One of the most annoying things when playing games is the microphone stops working suddenly and you can’t talk to your teammates. If you’re running into the Rust mic not working issue, you’re not alone. There have been increasing complaints about it. So in this post, we’ve collected 5 simple and helpful fixes. Try them to get your voice chat back to work.
Fixes to try:
You don’t need to try them all. Simply work from the top down until you find the one that does the trick.
- Allow access to your microphone
- Check the sound settings
- Configure the in-game mic settings
- Update your audio driver
- Verify the integrity of the game files
Before you try the more complicated fixes, please make sure your microphone is not physically damaged, the USB port in use is intact, and the connection is tight and secure.
Fix 1 – Allow access to your microphone
This type of in-game audio issue will occur if Rust is restricted from accessing your microphone. To allow the necessary permission for Rust, you can follow the steps here:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I at the same time to open the Windows settings menu.
2) Select Privacy.
3) Select Microphone on the left pane. Then, click the Change button, and make sure Microphone access for this device is turned on.
4) Scroll down and toggle on Allow apps to access your microphone.
5) Scroll to Allow desktop apps to access your microphone and toggle on the button below.
Restart the game and test your mic again. If the issue persists, proceed to the second fix.
Fix 2 – Check the sound settings
In most cases, your headset microphone will be set as the default input device once it’s connected. However, if the sound settings are somehow messed up, the microphone will malfunction, and you need to tweak the settings manually.
1) At the bottom right corner of your computer screen, right-click the speaker icon and click Sounds.
2) Navigate to the Recording tab. Then, right-click the microphone you don’t use and click Disable one by one.
3) Select the microphone you’re using and click Set Default.
4) Click your microphone and click Properties.
5) Go to the Levels tab, make sure it’s not muted and drag the microphone volume slider to the max.
6) Click OK to apply the changes.
Now check whether you can use the microphone in Rust or not. If not, try the next method.
Fix 3 – Configure the in-game mic settings
To make your microphone work properly, you need to set it as the default device not only on your PC but also in Rust. Here is how to configure your in-game sound settings appropriately:
1) While in-game, press the Shift key and Tab on your keyboard at the same time to open the Steam friend list. Then, click the cogwheel icon at the upper right corner.
2) Select the Voice tab in the left pane, and set the microphone you’re actually using as the Voice Input Device.
So the setup is all correct now. If the microphone still refuses to work, the problem might be driver-related, and you could try the next method below.
Fix 4 – Update your audio driver
The Rust mic not working issue may indicate your audio driver is faulty or outdated. To make your headset microphone run in tip-top condition, you should keep the audio driver up-to-date at all times.
You can search for the most recent audio driver from the website of your device manufacturers. But if you don’t have the time, patience or skills to update the driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct driver for your sound card and your Windows version, and it will download and install them correctly:
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the Update button next to the flagged audio driver to automatically download the correct version of that driver, then you can manually install it (you can do this with the FREE version).
Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
If you need assistance, please contact Driver Easy’s support team at support@drivereasy.com.
To gain an advanced gaming experience with smooth audio and increased visual quality, you should update all the device drivers regularly. If this doesn’t help your case, there is the last fix to try.
Fix 5 – Verify the integrity of game files
Missing or corrupted game files will lead to a variety of game issues including the Rust mic not working. Luckily, Steam can automatically scan and repair the game files by a few easy steps.
1) Open your Steam client and go to the Library tab.
2) Right-click Rust from the game list and click Properties.
3) Navigate to the Local Files tab and click Verify Integrity of Game Files.
Wait a few minutes for the process to complete and then restart Rust. You should find the in-game voice chat returns to the normal state.
Hopefully one of the fixes above resolves your Rust mic not working problem. If you have any questions or suggestions or want to share your troubleshooting experience, feel free to leave a comment below.