Green Room

Mac guide · macOS 14 Sonoma and later

Mac microphone not working? Fix it in order.

Most "they can't hear me" problems are one of a few settings. Start at the top: each step takes under a minute.

Quick check first: open the free mic test and talk. If the meter moves there, the mic works and the problem is in one app's settings (step 6). If it doesn't move, keep reading from step 1.

Fix a Mac mic, step by step

  1. Pick the right input.Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Sound, then click Input. Select your mic in the list, speak, and watch the input level. If it's set to the wrong device, apps that follow your Mac's default will use the wrong mic too.
  2. Turn up the input volume.In the same Input pane, drag the Input volume slider up. At zero, the mic is connected but sends nothing. Some USB and digital mics ignore this slider; set them on the mic itself.
  3. Check the mic's own mute and gain.Many USB mics have a mute button, a tap-to-mute top, or a gain knob. A bumped knob is the most common reason a mic is "working" but silent.
  4. Give the app permission.Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone and turn on the app you're using (Zoom, Chrome, Safari, and so on). Quit and reopen the app after you change it. If you turned an app off, macOS asks again the next time it tries to use the mic.
  5. Reconnect it.Unplug the mic and plug it back in. Try another port, and skip the hub or dock if you can. If it doesn't appear in the Input list at all, your Mac doesn't see it, which points to the cable, the hub, or the port.
  6. Check the app's own mic setting.Zoom, Teams, and other call apps can keep their own mic choice instead of following your Mac. In Zoom, open Settings › Audio and choose your mic, or Same as System to follow your Mac. Then use its Test Mic button.
  7. Watch for Bluetooth call mode.When an app turns on the mic of AirPods or another Bluetooth headset, the headset switches to a two-way call mode and both your voice and what you hear drop to phone quality. To avoid it, keep the headset as your output and choose your Mac's built-in mic or a USB mic as the input.
  8. Restart your Mac.If the mic shows up but stays silent in every app, a restart clears a stuck audio system. Install any pending macOS updates while you're at it.

Is the mic in use right now?

When any app is using your microphone, macOS shows an orange recording indicator in the menu bar. Open Control Center to see which app it is. If the indicator is on but the person on the call hears nothing, the app is probably using a different mic than the one in front of you (step 6).

Test it again

Microphone testLive meter, then record 5 seconds and hear yourself. Test your mic on a MacThree ways, no app needed. Speaker testMake sure you can hear them, too.

What Green Room does automatically

Green Room is a free menu bar app that runs these checks for you, so you find out before the call instead of from the call.

  • Catches the silent mic. Under its live meter, it tells you when macOS has the mic muted, when its input volume is at zero, or when no sound has come in for five seconds.
  • Shows what your call is really using. It shows which app has each mic open, and warns you when Zoom or Meet is using a different mic than your setup.
  • Spots Bluetooth call mode. When an app drops AirPods into call mode, it tells you and offers your Mac's own mic instead.

When a mic you usually use goes missing, it also says why: not plugged in, plugged in but not working, or a Bluetooth device that isn't connected.

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