Microphone is not working

Question

Microphone is not working

Milo Wiltbank 0

My microphone is not working when I try to record in powerpoint.

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi, I'm Bernard. I'm happy to help!

Kindly try using the Recorder app just to check if the issue is only in your PowerPoint app and not on the PC. If that works on the Recorder app, kindly check the microphone permission:

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Turn on Microphone access for PowerPoint ot all Office apps.

If the microphone is not working in the Recorder app or in all apps, kindly follow the steps below:

Method 1. Run Audio troubleshooter:

Press the Windows Key + R, then type in:

msdt.exe /id AudioPlaybackDiagnostic

Then hit OK and follow the prompts to run the Audio Troubleshooter.

Method 2. Roll back the Microphone driver:

-Press the Windows key + X

-Go to Device Manager

-Expand Audio inputs and Outputs

-Look for your Microphone

-Right-click and click Update Driver

-Select Browse my computer for drivers

-Click Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer

-Choose an old driver or another driver name, then select it and hit Next until it installs.

Method 3. Roll back the audio driver:

-Press the Windows key + X

-Go to Device Manager

-Expand Sound, video and game controllers

-Look for Realtek (R) Audio or High Definition Audio

-Right-click and click Update Driver

-Select Browse my computer for drivers

-Click Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer

-Choose an old driver or another driver name, then select it and hit Next until it installs.

Note: If the issue persists, please download and install a Microphone and Audio driver from your manufacturer's website.

Answer 2

Try these PowerPoint and Windows checks in order:

Confirm Dictate/recording is supported
- In PowerPoint on Windows, Dictate requires Windows 10 or later.
- Dictate is not available in Office 2016 or 2019 without Microsoft 365.
- If the Dictate button is missing, verify that PowerPoint is signed in with an active Microsoft 365 subscription.
Check whether the file is read-only
- If the Dictate button is grayed out, make sure the presentation is not opened as Read-Only.
Make sure the microphone is available to PowerPoint
- Close other apps or browser pages that might be using the microphone.
- If PowerPoint shows We don’t have access to your microphone, this is often caused by another app using it.
Test the microphone in Windows
- Make sure the microphone is plugged in and not muted.
- In Windows 10, go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
- Under Input, make sure the correct microphone is selected in Choose your input device.
- Speak into the mic and check Test your microphone. If the line moves, Windows is detecting sound.
Increase microphone input level
- In Start > Settings > System > Sound, select the microphone, then open Device Properties.
- On the Levels tab of Microphone Properties, adjust Microphone and Microphone Boost.
If PowerPoint says it cannot detect or hear the microphone
- Move to a quieter location.
- Adjust the microphone input level.
- If using the built-in microphone, try a headset or external microphone.
If Windows is not detecting the microphone at all
- Open Device Manager.
- Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Uninstall the audio device, restart the PC, then let Windows reinstall it.
- After restart, return to Device Manager and update the audio driver.
- Caution: uninstalling audio devices changes driver configuration until Windows reinstalls them.
If this started recently only in PowerPoint recording
- There is a documented case where PowerPoint recording microphone availability was caused by a product issue, and a fix was released gradually. Restarting PowerPoint enabled the fix after it was delivered.