Discord Microphone Not Working? Fixes for Voice Not Working
Can no one hear you, or can you just not speak in a single channel? Find the cause based on the symptom: Discord audio settings, Windows privacy permission, audio subsystem, server permissions, browser, and phone.
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In this article
Try this first
In Discord's Voice & Video settings, select your microphone by name as the input device and check that the input mode isn't accidentally set to Push to Talk. If desktop apps lack permission to access the microphone in Windows, Discord won't hear you at all. If the issue occurs in only a single server or channel, the cause is usually not your device, but that channel's permissions or a moderator muting you.
Quick diagnosis by symptom
"Microphone not working" is a common name for several different issues. First figure out which one you are experiencing; the fix varies accordingly.
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Section to check |
|---|---|---|
| No one can hear you in any server | Wrong input device, push-to-talk mode, or Windows permission | Discord audio settings, Windows |
| You cannot speak in only one server or channel | Channel permission or server mute | Server side |
| Your voice cuts in and out, beginnings of words get lost | Input sensitivity or noise suppression | Sensitivity, audio processing |
| It doesn't work in the desktop app, but works in the browser | Audio subsystem, driver, or app settings | Audio subsystem, reset |
| It doesn't work only in the browser or on the phone | Browser or phone permission | Browser and phone |
| There is no sound in Windows' own test either | Hardware, connection, or driver | Windows |
Causes in Discord's own audio settings
All settings in this section are found under User Settings > Voice & Video. Discord's voice and video troubleshooting guide also recommends starting here.
Wrong input device selected
Symptom: The microphone works in other apps, but no voice transmits in Discord. Cause: When the input device is left as "Default", Discord uses Windows' default recording device. The default device may have changed when you plugged in headphones or connected a webcam. Solution: Select your microphone by name from the Input Device list, then check if audio transmits using the mic test on the same page. Also check that the input volume is not turned down to the minimum.
Input mode stuck on push-to-talk
Symptom: Your icon doesn't light up at all when you speak, but sound goes through when you press a key. Cause: Input mode is set to Push to Talk. In this mode, Discord only transmits audio while you hold down the assigned key. Solution: Change the input mode to Voice Activity or use the push-to-talk key intentionally. Discord’s input modes article explains both modes in detail.
There is an exception: some servers disable voice activity in channels. In Discord's permissions documentation, the Use Voice Activity permission is defined as the permission to use voice activity detection in a voice channel. If this permission has been revoked from you, you can only speak in that channel using push-to-talk.
Input sensitivity set incorrectly
Symptom: Your voice goes through, but beginnings of sentences get lost or don't go through at all when you speak softly. Cause: In voice activity mode, Discord checks whether audio exceeds a certain threshold. According to Discord, automatic sensitivity might not work well when there is background noise or your speaking volume varies greatly. Solution: Turn off automatic sensitivity and set the threshold manually. The right spot is where nothing transmits when you are silent, but the bar crosses the threshold even when you speak quietly.
Noise suppression and audio processing cutting your voice
Symptom: Your voice sounds robotic, choppy, or disappears entirely in a quiet room. Cause: Noise suppression (Krisp or Discord's standard filter), echo cancellation, and automatic gain control might mistake your voice for noise and clip it. According to Discord’s Krisp FAQ page, Krisp runs locally on your device and automatically turns off if CPU load gets too high. Solution: Toggle the noise suppression, echo cancellation, noise reduction, and automatic gain control options in the audio processing section one by one to find which one is causing the problem. Discord's troubleshooting guide also suggests trying these settings sequentially.
Audio subsystem incompatibility (Windows)
Symptom: Settings look correct, but the microphone doesn't respond in the desktop app; the same microphone works in Discord in the browser. Cause: The Windows version of Discord has two audio subsystems: Standard and Legacy. Some sound cards and drivers may have issues with one of them. Solution: Discord’s general troubleshooting guide suggests switching the audio subsystem in Voice & Video settings between Standard and Legacy and trying both.
Last resort: resetting audio settings
If none of this works, Discord's guide recommends the Reset Voice and Video Settings button found under the Debugging section in Voice & Video settings. The guide describes this as the final step to try after restarting your device. After the reset, you will need to reselect your input device and mode.
