# How to Fix a Discord Mic Not Working in Windows 11 URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-discord-mic-not-working-windows-11/ Published: 2026-07-28 | Author: Ankit Kumar Tags: Windows 11, Apps, Audio, Troubleshooting, Fix Summary: Nobody can hear you on Discord in Windows 11? Fix input device selection, exclusive mode, privacy permissions, and the push-to-talk and voice settings behind a dead mic. Recommended app: PC-Troubleshooter — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/ (Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9N7RWKW8SP24?hl=en-us&cid=mytechnician-web). Optional; every step below uses built-in Windows tools. ## The Problem A microphone that works in Windows but not in Discord almost always comes down to Discord's own settings: the wrong **input device** is selected, **push-to-talk** is on with a key you are not pressing, or **input sensitivity** is set so high that normal speech never crosses the threshold. The next layer is Windows: the app needs **microphone permission**, and if another program has claimed the device in **exclusive mode**, Discord gets silence. > **Mic not working anywhere, including Windows' own test?** Start with [fix a microphone not working](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-microphone-not-working-windows-11/). **Camera failing in calls too?** See [fix a camera not working in Teams or Zoom](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-camera-not-working-teams-zoom-windows-11/). ## Symptoms * Nobody hears you, but you hear them fine. * Discord's input bar stays flat when you speak. * The mic works in the Windows sound test and in other apps. * It worked until a Discord or Windows update, or until you plugged in a headset. * Voice cuts in and out, or the first word of every sentence is missing. ## Step 1: Test the Mic in Windows First This tells you which side of the fence the problem is on. 1. Open **Settings** → **System** → **Sound**. 2. Under **Input**, select your microphone and speak — the **Test your microphone** bar should move. 3. If it does not move, the problem is not Discord: go to [fix a microphone not working](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-microphone-not-working-windows-11/). 4. If it does move, continue below. 5. While here, raise the input **Volume** to around 80-100 and note the exact device name — you will need it in Step 2. ## Step 2: Set the Right Input Device in Discord Discord does not always follow the Windows default, especially after plugging in a headset. 1. In Discord, click the **gear icon** next to your name → **Voice & Video**. 2. Set **Input Device** to the exact device from Step 1 — not **Default**. Explicit selection avoids Discord switching to a monitor's microphone or a virtual device. 3. Set **Input Volume** to maximum. 4. Click **Let's Check** under **Mic Test** and speak. The bar should move. 5. If you have several similar entries (many headsets appear two or three times), work through them one at a time. ## Step 3: Fix Sensitivity and Push-to-Talk Two settings on the same page silence more microphones than any bug. 1. Still in **Voice & Video**, under **Input Mode**, choose **Voice Activity** while testing. 2. Turn **off** **Automatically determine input sensitivity**, and drag the slider left until the bar lights up when you talk and stays dark when you do not. 3. If you prefer **Push to Talk**, confirm the **Shortcut** is a key you actually press, and set **Push to Talk Release Delay** to about 200 ms so word endings are not clipped. 4. Push-to-talk only works when Discord is focused unless you have granted it the ability to run in the background — run Discord as administrator once if the key is ignored in a full-screen game. ## Step 4: Grant Microphone Permission in Windows 1. Open **Settings** → **Privacy & security** → **Microphone**. 2. Turn on **Microphone access**. 3. Turn on **Let apps access your microphone**. 4. Scroll to the bottom and turn on **Let desktop apps access your microphone** — Discord is a desktop app and lives under this heading, not in the app list above. This is the most commonly missed switch. 5. Restart Discord fully afterwards: right-click its **system tray icon** → **Quit Discord**, then reopen it. Closing the window alone leaves it running. ## Step 5: Turn Off Exclusive Mode If another app holds the device exclusively, Discord receives nothing. 1. Open **Settings** → **System** → **Sound** → **More sound settings**. 2. On the **Recording** tab, double-click your microphone → **Advanced** tab. 3. Untick **Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device** and **Give exclusive mode applications priority**. 4. On the same dialog's **Levels** tab, make sure the microphone is not muted and set to around 80. 5. Click **OK**, then restart Discord. 6. Also close other voice apps — Teams, Zoom, OBS, and games with in-built voice chat all claim the device. ## Step 6: Reset Discord's Voice Settings 1. In Discord, go to **Voice & Video** and scroll to the bottom. 2. Click **Reset Voice Settings** and confirm. 3. Reselect your input device afterwards, since the reset returns it to **Default**. 4. While there, turn **off** **Echo Cancellation**, **Noise Suppression**, and **Automatic Gain Control** as a test — Krisp noise suppression in particular can gate a quiet microphone into silence. 5. Also try switching **Audio Subsystem** from **Standard** to **Legacy** near the bottom of the page, which resolves many headset-specific faults. ## Step 7: Check the Headset and Its Software 1. If the headset has an inline mute switch or a mic that mutes when flipped up, check it. 2. Plug a 3.5 mm headset into the **correct combo jack**; a mic-only plug in a headphone port will not work. 3. Vendor software (Logitech G HUB, SteelSeries GG, Razer Synapse, Corsair iCUE) can mute or route the mic independently of Windows. Open it and check, or uninstall it as a test. 4. Test the headset on a phone to confirm the microphone itself works. 5. Related: [fix headphones going to the wrong audio output](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-headphones-wrong-audio-output-windows-11/). ## Step 8: Reinstall the Audio Driver 1. Right-click **Start** → **Device Manager**. 2. Expand **Audio inputs and outputs** and **Sound, video and game controllers**. 3. Right-click the microphone or audio device → **Uninstall device** → restart. 4. Windows reinstalls the standard driver. For a laptop, then install the vendor's audio driver (usually Realtek) from the manufacturer's site. 5. Related: [how to update outdated drivers](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-update-outdated-drivers/) and [fix audio services not responding](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-audio-services-not-responding-windows-11/). ## Step 9: Reinstall Discord Cleanly 1. Right-click the tray icon → **Quit Discord**. 2. **Settings** → **Apps** → **Installed apps** → **Discord** → **Uninstall**. 3. Press **Windows + R** and delete the leftover folders: ``` %appdata%\discord ``` ``` %localappdata%\Discord ``` 4. Reboot and install Discord again from `discord.com`. 5. Test in the **browser version** first — if the mic works there, the desktop app was the problem. ## What Not to Do * **Don't leave Input Device on "Default".** Windows changes the default whenever you plug something in, and Discord follows it into silence. * **Don't max input sensitivity** to compensate for a quiet mic. It transmits keyboard and fan noise instead of fixing the level — raise the device volume in Windows. * **Don't install "mic booster" software.** Use the **Levels** tab and the microphone boost slider that is already there. * **Don't close Discord with the X and assume it quit.** It stays in the tray, holding the old settings. ## Still Not Working? If the browser version works and the desktop app does not after a clean reinstall, check for a security suite blocking microphone access, and check **Settings** → **Privacy & security** → **Microphone** → **Recent activity** to see whether Discord is accessing the device at all. If nothing hears the mic anywhere — Discord, browser, or Windows test — the fault is the hardware or its driver: [fix a microphone not working](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-microphone-not-working-windows-11/). Related: [fix no audio in Windows 11](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-no-audio-windows-11/) and [fix sound crackling and popping](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-sound-crackling-popping-windows-11/). --- Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-discord-mic-not-working-windows-11/ — My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides. Related tool: PC-Troubleshooter (PC-Troubleshooter is a system diagnostic and repair tool for Windows 10 and Windows 11—hardware, drivers, network, and common fixes in one app.) — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/ More guides: https://www.mytechnician.tech/llms.txt