Discord Mic Test

Is it your mic or Discord?

Press Start Mic Test above and talk. The result tells you where to look.

• The waveform moves and the status says “Your mic is working”: your mic and system are fine, so the problem is inside Discord. Skip to Discord’s voice settings.
• The status says “No sound detected”: the browser found a microphone but hears silence. Check the mute switch, input volume and connection with ourno-sound checklist.
• You see an error, or the browser never asks for permission: the microphone is blocked or missing at the system level. Follow how to allow microphone access, then test again.
• It works but sounds wrong: record 10 seconds and read theRecording check. If it says “Your voice is quiet” or “Background noise is close to your voice”, fix that first. Discord starts from the same signal.

Note the name in the Device field of the details panel. That is the microphone Discord should use.

Check Discord’s voice settings on desktop

When the test works here, the cause is usually one of these. Click the cogwheel next to your name in the bottom-left corner to open User Settings, then choose Voice & Video.

1. Input Device. Select the microphone named in our Device field. “Default” uses your system’s default input. That can be a webcam mic or a headset you aren’t wearing.
2. Input Volume. Make sure the slider hasn’t been dragged down to zero.
3. Mic Test. Click Let’s Check and talk. Discord plays your voice back through your output device. If you run it while connected to a voice channel, Discord mutes and deafens you until the test ends.
4. Input Mode. Voice Activity sends your voice whenever you speak. Push to Talk sends nothing until you hold the shortcut key. If Push to Talk is on and no key is set, nobody hears you. Set one with the Edit Keybind button or switch back to Voice Activity.
5. Input Sensitivity. With Voice Activity, Discord only transmits sound above a threshold. Turn on Automatically determine input sensitivity, or turn it off and drag the marker yourself. The bar should stay in the yellow part while you’re silent and pass the marker when you speak softly. Discord’sguide to input modesrecommends the manual slider if your voice cuts off at the end of sentences.
6. Voice processing. Discord applies its own Noise Suppression (where you choose Krisp), echo cancellation and automatic gain control. If you sound robotic or muffled, turn them off one at a time and run Let’s Check after each change.
7. Reset Voice and Video Settings. This button on the Debugging tab puts everything back to default, including settings you changed and forgot about.

Still silent? Quit Discord fully from the system tray or menu bar and reopen it. On Windows, Discord also suggests switching Audio Subsystem, near the bottom of Voice & Video, between Standard and Legacy. Itsvoice and video troubleshooting guidelists further steps.

Self mute, deafen and server mute

A slash through the mic or headphone icon next to your name means it’s off.

• Self mute turns off your microphone. Click the mic icon to unmute.
• Deafen turns off all incoming sound and mutes your mic as well. Click the headphone icon to undo both.
• Server mute is set by a moderator in that server. Only an admin or the server owner can lift it.

If your mic works in one server but not another, your role may lack the Speakpermission in that channel. Ask an admin to check.

Let Discord use the microphone on Windows and Mac

The Discord app needs its own permission from your operating system. Check it even if this test works.

• Windows 11: open Settings › Privacy & security › Microphone. Turn onMicrophone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone. The installed Discord app counts as a desktop app.
• Mac: choose Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone and turn on Discord. On macOS 12 Monterey or earlier, use System Preferences › Security & Privacy › Privacy › Microphone. Quit and reopen Discord after you change it.

On a Mac each app has its own switch. Your browser can be allowed while Discord stays blocked.

Using Discord in a browser

Browsers grant microphone access site by site. Allowing this page does not allow discord.com. In Chrome or Edge, open discord.com, click the icon to the left of the address bar and set Microphone to Allow. Then reload and join a voice channel.

Push to Talk in the browser only works while the Discord tab has focus. Click into a game and your key stops working.

Discord on iPhone and Android

Discord’s Mic Test only exists on desktop and in the browser. On a phone, run this page in Safari or Chrome instead. Then give the Discord app its own permission:

• iPhone and iPad: Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone, then turn on Discord.
• Android: Settings › Apps › Discord › Permissions › Microphone, then chooseAllow only while using the app. Menu names vary a little between phone makers.

Inside the app, tap your avatar in the bottom-right corner, tap the cogwheel, then tapVoice. Check the Input Mode, then try turning Auto Sensitivity, Noise Suppression, Echo Cancellation and Automatic Gain Control on and off one at a time.

When another app is holding the mic

On Windows, an app can take exclusive control of a microphone so no other app can use it. If this test fails while a game, call app or recording tool is open and works once you close it, that app is the cause.

To stop it, open Settings › System › Sound › More sound settings and go to the Recording tab. Right-click your mic and choose Properties. On the Advanced tab, untickAllow applications to take exclusive control of this device. Discord also suggests turning off optional microphone enhancements in the same window.

Bluetooth headsets in Discord

When a Bluetooth headset’s mic turns on, the headset switches to its hands-free profile. Your voice and everything you hear drop to phone-call quality. Discord notes this is a limit of the Bluetooth standard and affects every voice app.

Pick the headset as both the Input Device and the Output Device in Discord. On Windows the headset can appear twice, and the entry for calls (often labelled Hands-Free) is the one with the mic. Record 10 seconds with it selected here to hear the difference. A wired or USB microphone avoids the switch.

Hear how you sound before you join

Discord’s Let’s Check plays your voice back live. Here you can record 10 seconds and read the Recording check. “Sounds good” means a healthy level, no clipping and a quiet background.

Turn on Raw mode to hear your mic without the browser’s echo cancellation, noise suppression and auto gain. That shows how much background noise Discord’s filters will have to remove.Download saves the clip as a WAV file if a friend is helping you. Your audio stays on your device.

Last updated November 10, 2026