Windows side: privacy permission and driver
Desktop apps microphone permission disabled
Symptom: The bar in Discord's mic test doesn't move at all, even if the input device list looks correct. Cause: Windows privacy settings are blocking apps from accessing the microphone. Solution: The path described by Microsoft on Windows 11 is Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Three settings must be turned on here:
- Microphone access
- Let apps access your microphone
- Let desktop apps access your microphone
Discord's desktop version does not appear individually in this list. According to Microsoft, desktop apps cannot be toggled individually; they are all managed together with the third setting. If the settings are already on, Microsoft recommends turning them off and back on to make sure the change is applied. On Windows 10, the equivalent setting is called Allow desktop apps to access your microphone.
Windows doesn't hear the microphone at all
Symptom: There is no sound in Windows' own test either. Cause: The issue is not with Discord; it's the cable, the mute button on the headset, Bluetooth pairing, or the driver. Solution: Microsoft’s microphone problems page suggests this sequence: if your headset has a mute button, check that it is turned off; select your microphone under Input on the Settings > System > Sound page and listen to the recorded sample using Microphone test and the Start test button; if necessary, raise the Input volume setting on the same page. If Windows doesn't detect the microphone at all, uninstall the audio devices under Sound, video and game controllers in Device Manager, restart the computer, and update the driver. Discord's guide also suggests updating audio drivers as a first step and trying to turn off microphone enhancements in the Windows sound control panel.
If you are using macOS
The path described by Apple is System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone. If Discord is turned off in the list, turn it on. If you previously denied access, the app will ask for permission again the next time it uses the microphone.
If the issue is in only a single server or channel
If you can speak fine in other servers but not in one place, don't fiddle with your device. The cause is almost always that server's settings. In Discord's permissions documentation, relevant permissions are defined as follows:
- Speak: Permission to speak in a voice channel. If it has been revoked from your role or channel permission, you can enter the channel but your voice won't transmit.
- Mute Members: A moderator with this permission can mute you in that server's voice channels. You cannot lift a server mute with your own microphone button; a moderator must remove it.
- Deafen Members: A moderator with this permission can deafen you; in this case, you won't hear people in the channel.
- Use Voice Activity: If revoked, you can only speak with push-to-talk in that channel.
- Request to Speak: Listeners cannot speak directly in Stage channels; they must request to speak and have a stage moderator approve it.
If you are a server admin and a member says "I cannot speak", first check that channel's and its parent category's permission overrides. Channels synced to a category inherit permissions from that category. We explained the order in which permissions are calculated in detail in our Discord role and permission system guide. If you use auto-creating voice rooms, how room permissions are set up is covered in the auto voice channel (JTC) article.
Permissions in browser and phone
Browser
If you are using Discord from a browser, microphone permission belongs to the browser. According to Discord’s Chrome article, if you previously denied permission, you need to remove Discord from the blocked list under the microphone section in Chrome's site settings, then re-enter a voice channel and select Allow when prompted. The path described for Firefox is similar: choose Allow instead of Block for discord.com in microphone permissions. Discord's guide also suggests checking that your browser is a supported browser.
Phone
According to Discord's guide, first check that your phone's operating system is up to date and that Discord's microphone permission is turned on in phone settings. For iOS, the guide also suggests switching between Voice Activity and Push to Talk and enabling CallKit integration.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if the problem is with the microphone or Discord?
Run the microphone test on the Settings > System > Sound page in Windows. If Windows records your voice, the hardware is working and the issue is in Discord settings or permissions. If Windows isn't picking up audio either, the problem is in the connection, hardware, or driver.
My friends can hear me but my voice sounds very choppy, is my microphone broken?
Most of the time, no. Choppy audio is most frequently caused by the input sensitivity being too high or noise suppression clipping your voice. First turn off auto-sensitivity and lower the threshold manually, then try turning off noise suppression.
Will this article help if the music bot has no sound?
Partially. The bot's audio doesn't go through your microphone, but the Speak permission applies to the bot role as well. If the bot enters the channel and won't play, check the music bot troubleshooting guide.
Last updated: October 9, 2026. Information has been compiled from the Discord help center's voice and video troubleshooting, input modes, Krisp, and browser microphone articles, permission definitions in Discord developer documents, Microsoft's Windows microphone permission and microphone problems pages, and Apple's macOS microphone access page. Since Discord and Windows menu names may vary by version, we provided the English names in parentheses.
