Voice Recorder Chrome extension

Microphone Not Working? Here’s How to Fix It

Work through these checks from the top. Test your microphone above after each one: the meter moves as soon as sound gets through.

Click the button and allow the microphone when your browser asks.

Level – Peak –

The test runs in your browser. Nothing is recorded or uploaded unless you play it back here.

1. Check the mute switch and the cable

Many headsets have a mute switch on the cable or the earcup, and many laptops have a mute key (often F4 or a key with a crossed-out microphone). A plugged-in headset may also be using a combined jack that needs the right adapter. Unplug and replug USB microphones, and try another port.

2. Allow the microphone in your browser

When a site asks for the microphone and you clicked Block, it stays blocked.

3. Allow the microphone in your system

4. Choose the right microphone

Your computer may be listening to a different microphone: a webcam’s, a monitor’s, or the laptop’s own while you speak into a headset.

5. Turn the input volume up

In the same sound settings, raise the input volume. In the mic test, normal speech should land between about −30 and −12 dB.

6. Close apps that hold the microphone

Video-call apps, recorders and some game launchers can keep the microphone busy. Close them and try again. A restart clears anything still holding it.

7. Update or reinstall the driver (Windows)

Open Device Manager › Audio inputs and outputs, right-click your microphone and choose Update driver. If that doesn’t help, choose Uninstall device and restart: Windows reinstalls it.

Still not working?

Try the microphone on another computer or phone. If it fails there too, the microphone or its cable is faulty. If it works elsewhere, the problem is in this computer’s settings above. On a school or work computer, an administrator may block the microphone for some sites or apps.

Updated October 16, 2026

Voice Recorder for Chrome: record while you work in other tabs

Our free Chrome extension records in Chrome’s side panel, so it keeps going while you work in other tabs. It saves as it records, so a crash or a closed browser loses only the last few seconds.

  • Records your microphone, the sound of a browser tab, or both in one file
  • Records your computer’s sound on Windows and macOS 14.2 or later
  • A library of your recordings: rename, search, crop, play at 0.5×–2× and download
  • MP3 up to 320 kbps, WAV or WebM, with pause and resume
  • No account. Nothing is uploaded.
Add the extension to Chrome

Free · 40,000 users · rated 4.8 in the Chrome Web Store
For Chrome on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebooks.

Voice Recorder in Chrome’s side panel, recording the sound of a lecture in a tab
Your voice, a tab, or both in one file, each with its own volume
Crop a take, then replay it at 0.5× to 2×
Every recording stays in a library in your browser

Questions and answers

Why does my microphone work in one app but not in the browser?

The browser, or the website, doesn’t have permission. Allow the microphone for the site from the icon left of the address bar, and check that your system lets the browser use the microphone.

Why do people say I sound quiet or far away?

The input volume is low, or the wrong microphone (often the laptop’s instead of the headset’s) is selected. Pick the right one and raise its input level until the mic test says it works.

My headset microphone stopped working after an update. What now?

Unplug and replug it, then check that it is still the default input. Updates sometimes switch the default back to the built-in microphone or reset privacy settings.

Is the mic test recording me?

No. It only measures the sound in your browser. The 5-second playback stays in the page and is deleted when you leave.

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