toggle on iOS the way there is on desktop Safari — the app-level switch is what matters.
Chrome on Android
Long-press the Chrome icon → App info → Permissions → Microphone → Allow, or reach the same screen via Android Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions. Android additionally shows a one-time system prompt the first time a site requests the microphone; dismissing it as "Deny" requires resetting the permission in the Permissions screen, not just retrying.
Hardware causes
- Physical mute switch or button. Many headsets, conference speakers and webcams have one, sometimes with a subtle LED that is easy to miss.
- A loose or damaged cable/connector, especially on 3.5mm combo jacks that carry both mic and headphone signal on one connector — a slightly-out plug can silently lose just the microphone channel.
- Bluetooth profile switching. Many Bluetooth headsets deliver high-quality audio for listening but drop to a lower-bandwidth "hands-free" profile the moment a microphone is requested, and some devices briefly disconnect during that switch. If a wired device works fine but a Bluetooth one doesn't, this is the likely cause.
- A dead or failing microphone element — the least common cause by far, and worth ruling out everything above first, since software and permission causes are both more likely and faster to fix.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a website is blocked from using my microphone?
Click the padlock or the small icon just left of the address bar on the site's page, look for a Microphone permission row, and set it to Allow. In Chrome and Edge this is under the padlock's "Site settings"; in Firefox it appears as a camera/mic icon in the address bar once a site has requested access; in Safari it is under Safari > Settings for This Website. If the option is missing entirely, the site may not have requested permission yet — reload the page and click Start again.
I allowed the microphone in the browser and it still doesn't work — why?
Browser permission is necessary but not sufficient. The operating system has its own, separate microphone permission and its own input-mute/volume setting, both independent of the browser. On Windows and macOS in particular, a browser can hold valid site permission while the OS itself is blocking or muting the input, and the browser has no way to detect or report that OS-level block beyond a generic failure.
My microphone works in one app but not in the browser — what does that mean?
This almost always points to either browser-specific site permission (check it explicitly; working elsewhere does not imply the browser has it) or exclusive device access held by the other app. Some audio drivers only allow one running process to use a microphone at a time — fully closing the other app (not just minimising a call window) often resolves it.
Why does my microphone work for a few seconds and then stop?
This is commonly a Bluetooth profile switch: many Bluetooth headsets start in a high-quality audio profile and switch to a lower-bandwidth hands-free profile the moment a microphone is requested, and some devices briefly drop the connection during that switch. A wired headset or a USB microphone avoids this failure mode entirely, which is a useful way to tell whether the cause is Bluetooth-specific.
Does reinstalling my browser fix a broken microphone?
Rarely, because the browser is usually not where the problem lives. Reinstalling clears browser-level site permissions and settings, which occasionally helps if those became corrupted, but it does nothing for an OS-level mute, a disabled device, a driver fault or a hardware mute switch — check those first, since they are both more common and faster to rule out.