With its increasing popularity, Discord is now one of the most popular VoIP clients available. Many streamers use it as the default communication application, while non gamers also use it to watch streams and participate in various servers. Recently, many users have complained about the microphone error in the application, where they see Discord mic not working.
Here, I shall discuss how you can easily fix if you see Discord not detecting mic, or microphone not working.
Easily Troubleshoot Discord Microphone Not Working Error
Although the app development team at Discord is quick at fixing most of the bugs, the audio errors in the app creep up one after the another. While you wait for the official updates with the bug fixes, here are some simple solutions that you can try to fix this issue.
Note: Before trying the solutions, make sure that the microphone is not set to mute on Windows 10, and the discord application. Also, check for any physical damage, and connect it to another computer to check if the mic is working and not broken.
Solution 1: Change Your Default Input Microphone
Especially on laptops, if you are using an external mic, you will need to select the default input device to avoid issues such as Discord mic not working. Selecting audio input devices is actually very easy in Windows 10, and you can follow these steps for the same.
Solution 2: Log In Again
Cache data is a double-edged sword when it comes to online applications. Broken or corrupt cache data can lead to many errors, and may prevent you from communicating with your friends on the Discord application. To fix this, you can begin by reloading the application, using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + R.
If this does not fix the issue, the next thing you need to try is logging in again. Log out of Discord from the Settings section, and then log into the application using your login credentials. Now, locked up cache should be freed, and you should be able to communicate using the microphone.
Solution 3: Update Your Device Drivers
One of the next things you need to do is to make sure that you have installed the latest device drivers for your hardware. Since the drivers are responsible for communicating the commands between your devices, corrupt or missing drivers can lead to your microphone not being detected.
Update the device drivers, and check if the error persists. Discord should be able to detect your microphone, therefore solving your error.
Solution 4: Change Discord Settings
If you have more than one input device connected to your computer, Discord may detect all the devices using the drivers even if these devices are not actively connected to your computer. This may be the reason why is Discord not picking up mic. You can easily fix this by changing the input settings in the Discord application.
Follow these steps for the same:
- Open the Discord application on your computer.
- Click on the Settings icon on the top right corner.
This will open the App Settings section. - Under Voice & Video, change the input device using the drop down menu.
- After selecting the default devices, adjust the input volume for your microphone.
- Check if still Discord is not detecting mic.
Following this, your selected microphone should be used as the default input device, therefore solving your error.
Solution 5: Allow Access To Your Microphone
Once you have made sure that all the settings are configured correctly, check if the Discord application is allowed access to your microphone. This can be done via the Settings application, so follow these steps for the same:
- Open the Settings app. You can use the keyboard shortcut Win + I.
- Go to the Privacy section.
- From the left pane, scroll down and click on Microphone.
- In the right pane, click on the toggle next to the option that says, ‘Allow apps to access your microphone’.
Now, Discord will have the permissions to access your microphone, and you should be able to communicate with others over voice and video.
Solution 6: Toggle Automatic Gain Control
Discord has a feature that automatically adjusts the microphone volume according to the intensity of the audio source. However, if you turned this setting off, the microphone volume goes down to the least value by default. This means that the application will not receive any input from the microphone, and may be the reason why Discord not detecting mic.
Alternatively, the automatic input may malfunction if the connection drops at times, or due to other factors as well. Manual settings in this case allow more control over the audio settings, which should remove the bugs you face in automatic sensitivity mode.
To fix this, simply toggle the feature according to how you see fit. Follow these steps for the same:
- Open Discord App Settings section as shown in solution 4 above.
- Switch to the Voice & Video subsection from the menu options in the left.
- Navigate to the Voice Processing options.
- Toggle the ‘Automatic Gain Control’ feature according to your liking. When enabled, the sound bar under the option should glow green when you speak into the microphone.
- If you disable the option, make sure that the slider underneath is placed near the middle. You should see the bar animating as you speak into your microphone.
If enabled unintentionally, this may be the reason why you cannot talk to somebody on Discord. Alternatively, if it is disabled, you can try enabling it as a workaround. This will allow you to temporarily talk to your friends while you wait on the official fixes from Discord.
Solution 8: Reset Voice Settings
If the solutions above did not help you, as a last resort you can reset the voice settings to the default value. This will reset all your voice settings, and you can toggle them again to check which feature is causing the error on your computer. To reset voice settings, follow these steps:
- Open Discord App Settings section as shown in solution 4 above.
- Switch to the Voice & Video subsection from the menu options in the left.
- Scroll to the end of the page, and click on the following button:
Reset Voice Settings - Click on the Okay button to confirm the resetting.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know the course of action to troubleshoot if you see Discord mic not working. Comment below if you found this useful in solving Discord not detecting mic, and to discuss further the same.
militaryhistory1 says
my computer mic is working but discord’s mic says it can’t hear anything. it has worked in the past but now it won’t work, and yes i have tried ALL of the troubleshooting options you and the base discord settings have given me.
Eddy says
Same here. If someone has a solution. Please post it here.