Green Room

Fix · FaceTime on a Mac

FaceTime microphone not working? Fix it on your Mac.

FaceTime has its own mic choice and its own Mic Mode. If either is off, people hear nothing, or hear the room instead of you.

Quick check first: Try the free mic test. If the meter moves, your mic works and the fix is in FaceTime (steps 1 to 3). If not, start with the Mac checks.

Fix it in FaceTime

  1. Pick the mic from the Video menu.In FaceTime, open the Video menu and choose your microphone. Use System Setting follows whatever is set in System Settings › Sound.
  2. Unmute.During a call, check the mute button in the FaceTime window. A muted call sends no sound at all.
  3. Check Mic Mode.During a call, click the Video button in the menu bar, then the arrow next to Mic Mode. Voice Isolation keeps your voice and cuts the room. Wide Spectrum lets everything in. Standard is the normal setting.

Mic Mode needs a 2018 or later Mac

Apple says Mic Modes are on Mac models from 2018 and later, and only show up in apps that support them.

Then check your Mac

If FaceTime looks right and the microphone still doesn't work, go through these in order.

  1. Check your Mac's input.Open System Settings › Sound and click Input. Select your mic, make sure the Input volume slider isn't at zero, and watch the level move when you talk.
  2. Check the mic itself.Look for a mute button, a mute light, or a gain knob turned all the way down. Unplug a USB mic and plug it back in, try another port, and skip the hub if you can.
  3. Watch for Bluetooth call mode.When FaceTime turns on the mic in AirPods or another Bluetooth headset, the headset switches to call mode and your voice drops to phone quality. If you sound muffled, use your Mac's mic or a USB mic, and keep the headset for listening.

Test it outside FaceTime

The free microphone test runs in your browser, with nothing to install. If your microphone works there, your Mac and the hardware are fine, and the fix is in FaceTime's settings above.

Microphone testLive meter, then hear yourself back. Webcam testLive preview, resolution, frame rate, and lighting. Speaker testLeft, right, and a sweep to check every speaker.

On a Mac? See which mic FaceTime is really using.

FaceTime keeps its own mic choice, so your Mac can look right while the call uses the wrong one. Green Room shows which app has each mic open, and warns you when FaceTime isn't using your setup. One click switches your Mac back, and it flags a mic that's muted, at zero, or silent. Free, with no account.

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Questions

How do I change the mic in FaceTime on a Mac?

Open FaceTime, click the Video menu, and choose a microphone, or Use System Setting.

Why do people hear background noise on my FaceTime calls?

Mic Mode may be on Wide Spectrum. During a call, click the Video button in the menu bar and choose Voice Isolation under Mic Mode.

Where is Mic Mode on a Mac?

During a FaceTime call, click the Video button in the menu bar, then the arrow next to Mic Mode.

Other fixes

FaceTime camera not workingFaceTime picks a camera for you. FaceTime audio not workingFaceTime can play to its own output, separate from the rest of your Mac. Zoom microphone not workingWhen nobody can hear you, it's usually one of four things: Zoom never joined audio, it's using the wrong mic, you're muted, or macOS is blocking zoom.us. Teams microphone not workingTeams can be muted in three places at once: the meeting, your headset, and macOS. Google Meet mic not workingMeet hears your mic only if the site, the browser, and your Mac all allow it. Discord mic not workingDiscord's mic can pass its own test and still send nothing, because Push to Talk or input sensitivity decides when you're heard.

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