Are others unable to hear you when you speak in the Discord app? There could be an issue with the microphone settings either in the app or on your device. Let’s check various ways to fix the problem of the Discord mic not working on PC, Android, and iPhones.
1. Restart Device
Be it the computer or the mobile phone, you should restart the concerned device to fix the Discord microphone. A single restart will often fix a temporary issue that could be hampering the Discord mic.
2. Reconnect External Microphone
If you are using an external microphone, you should unplug and replug it. Also, make sure that the USB port or the 3.5 mm jack on your device is clean. You can try blowing some air through it to remove any dust particles.
Similarly, if you are using Bluetooth headphones like AirPods, disconnect and reconnect them with your mobile or computer.
3. Unmute Yourself (PC)
You might have accidentally muted yourself in the Discord PC app and that’s why people might not hear you. You will see a red slash (/) on the microphone icon when the mic is muted. To unmute yourself, click on the “Microphone” icon next to your username at the bottom left.
4. Grant Microphone Access
The Discord app must have permission to use the microphone on PC and mobile, otherwise, the microphone will not work in the Discord app.
Allow Discord to Use Microphone on PC
Open “Settings -> “Privacy & security.”Click on “Microphone” under “App permissions.”
Scroll down and enable the toggle next to “Let desktop apps access your microphone.”
Relaunch the Discord app on your computer to enable Discord to recognize your microphone.
Allow Discord to Use Microphone on Android
Open “Settings” on your Android phone or tablet.Go to “Apps” and tap on “Discord” in the list of all apps.
Go to “Permissions” on the “App info” page. Make sure “Microphone” shows up under the “Allowed” section. If it doesn’t, tap on “Microphone” in the “Not Allowed” list on the same screen and select “Allow.”
Allow Discord to Use Microphone on iPhone
- Open “Settings” on your iPhone.Scroll down and tap on “Discord.”Enable the toggle next to the “Microphone.”
Alternatively, you may grant microphone access from “Settings → Privacy → Microphone” – enable the toggle next to Discord.
5. Log Out and Log In Again
Sometimes, logging out from your Discord account and logging in again helps fix microphone issues in Discord.
To log out from the Discord computer app, click on the “Settings” icon at the bottom of the sidebar.
Then, scroll down the sidebar and click on “Log Out.” Once you have logged out, log in again.
To log out from the Discord mobile apps, tap on the “Account” icon in the bottom bar, then scroll down the screen and tap on “Log Out.”
6. Select Correct Microphone as Input Device (PC)
Typically, your computer automatically detects the microphone connected to your device. However, if you want to switch between input devices or you think that the Discord app isn’t picking up the right microphone, select the desired microphone manually.
Launch the Discord app on your computer.Click on the “Settings” icon at the bottom to open Discord settings.
Click on “Voice & Video” under the “App Settings” section in the sidebar.Switch to the preferred microphone from the drop-down box under “Input device.”
Adjust the input volume using the available slider for optimum results.
Take the mic test built into the Discord PC app to check whether the issue is fixed or not – start by pressing the “Let’s Check” button.
7. Disable Advanced Voice Features
Discord offers many features to enhance the voice quality of its app. However, these features can cause the microphone to stop working. To fix it, try disabling the advanced features one by one to see which one is responsible for your malfunctioning microphone.
- Go to “Discord Settings → Voice & Video” on the computer.
On mobile, tap on the “Account” icon at the bottom and go to “Voice.”
Turn off the following features:
Automatically determine input sensitivity or Auto SensitivityNoise SuppressionEcho CancellationNoise ReductionAdvanced Voice ActivityAutomatic Cain controlQuality of Service (QoS)When I Speak (located under Attenuation)
8. Change Audio System (PC)
Often, one type of audio system works on some computers whereas a different one works on other computers. So try switching between different types of audio systems in the Discord app to see which one works for you.
- Open the Discord app and go to “Settings → Voice & Video.”Scroll down to the “Audio Subsystem” section and switch to each system (Standard, Legacy, Experimental) one by one to discover the source of the problem.
