How to Fix Low Microphone Volume Issue in Windows 11

Windows 11 is way far ahead of the previous iterations of Windows when it comes to design language and user experience. Even under the hood, it took a big leap to make sure it enhances the interoperability of apps and systems.

For the uninitiated, starting Windows 11 you will be able to run Android apps natively on your machine. However, keeping all the awesome things aside, many users have been reporting issues regarding lower than usual volume when using the microphone.

The microphone is a very important component, and it can get pretty annoying real fast if not functioning. Fortunately, if the problem is software-based (which at most of the time it is) the fixes are pretty simple and straightforward.

If you have also been experiencing the same issues on your machine, follow along with the instructions below and before you realize, your microphone will be good as new.

Just a fair warning, since it is difficult to pinpoint the root cause of issues like this, you might have to try multiple fixes presented in the guide to completely restore the functionality of your microphone.

Check and Adjust Microphone Volume from Sound Settings

Before fixing, it is necessary that you first check and adjust the microphone volume from the Settings app on your Windows 11 PC.

To check the current input volume, head to the Settings app either from the pinned apps or by searching for it from the Start Menu.

Then, make sure the ‘System’ tab is selected from the left sidebar.

After that, from the right section of the window, click on the ‘Sound’ tile to proceed.

After that, scroll down to locate the ‘Volume’ tile under the ‘Input’ section. Then, make sure the slider is stretched all the way to the far right and is displaying ‘100’ in value right beside the ‘Mic’ icon to capture 100% of sound produced around the system.

Next, locate and click on the ‘Microphone’ tile present under the same section to continue.

Now, under the ‘Input settings’ section, click the ‘Start test’ button present on the ‘Test your microphone’ tile to test the current sensitivity level of your microphone. Then, play a sound near your machine at a normal volume level for a few seconds.

After a few seconds of playing a sound around your machine, click on the button again to stop the test. Windows will now show you the result right beside the button. Any value over 90% should be good enough, in case the result is very poor, jump onto the next section to find a fix.

Check Microphone Permissions

In case your microphone is able to catch the sounds properly but it particularly doesn’t seem to be working in an app, there could be an issue of privacy permissions. Fortunately, it is really simple to fix.

To check microphone permissions, head to the Settings app either from the pinned apps or by searching for it from the Start Menu.

Next, click on the ‘Privacy & security’ tab from the left sidebar to continue.

After that, from the right section of the ‘Privacy & security’ screen, scroll down to locate and click on the ‘Microphone’ tile present under the ‘App permissions’ section.

Now, make sure the switch on the ‘Microphone access’ tile is in the ‘On’ position. Then, locate the app you are facing the problem with from the list present on the screen and make sure its individual switch is on the ‘On’ position.

Run Microphone Troubleshooter

If your microphone is not receiving sound properly which you can check using the method showcased in the previous section, one of the solutions is to run the troubleshooter and let the Windows try and take care of the situation.

From the ‘System’ tab in the Settings app, click on the ‘Troubleshoot’ tile from the right section of the screen.

After that, click on the ‘Other troubleshooters’ tile to continue.

Then, scroll down to locate the ‘Recording audio’ tile and click on the ‘Run’ button present on the far right edge of it to open the troubleshooter.

After that, from the troubleshooter window, select the ‘Microphone’ option by clicking on the radio button preceding it. Then, click on the ‘Next’ button to proceed.

Now, Windows will scan your system for probable issues and suggest action to fix them as well. Hopefully, this will solve the issue with your system. In case it doesn’t, don’t worry, head to the next section and try that fix.

Update your Drivers

The next best fix for your malfunctioning microphone is to update your existing drivers. It may seem elementary, but you will be astonished by the number of problems getting fixed by this simple tip.

To do so, open the Start Menu and type Device Manager to search for it. From the search results, click on the ‘Device Manager’ tile to open it.

After that, click on the chevron preceding the ‘Audio inputs and outputs’ option to expand the section. Then, right-click on the ‘Microphone’ option and select the ‘Update driver’ option from the context menu. This will open a separate window on your screen.

From the ‘Update drivers’ window, click on the ‘Search automatically for drivers’ option to let Windows find a driver automatically for you. Otherwise, if you already have a driver package, click on the ‘Browse my computer for drivers’ option and browse the package using file explorer.

If you selected the former option in the previous step, Windows will now go online and check for the latest available driver for your device and download it. Depending on the update, you might need to restart the PC after the driver install.

Turn of Audio Enhancements for Microphone

To improve the clarity of the captured sound, Windows offers the option to enhance captured audio through your microphone. However, when experiencing issues, it is best to turn off those enhancements.

To turn off the audio enhancements, head to the Settings app either from the pinned app or by searching for it from the Start Menu.

Then, make sure the ‘System’ tab is selected from the left sidebar.

After that, from the right section of the window, locate and click on the ‘Sound’ tile to continue.

Next, scroll down and locate the ‘Enhance audio’ tile on the window and turn the switch present on the far right edge of the tile to the ‘Off’ position.

This should fix the volume issue you have been facing on your computer. In case it doesn’t fix it, hop on to the next section to make sure you get your microphone fixed.

Adjust Microphone Boost

If even the troubleshooter doesn’t seem to help fix your issue, you can also try to tweak the microphone boost to enhance the performance of your microphone.

To do so, right-click on the ‘speaker’ icon present on the far right edge of the taskbar. Then, click to select the ‘Sound settings’ option from the context menu.

Now, from the ‘Sound settings’ page in the Settings app, scroll down to locate the ‘Advanced settings’ section and then click on the ‘More sound settings’ option. This will open a separate window on your screen.

From the separately opened window, head to the ‘Recording’ tab. Then, right-click on the ‘Microphone’ tile and select the ‘Properties’ option from the context menu. This will open a separate ‘Microphone Properties window on your screen.

Now, from the ‘Microphone Properties’ window, click on the ‘Levels’ tab and then locate the ‘Microphone Boost’ option. Next, stretch the slider to the right side to increase the sensitivity to capture more sound.

Finally, once you have boosted the microphone as per need, click on the ‘Apply’ button to save the changes and click on the ‘OK’ button to close the window.