Microphone stopped working - the input bar is not even moving

Question

So I had to change some cables around one morning. I flipped the switch on the back of the PC as I've done 100 times, disconnected the cable that went into the socket on the wall and put it in the socket right above. I then turned on the PC, but my microphone did not detect any sound.

I went through all my settings:

1. It's set as default
2. I can see it in System Sound and under the Recording Tab
3. I put the USB microphone into another port on the motherboard
4. I tested it on different apps (Discord and Audacity)
5. I downloaded the latest RealTek driver on my motherboard
6. I switched socket again - putting the cable into the one it has been in for a year now.
7. I EVEN reinstalled windows entirely.

I have no clue what the problem is, nor what to do. I have a suspicion it's something in the BIOS

Answer 1

Hi Emil Heide,

Thank you for the detailed troubleshooting you’ve already completed.

Since the microphone is detected by Windows but does not register any sound across multiple apps, even after a full Windows reinstall, this helps narrow the cause to system‑level audio handling, USB power behavior, or device initialization rather than basic settings.

Please try the following focused checks, some of which are also suggested by Q&A Assist to address this specific scenario in Windows 11:

1, Confirm microphone access permissions

• Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone
• Ensure Microphone access is On
• Ensure Let apps access your microphone is On
• Ensure Let desktop apps access your microphone is On

2, Run the built‑in microphone test

• Select Start > Settings > System > Sound
• Under Input, select your microphone
• Select Start test and speak for a few seconds

If the input level remains at 0%, Windows is not receiving an audio signal.

3, Fully reinstall audio drivers

• Right‑click Start > Device Manager
• Expand Sound, video and game controllers
• Uninstall each listed audio device
• Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device
• Restart the PC and allow Windows to reinstall drivers automatically

4. Disable USB power saving (important)

• Open Device Manager
• Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers
• For each USB Root Hub:
  • Select Properties > Power Management
  • Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device
• Restart the PC

5, Check BIOS USB and audio settings

After a full power disconnect, some systems may reset USB or audio initialization states.

• Ensure USB Audio is enabled
• Ensure Legacy USB Support is enabled
• If available, select Load Optimized Defaults, then save and restart

6, Test the microphone on another computer

• Connecting the microphone to a second PC helps confirm whether the device itself is functioning correctly. This is the final verification step when software recovery does not restore audio input.

You’ve already completed many of the right steps, and the checks above focus on the remaining areas that commonly affect USB microphones when they are detected but produce no input.

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Answer 2

Work through these checks in order, focusing on Windows 11 and USB/audio drivers:

1. Confirm the microphone hardware

• If the USB microphone has a physical mute button or power switch, make sure it is not muted and is switched on. A powered‑off mic can still appear in Windows but not pick up voice.
• If possible, test the mic on another device (another PC) to confirm it still works.

2. Make sure Windows is using the correct input device

• Select Start > Settings > System > Sound.
• Under Input, go to Choose a device for speaking or recording and select the USB microphone.
• Select the > to the right of the device, then on the properties page select Start test under Microphone test and speak into the mic. Select Stop test, then Play under Recorded sample to hear it.
  • If nothing is recorded, continue with the next steps.

3. Check app and privacy permissions

• Select Start > Settings > Privacy > Microphone.
• Select Change, then turn on Allow apps to access your microphone.
• Ensure Allow desktop apps to access your microphone is set to On.
• If the mic is part of a camera, also go to Settings > Privacy > Camera and make sure camera access and app access are On.

4. Run the built‑in audio troubleshooters

• Go to Settings > System > Sound.
• Scroll down to Advanced and choose Input devices under Troubleshoot common sound problems.
• Follow the wizard for the USB microphone.

5. Reinstall audio/USB audio drivers If the input bar still does not move at all:

• Right‑click Start and select Device Manager.
• Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
• For each audio device related to your USB mic or audio stack, right‑click and select Uninstall device. Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device (or Delete the driver software for this device) and select Uninstall.
• Restart the PC. Windows will attempt to reinstall audio devices and drivers automatically.
• If they do not reinstall, open Device Manager, right‑click Sound, video and game controllers, and select Scan for hardware changes.
• After devices reappear, right‑click the audio driver and select Update driver.

6. Verify that Windows detects any microphone at all If the USB mic and any other mic still show no activity and no input devices appear:

• Open Device Manager again and confirm there are no warning icons on audio devices.
• If audio devices are missing or show errors, reinstall or update the audio drivers as above and, if needed, from the PC/motherboard manufacturer site.

If after these steps the USB mic still appears but never registers voice input (while working on another machine), the issue is likely with the Windows audio/USB stack on this PC and may require more advanced driver cleanup or OS repair; if it fails on other machines too, the microphone hardware is likely faulty.

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References:

• Fix microphone problems
• Mic stopped working about a month ago - Microsoft Q&A
• Others can't hear me
• Make sure apps have access to the microphone
• Windows isn't detecting the headset, camera, or microphone
• My audio inputs and outputs suddenly disappeared, how do i fix this? - Microsoft Q&A
• How to fix this. no audio device is installed - Microsoft Q&A
• I don't see an audio input device - Microsoft Q&A