9. Check Input Mode
Discord offers two input modes: Voice Activity and Push to Talk. By default, the Voice Activity mode is selected, which means the microphone is actively listening for voice activity and you can speak into it whenever you want. However, if Push to Talk is selected, unless you press the relevant button when you want to speak, your voice isn’t captured. Consequently, you may chalk this down to a faulty microphone.
Check Input Mode on PC
Open “Discord Settings → Voice & Video.”If “Push to Talk” is selected under the input mode, set a shortcut using the “Record Keybind” button, then lower “Push to Talk Release Delay” using its slider.
Be sure to use the same shortcut whenever you want to speak on Discord.Alternatively, switch to the Voice Activity mode instead of Push to talk and see if others are able to hear you.
Check Input Mode on Mobile
Tap on the “Account” icon and go to “Voice.”
If the “Input Mode” says “Push to Talk,” open any Discord channel where you want to speak and press the “Push to Talk” button whenever you want to say something.
If you want to switch to the Voice Activity mode, go to “Voice” settings and select “Voice Activity” from “Input Mode.”
10. Clear Cache (Android)
Clearing the cache of the Discord app on Android can help delete temporary files that could be affecting the normal working of the app.
- Open “Settings” on your phone.Go to “Apps” and tap on “Discord.”
- Go to “Storage” and hit the “Clear cache” button, then restart your phone.
11. Run Discord as Administrator (PC)
If you are using Discord on a Windows computer, try running the app with administrative privileges – the lack of proper app permissions can eventually hamper services like the microphone.
To access Discord as an administrator, right-click on the Discord app icon in the Start Menu results and select “Run as administrator” from the context menu.
12. Reset Discord Voice Settings (PC)
If changing the above settings didn’t fix the microphone not working issue, you should reset Discord’s voice settings. Reverting to the default values can help overcome issues with the microphone.
Open Discord settings on your computer and go to “Voice & Video.”Scroll down and click on the “Reset Voice Settings” button in the right-hand pane.
To verify if the microphone has started working after the reset, scroll up on the same screen and click on the “Let’s Check” button under “Mic Test.”
13. Run Sound Troubleshooter (PC)
Windows offers a native troubleshooter to detect and fix problems. You can use it to fix the microphone if it doesn’t work in every app including Discord.
Open “Settings” on your Windows PC.Go to “System → Sound.”
Scroll down and look for “Troubleshoot common sound problems,” then click on “Input devices” next to this option.
Tip: If you don’t find the troubleshooter in the Sound section, go to “Settings → Update & Security → Troubleshoot → Speech” to locate it.
14. Check Microphone Settings (PC)
A certain Windows feature allows some programs to have complete control over the audio driver, which could cause the microphone to stop working in some apps like Discord. Disable this feature to see if it fixes the microphone.
Open “Control Panel” on your Windows PC.Go to “Sound.”
Click on the “Recording” tab. Then, click on the audio input device whose setting you want to change and press the “Properties” button at the bottom.
Click on the “Levels” tab in the new window that opens and increase the volume to the maximum under “Microphone Array.”
Go to the “Advanced” tab and uncheck the boxes under “Exclusive Mode.” Hit the “Apply” button.
15. Update Microphone Audio Driver (PC)
On a Windows computer, input and output sound fails to work if the audio driver is outdated or corrupted. You must update the audio driver or re-enable it when the microphone is not working.
Right-click on the Start Menu icon on your computer and select “Device Manager.”
Expand the “Audio inputs and outputs” section.Right-click on the Microphone driver and select “Update driver.” Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
If that doesn’t help, right-click on the microphone driver again and select “Disable device,” then re-enable it from the same menu.
16. Reinstall Discord
If nothing helps, you should uninstall the Discord app, restart your device and then install the Discord app again. Please note that uninstalling the app will not delete your Discord account. However, you will be logged out from your account and the settings in the Discord app will be reset to default values.
Enjoy Discord Once Again
Once the microphone starts working again, you can go back to enjoying Discord. Start by discovering a few interesting Discord servers and learning Discord keyboard shortcuts.
Image credit: Alexander Shatov via Unsplash All screenshots by Mehvish Mushtaq
Mehvish is a tech lover from Kashmir. With a degree in computer engineering, she’s always been happy to help anyone who finds technology challenging. She’s been writing about technology for over six years, and her favorite topics include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, Windows, social media, and web apps.
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