Windows microphone settings 8.1

Find a quick solution to your microphone connection problem in Windows 8.1

First, Microsoft released Windows 8.1 to be an extension of Windows 8, including better features and security. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you update your Windows 8 to version 8.1 if you have not done so already. Below is a list of the most common situations you might be experiencing. Simply find the one that relates to your case. This will take you to the corresponding solution.

1:Check if your microphone is set correctly.

2:You can see the green bars moving, but your computer still does not detect your voice.

3:Your microphone is detected but no green bars appear when you speak.

4:Your microphone is not listed.

5:Audio Driver Issue: Troubleshooter

6:Audio driver issue: Manual installation option.

If you are not sure, just follow our guide and at some point your problem should be resolved.

1: Check if your microphone is set correctly.

Step 1: Move your mouse cursor to the top right corner, and move it down to bring up the right panel. Click Settings.

Step 2: Click Control Panel.

Step 3: Once the control panel window has opened, click on Hardware and Sound.

Step 4: Click Sound to open the sound control center.

Step 5: Now click on the Recording Devices tab to see a list of your microphones.

Step 6: You will now see a list of your recording devices. Try speaking into the microphone and watch for green bars going up and down as you speak.

If you see the green bars moving when you speak, it means your microphone is set up correctly!

2: You can see the green bars moving, but your computer still does not detect your voice.

If your microphone shows the green bars, but still does not capture your voice, it means that your microphone is working properly, but the computer cannot recognize it as its default recording device.

Therefore, you will have to configure it yourself, by right clicking on it, and then clicking on Set as default device, this way your computer will consider it from now on as the main microphone when recording.

If the green bars move when you speak into the microphone but your computer does not recognize your voice, it may mean that your microphone is working but is not set as your default recording device.

To set it as your default device, simply right-click on your device and select Set as default device. Your computer will consider it from now on as the main microphone when recording.

3: Your microphone is detected but no green bars appear when you speak.

Try to recognize which of the listed devices is your microphone, and apply the following instructions with it. If that doesn't work, or you're not sure what your microphone is, apply the instructions to all devices one by one.

Step 1: Right click on your microphone and select Set as default device. Please note that if you only have one recording device listed, it will be set as default and you will not be able to see the option, in this case, please continue to the next step.

Step 2: Double click on the device and in the window that appears, click on the Levels tab.

Step 3: Drag the microphone handle all the way to the right until the level is at “100.” Drag the microphone amplifier up from average, perhaps to maximum if necessary.

Step 4: Now click on the Advanced tab and uncheck the Allow apps to take exclusive control of this device option. This will ensure that no app is taking control of your microphone and muting it on purpose. After this, click on apply and then accept.

Step 5: Now check again for green bars moving when you talk into the microphone. If so, your microphone is now set up correctly.

If your microphone doesn't work in a specific program, you'll know that Windows has set it up correctly and can "hear" your microphone, but the program you're using can't. (To check this, test your microphone with our microphone test tool - and you will be able to see if your browser detects input from your microphone)

Also, the program you are working with could be listening to the wrong microphone. Try exploring the audio settings and changing the default microphone. If you are still stuck, you should contact the support team to guide you through this setup.

4: Your microphone is not listed.

Step 1: Let's start by listing all your recording devices, even the disabled ones, by right-clicking on an empty space in the recording devices list, and enabling the Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices options.

If a new microphone is displayed, test by setting it as the default, and raising the level of both the microphone and amplifier as explained above.

5: Audio Driver Issue: Troubleshooter

Another possibility is that you have a problem with your audio driver. We can start by using the sound settings troubleshooter and if this does not work, we can reinstall the driver (see next case)

How to use the troubleshooter to resolve the issue:

Step 1: Open Control Panel from the right menu as we mentioned above.

Step 2: Type Troubleshooting in the search engine, and then click Troubleshooting.

Step 3: Now click on Fix sound recording problems.

Step 4: In the window that appears, click next to begin the troubleshooting process.

Step 5: Wait a while, it will take time depending on the number of recording devices you have.

Step 6: Now select the device you are having problems with and click Next. The screenshot represents an example case, you need to select your own device with the problem.

Continue with all the steps until you have completed the guide. And test your microphone again to see if your problem has been fixed.

6: Audio driver problem: Manual installation option.

If the troubleshooter option did not work, try following the steps below to manually update/install your audio driver.

Step 1: Open the control panel from the right menu as usual.

Step 2: Find and click on device manager.

Step 3: Once the device manager appears, open the Sound and video controllers and gaming devices section. Right click on High Definition Audio Device and then click Update Driver….

Step 4: Now choose the Scan my PC for drivers option.

Step 5: Below, you will find the option: Choose from a list of drivers available on your computer.

Step 6: Make sure to select Show Compatible Hardware, and then select High Definition Audio Device and finally click next.

Step 7: If you receive this warning, click OK. No need to worry, his microphone wasn't working anyway.

Step 8: That's it, the driver has been installed successfully. You can now click Close.

We recommend that you restart your computer after any driver changes, some will not work until you do.

Some final tips:

Make sure you are using the microphone/headset that is compatible with your device:

If you think the problem is with your sound card, or if you tried all the steps and nothing worked, you can purchase an external sound card that can be connected to your computer via USB and then connect your microphone to it.