How do I fix my microphone not plugged in Windows 7?

Many users experience problems with microphones not recording sound, and being unable to use Skype and other similar apps. If your microphone isn't working, this article will help you fix that.

Why Is My Microphone Not Working?

This problem has become more prevalent after the introduction of the Windows 10 Creators update. There are many reasons why internal and external microphones don't work, including incorrect audio drivers, operating system issues, hardware problems, and so on.

How to Test My Microphone?

First, ensure that the microphone is not damaged. Connect the microphone to another computer. It would be even better if the other computer is not running the same operating system version.

For example, if you are using Windows 10, we recommend that you test your microphone on a computer running Windows 7 and so on. If the microphone is not working when connected to the other computer, the microphone itself is likely damaged.

If possible, connect a different microphone to your current computer and see if it works. This will help you determine if the problem is with the computer or microphone.

If you are using a desktop computer and an external microphone, try to connect it to the rear port of the computer. In some cases, front ports don't always work.

If you tried connecting your microphone to another computer and it is working, read the guide below to find out how to fix this problem. The steps also apply to laptop computers with internal microphones.

Video Showing How to Fix Microphone Not Working on Windows 10:

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Run Windows Troubleshooter
• Make Sure That Microphone Is Enabled
• Set Your Microphone as a Default Device
• Make Sure That Microphone Is Not Muted
• Reinstall or Update Your Microphone Drivers
• Restart Windows Audio Service
• Restore Your System Using Restore Points
• Video Showing How to Fix Microphone Not Working on Windows 10

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Run Windows Troubleshooter

Windows includes several troubleshooters designed to quickly diagnose and automatically resolve various computer problems.

Go to Settings, type "troubleshoot", and select "Troubleshoot" from the list to start troubleshooting.

Find "Recording Audio" under "Find and fix other problems" and select it. Click "Run the troubleshooter" and follow the instructions. See if the Windows Update Troubleshooter solves the problem with the external or internal microphone. In addition, run the "Speech" troubleshooter.

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Make Sure That Microphone Is Enabled

Ensure that your microphone in the Windows 10 operating system is enabled. It may be simply turned off - the reason why it does not work. To see if it is enabled in Windows, go to Settings, find and click "Privacy".

In the Privacy settings window, find and select the "Microphone" section on the left pane. Ensure that the toggle under "Let apps use my microphone" is switched to the "On" position. If you are using your microphone with a particular application, check that you gave that app access to the microphone.

Find the app in the list and check that the toggle is switched to the "On" position. See if this solves the problem with the microphone.

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Set Your Microphone as a Default Device

If the external microphone is connected to your computer, this does not necessarily mean that it is set as the default device - you might need to do this manually.

To do so, right-click the speaker/volume icon and select "Recording devices" from the contextual menu.

In the Recording tab, select your microphone and then click "Set Default" to set it as the default recording device. Check if this solves the problem with the microphone.

If there is no microphone in the recording devices list, right-click on the empty space in the Recording tab window and enable the "Show Disabled Devices" and "Show Disconnected Devices" options.

The microphone should appear, and you will be able to set it as the default device by performing the step described previously.

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Make Sure That Microphone Is Not Muted

Another reason your microphone might not work is if it was muted or the volume set to a minimum.

To check, right-click the speaker icon in the Taskbar and select "Recording devices". Select the microphone (your recording device) and click "Properties".

In the Microphone Properties window, click the "Levels" tab and ensure that the speaker icon has no red sign beside it and the volume is set to 100. Check the changes if needed and click "Apply". See if the microphone problem persists.

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Reinstall or Update Your Microphone Drivers

A device driver provides information to the operating system and other software about how to interact with specific hardware. If the correct driver is not installed, the device might not function properly, if at all.

You can try to uninstall and then let Windows reinstall drivers automatically, or you can update drivers manually (or try both methods). To reinstall microphone drivers, type "device manager" in Search and click the "Device Manager" result.

