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3rd party applications not detecting microphone.

Anonymous
2020-03-11T23:32:20+00:00

Hello, 

I recently did a full reset of my PC and my microphone stopped detecting any sound on 3rd party applications like browsers or Discord. When I try to record anything, silence is recorded. However it works perfectly fine on all native Windows apps and surprisingly League of Legends voice chat.  Before the reset, everything worked perfectly on all applications. I have only one microphone device enabled (Realtek High Definition Audio) and it's my built-in microphone of my laptop. I've tried everything i found on the internet but nothing seems to work.

  • I updated microphone drivers.
  • I allowed apps to access my microphone (in microphone privacy settings)
  • I installed all windows updates
  • I disabled all sound effects on the device.

Is there anything else I could try?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-03-14T19:51:59+00:00

    Hello, thanks for your willingness to help me.

    I managed to solve my problem by installing latest realtek high definition audio drivers directly from Realtek website.

    Previously I tried to update drivers from Device Manager and it said I have the latest drivers. That is what misdirected me.

    Before updating the driver I tried all your solutions and nothing worked.

    Sorry for bothering you, the solution was simple after all, hah!

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2020-03-12T14:21:35+00:00

    Thank you for a fast reply and sorry for not specifying the apps I tried.

    I apologise if the issue is not completely Microsoft related but due to the number of applications affected and a reset causing the issue I thought it may be the case. I folllowed the steps in this video however nothing seems to work.

    I performed some more tests. To check if a microphone is working in browser I used webcammictest.com/check-microphone.html and speakpipe.com/voice-recorder. These sites seems to work fine on other browsers I tested. I made sure to enable microphone access on those sites.

     My microphone doesn't work on the following apps:

    • Google Chrome: Version 80.0.3987.132 (only using uBlock Origin, I doubt it's the issue)
    • Opera Version: 67.0.3575.53 (fresh install)
    • Discord Stable: 55865 (4f90d73)

    However it works perfectly fine on Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Skype and Windows Voice Recorder

    Furthermore, after some digging I found that it may have to do something with a format. The following applies to all affected applications:

    • Using 2 channel, 16 bit 48000Hz (DVD Quality) I hear a quiet noise while I'm not speaking and it goes completely silent when I make a sound.
    • Using 2 channel, 16 bit 44100Hz (CDQuality) I can barely hear a sound when I make one. It's very quiet but not completely silent.

    I don't have any more format options (Sound -> Microphone Properties -> Advanced).

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2020-03-12T03:09:17+00:00

    Hi Elixed,

    I'm Paul, a fellow customer like you & a Windows 10 Independent Advisor. Looks like the mic is not the issue here; it's those apps. If you can give me the affected app names & versions, that would be a good start.

    • Which browser are you using? What version?

    • What browser plugin are you using?

    • For the Discord app, kindly try following these steps below & let me know how you go. Thanks.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feBc4I67Auw

    Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

    I hope this helps. Looking forward to your reply. Thank you!

    Sincerely,

    Paul A.

    Independent Advisor

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2020-03-14T23:02:56+00:00

    Hi Elixed,

    Awesome! We're glad that you're good now. That's all that matters.

    If you need any Windows 10 help, feel free to message us anytime & we'd be more than happy to help.

    Sincerely,
    Paul A.
    Independent Advisor

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-03-13T12:55:38+00:00

    Hi Elixed,

    Thanks for the reply.

    By the way, when you go to Device Manager, do you have any drivers there that has a "Yellow Exclamation" or "Red X" icons? If so, kindly send me a screenshot.

    Also, click Start > type the word "winver" > open "winver" & tell me your version & build. Thanks.

    For the interim, kindly try following these steps below. Thanks.

    1. Control Panel > Sound > select your Microphone > click Properties > Advanced > under Exclusive Mode, ensure both are checked.

    • Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device

    • Give exclusive mode applications priority

    1. Test mic on both Chrome & Opera in Incognito Mode & let me know the results.
    2. Create a local Admin User by following the steps below link.

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/402692...

    1. Logout your existing User Profile & login using the newly created local Admin User.
    2. In the new local Admin User, kindly test your mic against all the affected apps (Chrome, Opera, Discord) & let me know the results.

    I hope this helps. Looking forward to your reply. Thank you!

    Sincerely,

    Paul A.

    Independent Advisor

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