Microphone doesn’t work on Mac try these 5 tips
Working from home is the new norm these days. Many companies like Shopify, Salesforce, Twitter, Spotify, and so on allow employees to do their business from home. During virtual meetings and conferences, it may happen that your device’s microphone does not work as expected. If you’re having trouble with your Mac’s microphone, read on.
The microphone on MAC does not work: what to do
The microphone not working properly on Mac could make a bad impression during a job interview or meeting. The guide below will walk you through various steps to find and fix the problem.
1. Configure the microphone settings
This is the most common way to fix the microphone problem on Mac.
Before using the microphone, you can check the microphone input level. If it’s too low, your Mac won’t pick up any sound.
Follow the steps below to configure the microphone settings from the System Preferences menu.
- Click the Apple icon on the menu bar and select System Preferences (in Applications or you can find via Siri or Spotlight Search). Then, click Sound in the Hardware group.
- Click Input from the tab at the top of the window. Now, click Internal Microphone in the device list to adjust the microphone settings for your Mac’s internal microphone or click the name of any external USB microphone you have installed.
- Slide the input volume slider to the right to maximize the microphone volume or slide the slider to the left to decrease the volume.
Close the audio settings window after adjusting the microphone.
2. Enable microphone permission
If you haven’t enabled microphone permission for an app, no matter how many times you try, you won’t be able to use the selected app’s microphone. Apple allows you to customize the microphone permission from the System Preferences menu.
Perform the following steps to make the necessary changes.
- Click the Apple icon on the menu bar and select System Preferences.
- Go to Security and Privacy> Microphone.
- Enable microphone permission for the apps you intend to use.
Now open the app where you are having trouble with the microphone and double check it.
3. Try enabling dictation
This method may or may not work for everyone. You may not know how this works, but some claim that enabling macOS’s dictation feature can help fix some internal microphone problems.
All Mac computers come with a dictation setting that takes over and starts things that activate the microphone and make it work again for text-to-speech functions.
Here’s how to enable it.
- Click the Apple logo in the upper left corner of your Mac’s menu bar.
- Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.
- Select Keyboard from the menu.
- Click the Dictation tab at the top of the window.
- Enable dictation.
This forces your Mac’s microphone to start working, even if another app is still causing problems.
4. Reset your MAC’s PRam
Your Mac’s Parameter RAM, or PRAM, stores all the load of your Mac’s settings, preventing the microphone from working properly. Resetting your PRAM can be the solution, if nothing else has solved the problem.
Here’s how it’s done.
- Turn off your Mac completely.
- Hold down the Cmd + Alt + P + R keys as you turn your Mac back on.
- Press and hold all buttons for 20 seconds.
- Release all keys and allow your Mac to restart normally.
Now try the microphone again and make sure it works. If it still doesn’t work, try the method below.
5. Restart your MAC in safe mode
It’s a simple but effective way to troubleshoot microphone problems. It is always a good idea to run Safe Mode. The method checks for some problems and disconnects the Mac in safe mode to fix the microphone problems.
Follow the steps below to restart your Mac in Safe Mode.
- Turn off your Mac.
- Immediately press the power button on your Mac and hold down the Shift key until the login screen appears.
- After that, you may want to type the password a couple of times and the Mac will boot into Safe Mode.
If none of the tricks work for you, it could be a hardware problem on your Mac. In these cases, you need to book an appointment at the nearest Apple store. If it fixed the microphone issue, let us know which tip worked for you in the comments.
