Don’t know how to test your microphone on your Windows computer? Don’t worry! You’ve come to the right place. It’s pretty easy. After reading this post, you should be able to test your mic quickly and easily!
There’re two methods to test your microphone
- Mic testing in Windows audio settings
- Mic testing with the built-in Voice Recorder app
- Bonus tip: How to fix microphone not working on your computer?
Method 1: Mic testing in Windows audio settings
In Windows audio settings, you can easily perform a mic testing. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Configure your microphone
If you never connect your microphone to your computer, you should configure it first; if not, just jump to Step 2 to see how to test a microphone that has already been installed.
To configure your microphone:
- On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog. Type control /name Microsoft.Sound and press Enter to open Windows sound settings.
- In the Windows audio settings window, navigate to the Recording tab, select the microphone you want to test and click Configure.
- Click Set up microphone.
- Select the correct type of your microphone and click Next.
- Follow the Microphone Setup Wizard to configure your microphone. Close the wizard when it completes.
Step 2: Test your microphone:
Follow the steps below to test your microphone in Windows audio settings:
- Right-click the speaker icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen, then select Sounds.
- Navigate to the Recording tab. Select the microphone you’re going to test, then try speaking into your microphone to test if it works properly. If it is, you should see some green in the bar on the right. Click OK to close the window after testing.
Method 2: Mic testing with the built-in Voice Recorder app
You can also test your microphone using the built-in Voice Recorder app in Windows 10. Here is how to do it:
- On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and type recorder. In the list of search results, click Voice Recorder to open it.
- Click the record icon to start recording. Try speaking into your microphone.
- Click the stop button to stop recording.
- Click the recording file to replay it. If your microphone is fine, you should be able to hear your voice clearly.
Bonus tip: How to fix microphone not working on your computer?
Don’t worry if your microphone is not working on your computer. One of the most common causes of this problem is an outdated or a faulty sound card driver.
There are two ways you can get the right drivers for your sound card: manually or automatically.
Manual driver update – You can update your sound card driver manually by going to the manufacturer’s website for your computer, and searching for the most recent correct driver. Be sure to choose only drivers that are compatible with your Windows version.
Automatic driver update – If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your sound card drivers manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for your exact sound card, and your Windows version, and it will download and install them correctly:
- Download and install Driver Easy.
- Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
- 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.
Alternatively if you’re comfortable manually installing drivers, you can click Update next to each flagged device in the free version to automatically download the correct driver. Once it’s downloaded, you can manually install it.