Test your microphone first
Open the mic test, press Start and speak. The result points you to the right fix:
- Access is blocked: macOS or your browser is keeping the page away from the microphone. Start with fix 1, then fix 4.
- No sound detected: the page reaches the microphone but hears nothing. Fixes 2, 5 and 8 are the usual answers.
- Quiet: the microphone works but the level is low. Go to fix 2.
- Working, but people still can't hear you in a call: the app uses another microphone. Go to fix 6.
1. Give the app microphone access
macOS asks once per app before it lets that app use the microphone. If you said no, or closed the question, the app gets silence.
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
- Turn on the app you're using: your browser, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Discord or another app.
- Quit the app completely and open it again. Many apps notice the change only after a restart.
An app shows up in this list only after it has asked for the microphone. If yours isn't there, use the microphone in that app once, for example by starting the mic test in your browser, and answer Allow when macOS asks.
2. Choose the input and set the input volume
- Open System Settings → Sound and select Input.
- Select the microphone you want to use from the list.
- Speak and watch Input level. The bars should move with your voice.
- If they barely move, drag Input volume to the right. If they reach the end of the scale when you speak normally, drag it back a little to avoid distortion.
If the bars don't move at all for any microphone, including the Mac's own, the problem is in macOS rather than in the microphone. Fix 9 can help.
3. AirPods and other Bluetooth headsets
Bluetooth headsets connect and switch on their own, which can leave the microphone you expect unused.
- Check that the headset is connected in System Settings → Bluetooth, then select it under Input in System Settings → Sound.
- With AirPods connected, their settings appear in the System Settings sidebar under their name. There you can choose which AirPod carries the microphone, and whether the AirPods connect to this Mac automatically or only when they were last connected to it. If they keep jumping to your iPhone, change that second setting.
- While a Bluetooth microphone is in use, the sound in your ears gets thinner. That is normal for Bluetooth. To keep the full sound, choose the Mac's own microphone as the input and keep the headset for listening.
4. Check your browser's permission
A browser needs two permissions: the macOS one from fix 1, and its own for each website.
- Safari: while on the page, choose Safari → Settings for This Website and set Microphone to Allow. To see every site's setting, open Safari's settings, choose Websites, then Microphone.
- Chrome: click the icon at the left end of the address bar and set Microphone to Allow, then reload the page. The page
chrome://settings/content/microphonelists every site's setting and the microphone Chrome uses by default. - Firefox: click the permissions icon at the left end of the address bar and remove the block on the microphone, then reload the page.
5. Find what else is using the microphone
When an app is using the microphone, macOS shows an orange dot in the menu bar. Open Control Center to see which apps are using it. Quit any you don't need, such as a second meeting app or a recording program, then try your app again.
6. Pick the microphone in your meeting app
Meeting apps keep their own microphone choice, and it doesn't always follow the Input setting in System Settings.
- Zoom: open Settings → Audio, choose your microphone and use Test Mic.
- Microsoft Teams: open Settings → Devices, choose your microphone, and make a test call.
- Discord: open User Settings → Voice & Video and set Input Device.
- FaceTime: choose your microphone from the Video menu in the menu bar.
- Google Meet: in a meeting, open the settings from the three-dot menu, choose Audio and pick your microphone.
7. Screen Time and managed Macs
Restrictions can stop you from changing microphone access. If Screen Time is set up for your account, check System Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy, or ask the person who manages it. On a Mac from work or school, a device management profile can block the microphone for some apps; you'll find any profile under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Profiles or System Settings → General → Device Management. Ask your IT department to allow it.
8. Check the hardware
- Mute switches: many headsets have a mute switch on the cable or ear cup, or mute when you flip the microphone arm up.
- Adapters and hubs: plug a USB microphone straight into the Mac rather than through a hub or dock, and try another port or adapter.
- Headset jack: a wired headset with a microphone needs a plug with four contacts. A plug with three contacts carries sound to your ears only.
- Another device: try the microphone on another computer or phone, and another microphone on this Mac, to find out which one is at fault.
9. Restart the sound system (advanced)
If no microphone works in any app, the part of macOS that handles sound may be stuck. Restarting the Mac fixes this. Without a restart, open Terminal (in Applications → Utilities), type sudo killall coreaudiod, press Return and enter your Mac password. Sound stops for a moment and macOS starts the sound system again by itself. Then open System Settings → Sound and check the Input level again.
Still not working?
Install any waiting updates in System Settings → General → Software Update and restart. If the microphone fails on every device you try, it is likely faulty: check the maker's warranty or your retailer's return policy. If the Mac's own microphone stays silent while others work, contact Apple Support. Either way, run the mic test again and copy its report into your message: it lists the device, its level and settings, and your browser and system.