Mic too quiet? How to make your microphone louder on Windows, Mac and in apps

A quiet microphone usually comes down to one of three things: the mic is too far from your mouth or facing the wrong way, the volume is set low somewhere between the mic and the app, or an automatic setting is turning you down. Work through them in that order. Moving closer costs nothing and helps the most, because turning the volume up in software raises the background noise along with your voice.

First, find out where it's quiet

Run the mic test and talk the way you would on a call. Then match what you see to one of these:

• Quiet in the test too: the cause is the mic itself, where it sits, or your computer's input volume. Start with the next section.
• Fine in the test, quiet in one app: your mic and computer are fine. The app has its own volume or automatic gain turned down, so go to the app settings below.
• Quiet only to one person: the problem may be on their end, like a low speaker volume. Ask whether they hear everyone else clearly.

The mic test starts with Auto volume switched on, which is the browser's default. Switch it off to see your microphone's raw level, which is closer to what an app with automatic gain turned off receives.

Move the mic closer and point it at your mouth

Distance matters more than any setting. Sound spreads out as it travels, so every time you double the distance between your mouth and the mic, your voice arrives about 6 dB quieter. Background noise doesn't drop the same way, because it comes from all around the room. Moving closer makes you louder and clearer at once, while turning the volume up makes everything louder.

• Headset boom: bend it so the tip sits near the corner of your mouth, two or three fingers' width away and slightly to the side, so your breath doesn't hit it. Many boom mics only listen from one side: look for a small hole, grille or mark and turn it toward your mouth.
• USB microphone: check which way it listens. Many large USB mics, such as the Blue Yeti, are side-address: you talk into the front, the side with the logo, not into the top. Get close, about a hand's width away, and back off only if you sound boomy or your p's pop.
• Pattern switch: if your mic has one, choose cardioid (usually a heart-shaped symbol) for one person talking. The other patterns pick up more of the room and less of you.
• Laptop microphone: it's usually next to the camera or near the keyboard. Sit facing the screen rather than leaning back, and keep sleeves, cases and stickers off the small openings.

Raise the input volume on Windows 11

1. Open the microphone's settings. Go to Settings > System > Sound. Under Input, click the arrow next to your microphone to open its properties.
2. Raise Input volume. Drag the slider up, then press Start test under Input settings and talk to check the level.
3. Check it's the right microphone. Laptops often list several inputs, and a headset you plug in doesn't always become the one apps use. Make sure the mic you talk into is the one selected under Input.

Turn on Microphone Boost, if your driver has it

Some microphone drivers add an extra boost on top of the input volume. Windows 11 keeps it in the older sound settings: in Settings > System > Sound, choose More sound settings, open the Recording tab, double-click your microphone and look on the Levels tab for a Microphone Boost slider. It often comes in steps such as +10, +20 and +30 dB. Many USB microphones and headsets don't have one, and that's normal, not a fault.

Boost amplifies everything, hiss and background noise included, so use the smallest step that gets you to a good level, with Input volume high. If you start to sound harsh, it's too much. Some laptops also come with their maker's own audio app, which can have a separate microphone level or noise reduction. If the Windows settings look right and you're still quiet, check there.

Raise the input volume on a Mac

Open System Settings > Sound > Input, select your microphone and drag the Input volume slider to the right. Talk while you watch the input level below it.

macOS has no separate microphone boost. If the slider is greyed out or seems to do nothing, the microphone, usually a USB mic or an audio interface, doesn't let macOS set its level. Use the gain knob on the mic or interface instead. Some devices also show their level controls in Audio MIDI Setup, in Applications > Utilities.

Check the gain knob and mute switch on the mic

Many USB microphones, audio interfaces and headsets have their own gain knob or volume wheel. On most of them that gain is applied before the sound reaches your computer, so if it's low, raising the volume in Windows or macOS can only partly make up for it, and adds noise as it does.

• Gain knob: turn it up until your normal voice reaches a good level in the mic test, then fine-tune on the computer.
• Wheel on a headset cable: some control the microphone, others only the headphone volume. Turn it while you watch the meter to find out.
• Mute switch or flip-up boom: some headsets mute when you raise the boom, and a mute switch on the cable or ear cup is easy to knock. Check both.
• Detachable boom: push it all the way into its socket. One that's partly out can sound quiet or cut in and out.

A Bluetooth headset can also sound quiet and thin for a different reason: its call mode cuts the quality of the microphone. See why Bluetooth headset mics sound bad for the better setup.

Check auto gain and volume in your call app

Call apps add their own volume and an automatic gain that raises or lowers your level as you talk. Auto gain helps if you move around or speak softly, but in a noisy room it can treat the noise as speech and hold you down, and it can make your level pump up and down. Try it both ways.

• Discord: open User Settings > Voice & Video. Raise Input Volume, and try Automatic Gain Control on and off. If only your quiet words go missing, Discord's voice activity threshold is set too high: switch off the automatic input sensitivity and move the slider to the left.
• Zoom: open Settings > Audio. Untick Automatically adjust microphone volume to set the level yourself, then use the microphone test on the same page.
• Teams: in the audio settings under Settings > Devices, try Automatically adjust mic sensitivity on and off. If you're still quiet, raise the input volume in your computer's settings.
• Google Meet and other browser calls: these use your computer's input volume, so raise it in Windows or macOS.

For mute, device and permission checks in each app, see the fixes for Discord, Zoom, Teams, Google Meet and OBS.

Phone mic too quiet?

Phones don't have a microphone volume setting, so a quiet phone mic is nearly always something physical or the wrong microphone being used.

• Check the openings. Phones have more than one microphone, typically on the bottom edge and near the camera. A case that covers one, or lint packed into it, makes you quiet. Remove the case and clean the openings with a soft, dry brush.
• Watch your grip. On speaker and video calls, the phone may use a different microphone from a normal call. A finger over the bottom edge, or the phone lying flat on a soft surface, can muffle it.
• Disconnect earbuds to compare. Bluetooth earbuds take over the microphone, and their mics sit far from your mouth.
• Test it. The mic test works on phones too, or record a voice memo and play it back.

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