Despite the premium features and excellent hardware, there are still some issues which worry the users. One of these issues includes the Microphone not working in Mac computers. The microphone either doesn’t work at all, works only for some applications or works sparingly without any concrete guarantee.
What causes Mac’s Microphone not to Work?
After taking into account numerous user cases and surveys and combining the results with our own personal investigation, we came up with a list of causes as to why the microphone might not be working as expected. All of these causes might not be applicable to you but the fixes are. In this article, we will cover all the reasons as to why this issue might occur, what the possible causes are and what you can do to fix it. Make sure that you follow the solutions starting with the first one and work your way down accordingly. They are listed according to the level of difficulty and usefulness. Also, make sure that you save your work before proceeding as we will be turning off the computer again and again and might even reset some configurations.
Solution 1: Checking Application Permissions
If you are using an application and noticing that your voice isn’t getting transmitted properly or isn’t transmitting at all, there is a chance that the specific application isn’t granted enough permissions in your Mac computer. macOS has a permissions page in settings where it lets users control which applications have access to the computer’s microphone and camera. In this solution, we will navigate to your settings and make sure that the application has proper permissions to get all its modules to work as expected. Note: If you cannot make changes, you need to click the lock button at the bottom of the small window and enter your credentials to change the settings.
Solution 2: Checking Application Input Level
Before we move on in testing the microphone, you should make sure that your application’s microphone settings are set in the correct configuration. Each application has its own sound and microphone settings which allows users to change the input level as well as the speaker level. There are also settings present such as Push to talk or Voice Activity. Our point is that each application has its own settings and you need to explore yourself and make sure the microphone is set properly. Once you are absolutely sure that there no issue from the application side and all the settings are set correctly, you can move on.
Solution 3: Adjusting Input Volume
First things first, you should check whether the input volume of your microphone in your Mac computer is set to acceptable levels. The input level signifies the level at which the computer will ‘read’ and transmit the voice levels. For example, if you have a low input level set, your voice might be very faint or distorted. If you set very high input levels, your voice might be very loud and will disturb the listeners. Finding the right balance is the key in a good microphone volume. In this solution, we will navigate to your Mac settings and adjust the input volume so the optimal sound is transmitted. Note: If you have any additional microphones connected to your computer and are having issues in getting a sound through them, you can select them and then adjust their input levels as well.
Solution 4: Disabling Ambient Noise Reduction
Mac computers have an option which reduces unwanted ambient sounds and active noise. Even though active noise might not be up to the standard of professional headphones, it still makes a difference. Usually, the option of ambient noise reduction is enabled by default in Mac computers. This feature might seem useful but we got several user reports which stated that it was conflicting with their microphone’s normal noise input where it was either too dim or sometimes the voice refused to be transmitted at all. Here in this solution, we will navigate to Sound settings and disable the option.
Solution 5: Turning on Dictation
Mac computers have a nifty feature of dictation where your spoken words get converted into text whenever you need them to be. This is very useful for writers and is used a lot in corporate environments. Even though this feature is not related to the microphone not working, we found out that enabling Dictation caused Mac computers to download specific audio drivers. These audio drivers seem to fix the microphone not working condition. When you enable dictation, the drivers are automatically queued, downloaded, and installed.
Solution 6: Disconnecting third-party peripherals
If all the above methods don’t work, we will troubleshoot whether the issue is because of third-party peripherals connected to your computer. This might seem odd but we found that third-party peripherals can cause conflicts with the Mac operating system. Many users reported that disconnecting all peripherals and restarting their system solved the problem instantly. Here, peripherals also include any additional microphone or headphones connected to your computer. This also includes mice and keyboard. Disconnect each and every peripheral and then check whether the microphone is registered on not.
Solution 7: Resetting PRAM or NVRAM
NVRAM (also known as Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory) is a small block of memory which is used by your Mac computer to store specific settings so it can access them later on. PRAM (Parameter RAM) is basically the same thing and both memories can be reset using the same method. All your configurations are stored here and if there is any issue in them (they are corrupt or incomplete), we can try resetting so all everything is set to default. Note: In some cases, some temporary or customizable configurations will be lost so make sure you know how to revert them. Save all your work before proceeding. In some Mac computers, you will hear a startup sound the second time (the first time will come when you just opened your Mac before pressing the keys). When you hear the second startup sound, release the keys. In other Mac computers where there is Apple T2 Security Chip, you can release the keys after the Apple Logo appears and disappears the second time.
Solution 8: Creating a new User Account
If all the above methods don’t seem to solve the problem, you should consider creating a new user account. Normally, user accounts in Mac computers don’t get corrupt or have issues. However, there are exceptions where this happens and creating a new account will help diagnose the problem. Here, we will first create a new account and check. If the microphone is working properly, this means that there is no physical problem and the issue can most likely be solved using the methods below. If it doesn’t, you can consider moving your data to this account.
Solution 9: Resetting the SMC (for Intel-based machines)
The SMC in your Mac machine is responsible for several functions including battery management, thermal management, keyboard backlighting, etc. According to the official Apple website, you might need to reset the SMC if you experience any bizarre behavior or issues in your Mac machine which includes the microphone not working properly. Now there are several variations through which you need to reset the SMC. These variations include the computer having a battery or not or it has the new T2 security chip. In this method, we will go over how to reset the SMC for normal Mac computers. You can navigate to Apple’s official website to get methods on how to reset the T2 security chip.
Resetting SMC on Mac Notebook (non-removable battery)
This solution is targeted towards newer machines in which you cannot remove the battery. Note: If you have a Touch ID, the Touch ID is also the power button.
Resetting SMC on Mac Notebooks (removable battery)
Earlier models of Mac machines had the option to remove the battery while the newer models do not. This is targeted towards older machines. Here, we will simply power cycling the machine.
Solution 10: Checking for Physical Damage/Obstruction
If all the above methods don’t work out, there are chances that your microphone is physically damaged. Microphones usually get physically damaged if some object (including pins) are inserted to clean the area. The microphone might also not work if it is physically obscured. We came across several use cases where the microphone was obscured by tapes and other objects which caused the machine not to pick the sound. Here, you should get your computer checked by a verified technician. If you have a warranty, consider going to an Apple store. They will analyze your computer and guide you accordingly. Before making the trip, you can launch the Apple support website and talk to the support group.
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