You said something and nobody heard you. Or the levels bar in your video call app sat dead while you talked. Before you dig into app settings or order a replacement, run the browser mic test. It takes thirty seconds and tells you whether the problem is the microphone itself, your OS audio settings, or just an app permission.
Run the test first
Open the microphone test and click the button to start. Your browser will ask for permission to use the microphone. Click Allow. Speak at normal volume and watch the level meter and waveform.
If the waveform moves as you talk, your mic and OS are fine. Whatever’s silent is one app blocking access or using the wrong device. If nothing moves, the issue is at the OS or hardware layer.
Read the level meter
A healthy recording level sits in the middle of the meter. Not pinned at the top, not hovering near the bottom.
Too quiet. The bar barely moves when you shout. First check that you have the right device selected. Click the device dropdown in the test and see if there’s a second microphone listed. Headset mics often appear as a separate entry from the built-in one. If the level is still low after switching, open your OS audio input settings and drag the input gain up.
Clipping. The bar slams to the top and the waveform looks like a flat-topped square wave. Lower the input gain in your OS settings, or move the mic farther from your mouth. Clipping makes you sound like you’re talking through a wall of static on the other end. Fine to your own ear, unlistenable to the call.
Dead flat. No movement at all. Go through the steps in the next section.
Fix a mic that shows no signal
Work through these in order. Each step confirms or eliminates one layer.
1. Re-check the browser permission. The level bar stays flat if the browser was denied access to the mic, even if you clicked Allow before. Look for a camera or microphone icon in your browser’s address bar. If it shows a blocked symbol, click it, change the setting to Allow, and reload the page.
2. Check the OS privacy settings. On Windows 11, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone, and make sure microphone access is on and that your browser is listed. On macOS, open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone, and confirm your browser has a checkmark. These settings override browser permissions. If the OS blocks the mic, no browser test or app will see it.
3. Confirm the right input device is selected. Check which input device is active in OS settings. Plug-in headsets, USB mics, and built-in mics all register as separate entries. Set the one you’re using as the default, then reload the test.
4. Check the physical connection. For a USB mic, try a different port directly on the machine rather than through a hub. For a 3.5mm mic, make sure the plug is fully seated, and try a different jack if your machine has more than one. Some laptops have a combined headset jack that expects a four-pole TRRS connector. A standard three-pole mic plug won’t work.
5. Restart the audio service. On Windows, open the Services app, find Windows Audio, right-click, and choose Restart. On macOS, the equivalent is quitting and relaunching Core Audio via Activity Monitor. This clears stale device states without a full reboot.
It works in the browser but not in your app
If the waveform shows a healthy signal in the test but your video call app still shows nothing, the problem is isolated to that app.
Open the app’s audio settings and confirm it’s set to use the same device the OS uses as default. Discord, Zoom, and OBS all have their own device selectors, and they don’t always follow OS changes automatically. Set the device explicitly rather than leaving it on “default.”
Also check that the app has mic permission. On Windows, some apps installed before you changed that setting may not have access. Go back to Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone and look for the app in the “Let desktop apps access your microphone” list.
Check the other half of your audio chain
A microphone and a speaker (or headphone) are two ends of the same setup. If your mic test passes but your headphones have issues, run the speaker and headphone test to check the output side. If you want to know whether your mic picks up the full frequency range, open the tone generator, play a sweep from 20 Hz to 20 kHz through your headphones while speaking into the mic, and watch whether the waveform level holds across the range.