Are you about to video call on Zoom and find your Zoom microphone not working? Is your Zoom app not picking up the microphone you have connected to? Are you inconveniencing everyone else because the call cannot proceed without your involvement? Don’t fret as we bring you our extensive guide on all microphone-related problems when you are using Zoom.
Covid 19 had brought our work lives to a stop in 2020. For months we couldn’t step outside and communicate in person. Education and businesses suffered heavy losses due to a lack in communication. Amidst all this confusion, video conference apps launched a new communication age, with Zoom spearheading the effort.
Many people were struggling to keep up with their work, and unemployment was at a high. However, Zoom allowed remote work and online education to become the norm. Losses of these institutions started reversing, and Zoom started to garner millions of downloads daily. Thus, the workload on their servers increased exponentially, resulting in problems including but not limiting to the Zoom microphone not working.
Why is my microphone not working on Zoom?
There can be several reasons why your mic is not working on Zoom. There are different factors and scenarios where this issue can take place, such as:
- You are unable to hear anyone, and others can’t hear you.
- You are able to hear others but they are unable to hear you.
- Other people can hear only distorted audio or echo in your speech.
Mic problems are almost always due to a malfunction on the user’s side or else a server wide problem would affect a large proportion of users. Zoom fixes any error from their side instantly.
Some reasons for your microphone not working on Zoom are:
- Your mic is on “mute” in the Zoom app.
- Your mic is muted in your device settings.
- Bugs in your device.
- Using an outdated version of Zoom.
- The meeting host has muted everyone.
- The wrong mic is selected in Zoom.
- The microphone may be damaged or has other hardware problems.
- Your device drivers are outdated.
The sea of issues may daunt you, but don’t worry because we’ll walk you through the whole troubleshooting process step-by-step in the next section.
How do I fix Zoom’s inability to detect a microphone?
Unmute your microphone
Majority of the time when in a situation like a class or work meeting or wherever there is some pressure, a person often forgets the simplest of things. Check and see if the mic in your app is muted on not. If somehow you cannot see the mic icon on your window screen, press the Ctrl and ‘E’ buttons at the same time to toggle it via the keyboard. Then unmute your mic.
Rejoin call with “Join Audio”
Zoom always asks its users if they would like to connect to the call with the “Join Audio” option. Zoom has added this option to support large meetings. Suppose a conference call allows only a few select members to speak while the majority would remain on mute. In that case, this option comes into play as it stops the viewers’ unnecessary and accidental audio leaks.
Try to rejoin the call and select “Join Audio” if you failed to press it last time. The option is also available at the bottom of the Zoom app.
Select the correct Zoom microphone
Your device can have multiple microphones connected and can be activated at a click. These include the integrated mics, the wired mic you have connected, and the mics that come inside the headphone or external camera that you are using.
At any given moment, only one mic can operate in Zoom. If you are using a mic that is not active in Zoom, your voice will not go over to the other end.
- Click the arrow button right beside the mic icon.
- Check your microphone connection here.
- Go to the Audio tab and press Test Mic.
- If you do not see the sound bars move, you should try changing the default mic in the scroll-down menu.
- Try these steps with multiple mics.
Whichever mic sparks the sound bars on the window, leave them connected and apply the changes.
Communicate with the meeting host
There may be times where the meeting host will mute all other participants. Online classes generally use this option. The teacher (who is usually the host), mutes and unmutes students if the situation requires. However, if you are in a situation where you need to speak and are unable to do so, ask the meeting host via Zoom’s messaging window to check whether they have muted you or not.
Final thoughts on Zoom microphone not working
If you still can’t get your microphone working, then it’s best to contact Zoom support. We hope this guide helped you to connect your microphone to Zoom. We also have support for other zoom errors like How To Fix Zoom Error Code 3038, Zoom Error Code 5003, and Why does my iPad keep Displaying Zoom Enabled? here.
