Discord is a great voice video chat application. However, if you are a discord user you may have encountered the ‘Discord Not Detecting Mic’ error. This error seems to happen less frequently on the online version of Discord, than on the desktop version.
This error leaves you able to hear the people you are chatting with but unable to say anything back, which can be frustrating. Don’t worry too much as it’s usually not too difficult to solve this issue and your voice video chat should be started again before long.
Why is Discord not detecting my mic?
Discord usually fails to detect a microphone when…
- The wrong settings are enabled on Discord
- The wrong settings are enabled on your computer
- A bug on Discord is causing the problem
- A bug on your computer is causing the problem
- There is a problem with your hardware
- You are using the wrong input and output devices
- You have the wrong drivers installed on your computer
What do I do?
There are a number of ways to solve this problem. This article will take you through the things that you should try in the order that you should try them.
There is one workaround solution that people have found. This often allows people to carry on chatting if they’re in the middle of a voice video chat. You can use the workaround in the short term and then after you have finished your chat, you can try the in-depth solutions later on.
Quick workaround solution: Use Push to Talk
This is done by changing the input mode setting on Discord to Push to Talk. Sometimes this will override the problem of the Discord mic not working. But as the name suggests you have to push to talk. Every time you want to say something, you will have to push a button on your keypad.
To do this…
- Go to User Settings (the cogwheel icon in the bottom left corner)
- Under App settings on the left side choose Voice and Video
- Scroll down to the next page. In the Input Mode box, you will see a tick box for Voice Activity and also a tick box for Push to Talk
- Tick Push to Talk
- You’ll be prompted to assign a key on your keyboard as your push to talk button
After you have finished, return to your chat and try using your push to talk button. Sometimes this fix will override a problem on the Discord app and it will be able to access your microphone when you press the button.
Before you do anything
Wait…
Sometimes this problem can be temporary and will resolve itself. If you have the patience and you are able, then wait for around 15 minutes and see if your mic issues resolve themselves.
Do a mic test to see if the problem is actually at your end
Doing this will show you whether the problem is indeed at your end. It may be a fault on the computer or app of the person/people you are chatting with.
- Open Discord and go to User Settings
- Select Voice and Video
- Press the purple button to do a Mic Test
- Discord will prompt you to record a sample in the microphone and then play it back to you
If you can hear it when it is played back, this suggests that the problem actually lies with the person or people you are talking to. If this is the case, then they will have to fix the issue at their end.
Disconnect and then reconnect your microphone
Sometimes the issue is just a poor connection with the microphone. Go to the back of your computer (or wherever your mic plugs in), disconnect it and then reconnect it.
Try chatting on the app or performing a mic test and see if you still have a problem.
Log out of Discord and close the app
Log out and then close the Discord app. Re-open it and see if this fixes the issue. Sometimes minor bugs can cause an input device, such as a microphone to stop working. A simple restart can resolve the issue.
- Find User Settings again and click Logout on the menu
- Allow the app to complete your log out and then close the app
- Relaunch the app
After the Discord app has restarted try chatting or performing a mic test and see if you still have an issue.
Restart your computer
Restarting your computer (or another device) may fix the issue if it’s caused by a minor bug on your computer.
- Logout and close discord following the instructions above
- Restart your computer
- Relaunch the app
Once again, try chatting or performing a mic test and see if this resolves your issues.
The Main Fixes
Option #1: Check that Discord is allowed to use your microphone
The Discord mic not working can be caused by the settings on your computer/device not allowing apps to access your microphone. Our first full fix is to check that Discord is allowed to use your microphone.
On Windows 10
- Search for Settings in the search bar and go to Privacy
- Go to App Permissions on the left hand side and then go to Microphone
- There is a toggle switch under Allow Apps to Access your Microphone
- Make sure this is turned On
On Apple Devices
- Go to the Apple menu and select System Preferences
- Click on Security and Privacy
- Click on Privacy and then Microphone
- There will be a tick box next to the Discord app. Make sure this is selected.
After you have done this, open Discord again and try voice video chatting or carrying out a mic test and see if it works.
Option #2: Check that Discord is using the correct microphone
If the settings on Discord are wrong, it may be using the wrong microphone. If you have plugged in an external microphone, it won’t always automatically use it. Follow the following process step by step to find out if Discord is just using the wrong microphone.
- Go to User Settings (the cogwheel icon in the bottom left corner)
- Go to App Settings and then choose Voice and Video
- Click on Input Device and next a drop down menu will appear
- From the menu choose the microphone that you would like to use
- While you are there ensure that it works to its optimum capacity by moving the input volume slider fully to the right. This is the default position.
After you have finished this, try chatting or carrying out a mic test and see if the problem is solved.
Option #3: Check that you are using the right input and output devices
One simple cause of the Discord mic not working could be that you have the wrong input and output devices selected on Discord. This can be changed in Voice Settings on Discord.
- Go to User Settings on Discord
- Go to App Settings and then Voice and Video
- On the right-hand side of the screen, there is a drop-down menu for input device and one for the output device
- Make sure that your microphone is set as the input device and your speakers are set as the output device
Try another voice video chat again or do a mic test and see if you still have a problem.
Option #4: Check for hardware problems
It’s worth checking your input device and other hardware to make sure there is not a problem with this.
- Re-check the connection between your microphone (or another input device) and your computer and make sure it’s okay
- If you are listening on headphones, check that they aren’t the issue. Try alternative headphones and see if they work better
- Make sure there is not a mute button on your microphone which has been pressed by mistake
Try a voice video chat again or do a mic test and see if the problem is solved
Option #5: Reset voice settings on Discord
Reset voice settings to see an error here is causing your mic not to work.
- Go to User Settings on Discord
- Go to Voice and Video
- Click on reset voice settings and then click okay
- Allow the process to finish
Try carrying out a mic test or chatting on Discord to see if the problem is solved with the reset voice settings fix.
Option #6: Run Discord as an administrator
Sometimes the Discord mic not working can be solved by starting the app and choosing run as administrator. This can override minor bugs affecting the Discord microphone.
- Logout of Discord and close it
- Find the Discord shortcut icon (this is usually on your desktop)
- Right-click on it and choose Run as Administrator
The program should start as normal. Try chatting or doing a mic test and see if the problem is solved.
Option #7: Enable automatic input sensitivity on Discord
If automatic input sensitivity is disabled in the app settings this may be the cause of the mic not working. This can be changed in the voice settings on Discord.
- Go to User settings on Discord
- Go to App Settings and then Voice and Video
- Down the page, you will see the Input Sensitivity box
- There is a toggle switch next to Automatically Determine Input Sensitivity
- Make sure this is turned on
Below this toggle switch, you will also see an input sensitivity meter. The input sensitivity meter has a green bar indicating the strength of the signal from your microphone. Try speaking into it. If the green bar moves this indicates that the automatic input sensitivity feature is working.
Return to Discord and have a voice video chat or do a mic test and see if this fix works.
Option #8: Update your audio drivers on your computer
The next thing to do is update your audio drivers. If one driver or some of your drivers are out of date, then update them to the latest drivers. You will have to find out who the manufacturer of your audio card or motherboard is and visit their website to download an update.
This is often done automatically by your device, but it’s worth checking this isn’t causing the issue.
Option #9: Contact Discord
If none of the above fixes work, we suggest that you contact Discord for further advice. Discord may be able to resolve the issue for you and are the best people to go to if the fixes we have suggested haven’t worked.
We hope that this article has resolved your Discord mic not working issue and you are back on Discord and are able to talk and hear the audio in a voice video chat again. If you have this issue again come back here and see if any of our other fixes work.
