A microphone plays a vital role when talking to someone or recording audio on a personal computer. All of which is impossible without a microphone that is enabled and accessible. A disabled mic, at times, can create discomfort and frustration, especially during important meetings, video calls, and recordings.
If disabled, you must turn on the microphone on Windows 10 to use it. However, the process of activating the microphone changes with the Windows versions. If you are using Windows 10, here’s how you can activate the microphone.
2 Ways to Turn on Microphone on Windows 10 Pc
1. Turn on Microphone on Windows 10 Using Windows Settings
Turning on the microphone on Windows 10 differs slightly from other versions of Windows in terms of steps. The steps are slightly different in Windows 11, so we are here to help you. Here’s how you can turn on a Microphone on Windows 10.
Step 1: To activate the microphone, open the Settings app of your Windows 10. You can open the Settings app by clicking on the Start Menu and the gear icon. You can also press the Win + I key to open Settings directly.
Step 2: As the Settings app opens, look for Privacy and click on it.
Step 3: On the next screen, find and click on Microphone. You will find it under App Permissions<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>.
Step 4: Click the “Change” button under “Allow Access to the Microphone on This Device” in the right panel. The toggle should then be turned on; if not, you need to click on it to turn it on.
Your PC’s mic is now successfully activated.
Step 5: Windows 10 also allows you to provide microphone access to your specific apps. Toggle the “Allow Apps to Access Your Microphone” button to allow the installed apps to utilize your microphone.
Step 6: Use the “Choose Which Microsoft Store Apps Can Access Your Microphone” section to control microphone settings for the Microsoft Store apps you have installed. Similarly, the “Allow Desktop Programs to Access Your Microphone” option permits non-Microsoft Store apps to access your microphone.
2. Turn on Microphone on Windows 10 Using Device Manager
You can turn on the microphone on Windows 10 using the device manager. The procedure is easy, effortless, and seamless. Here’s how you can activate the microphone using the device manager.
Step 1: Open the device manager by pressing the Windows + X keys together and selecting Device Manager from the list on the screen.
Step 2: On the next screen, find ‘Sound, video, and game controllers’ and click on it.
Step 3: After you click on ‘Sound, video, and game controllers, you will see multiple devices listed under it. Of all these devices, click on the device currently installed on the PC.
Step 4: Right-click on the currently installed device and then click on Properties.
Step 5: On the next screen, select Driver and click on Enable Device if it is not activated.
Step 6: After enabling the device, restart your computer.
Additional Tip –
It is possible that your microphone is not working due to a device driver issue. It is always advisable that you keep your system’s drivers updated. The inbuilt Windows solution, Device Manager, can only help you manually update drivers for the ones listed. Therefore, to download and install the missing or incompatible drivers, you need to take help from a third-party application. The most efficient way to do it is with Advanced Driver Updater. This is your one-stop solution to all your updating and rollback needs. It will help you update all your drivers simultaneously and with a single click. It also allows you to roll back them and change them to previous versions as and when you want them.
Final Takeaways
If your computer is not registering any voice during calls or recordings, it is probably because the microphone has been disabled. And this has already put you in so much discomfort. Following this procedure step by step, you will successfully turn on the microphone on Windows 10. This is the fastest way to turn on the microphone on Windows. Doing so will never have to go through the same discomfort again. And even if you do, thanks to this definitive guide, you will know how to activate the microphone again.