Double-click "Audio inputs and outputs" (or click the arrow) in the Device Manager window to expand that section.

Right-click the recording device (your microphone) and select "Uninstall driver" from the contextual menu. Restart the computer, and Windows will reinstall the missing drivers.

If Windows fails to reinstall the driver, you can force the system to reinstall by going to Device Manager and right-clicking the computer name (it should be the first one on the list).

Select "Scan for hardware changes", and Windows will install the missing drivers.

If you want to update your drivers manually or automatically, right-click the recording device in Device Manager and select "Update driver" from the contextual menu.

You will be asked to search for updated driver software automatically online or browse the computer for driver software. If you select the first option, Windows will search the computer and Internet for the latest driver software for your device.

If you select the second option, you must locate and install drivers manually. Using this option requires having previously downloaded drivers to the computer or a USB flash drive.

Another way to update or install new drivers for devices is by using third-party software such as Snappy Driver Installer. Snappy Driver Installer (SDI) is a free driver updater for Windows. Drivers downloaded through Snappy Driver Installer are simply collections (packs) of drivers for various hardware such as sound devices, video cards, network adapters, etc. You can download Snappy Driver Installer from here. 

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Restart Windows Audio Service

Windows Services (also known as services.msc) are used to modify how Windows services run on your system. These services are responsible for running available programs and managing many system settings and resources. You can modify a service's settings for security, troubleshooting, and performance-related reasons.

Windows Audio service manages audio for Windows-based programs. If this service is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly. If it is disabled, any services that depend on it will fail to start.

To restart Windows Audio services, press the Windows key + R on the keyboard or type run in Search and click the "Run" result to open the Run dialog box. Once it is open, type "services.msc" and press Enter on your keyboard or click "OK".

In the Services window, you will see a list of Windows services. Find the "Windows Audio" service and right-click it. Select "Restart" from the contextual menu. Alternatively, you can select "Stop" and then right-click it again and select "Start". Check if this solves the microphone problem.

If that does not work, right-click the "Windows Audio" service and select "Properties" from the contextual menu. Check if the "Startup type" is set to "Automatic" in the Windows Audio service properties window. If not, set it to Automatic and click "Apply" to save the changes. Restart the computer and see if this solves the problem.

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Restore Your System Using Restore Points

The System Restore tool creates restore points. A restore point is a collection of important system files stored by System Restore on a given date and time. System Restore reverts everything to a saved restore point, but first, you must have one recorded. If a restore point does not exist on your computer, System Restore has nothing to revert to.

To use this tool, you must have created restore points. With a created restore point, this feature will bring your system back to the previous working state without affecting your files and data.

Apply this method only if your microphone stopped working recently. For example, if this problem occurred after you updated Windows. If you have any system restore points created before you started experiencing issues with the microphone, you might be able to fix the problem by performing a System Restore.

To restore your system, launch Run by pressing the Windows Key + R and typing "rstrui.exe". In the Run dialog box, press Enter or click "OK".

In the System Restore window, click "Next".

If there are restore points created, you will see a list of them. Mark the "Show more restore points" checkbox. This should display more restore points. Select the most appropriate restore point (depending on the time created, etc.) and click "Next".

Do not select a Restore Point when the problems with your microphone are already present.

Confirm the restore point. Your computer will be restored to the state before the event detailed in the "Description" field. If you are happy with your choice, click "Finish" and begin the system restore process.

We hope that this guide was helpful and you can solve the problem with your microphone. If you know of another method that solved this problem not mentioned in our guide, please share it with us by leaving a comment in the section below.

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About the author:

Rimvydas is a researcher with over four years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. He attended Kaunas University of Technology and graduated with a Master's degree in Translation and Localization of Technical texts. His interests in computers and technology led him to become a versatile author in the IT industry. At PCrisk, he's responsible for writing in-depth how-to articles for Microsoft Windows. Contact Rimvydas Iliavicius.

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