Green RoomMac guide · macOS 14 Sonoma and later
How to test your microphone on a Mac.
Three ways, from quickest to most thorough. None of them needs an app you don't already have.
Fastest: the free online mic test shows a live meter and plays back 5 seconds of you, so you hear how you sound, not just that the mic is on.
1. Watch the input level in System Settings
- Open Sound settings.Choose Apple menu › System Settings, then click Sound in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
- Pick your mic.Click Input and select your microphone in the list. Every input your Mac sees is listed here.
- Talk and watch the meter.Speak at your normal volume. The input level should move with your voice. If it barely moves, drag the Input volume slider up.
This tells you the mic is sending sound, but not how you sound. For that, record yourself.
2. Record yourself in QuickTime Player
- Start an audio recording.Open QuickTime Player from Applications and choose File › New Audio Recording.
- Choose the mic.Click the Options menu in the recording window and pick your microphone.
- Record and play it back.Click Record, say a few sentences, click Stop, and play it. Listen for hiss, echo, or a far-away sound.
You can close the recording without saving it.
3. Use a free online mic test
Open the microphone test, click Start, and allow the mic. Pick your mic from the list, talk, and you'll get a plain answer: it works, it's too quiet, it's too loud, or no sound is coming in. Then record 5 seconds and it plays right back. It runs in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.
If the browser can't use the mic, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone and turn on your browser.
Testing for a Zoom call?
Zoom can keep its own mic choice instead of following your Mac. In Zoom, open Settings › Audio, check which microphone is selected (or choose Same as System), and click Test Mic. Speak, then listen to the playback.
The meter doesn't move?
Check the mic's own mute button and gain knob first, then unplug it and plug it back in. The full list is in Mac microphone not working.
What Green Room does automatically
Green Room is a free menu bar app that puts this test one click from the clock, and checks again when something changes.
- A live mic meter in the menu bar. Click the icon to see which mic your Mac is using and watch it move.
- Hear yourself back. Record five seconds and hear them played back. Nothing is saved.
- Warnings before the call. It tells you when the mic is muted, its input volume is at zero, no sound is coming in, or a call app is using a different mic than your setup.