Low microphone volume while gaming

Question

I like to call on discord and game with my friends. On discord my microphone works very well, my headset is fully attached.

But whenever we're gaming and mute on discord to use the in-game voice chat, my microphone is very low. It's on, volume is full, I chose the right port, microphone on headset is on, everything is alright but the mic suddenly is very low in-game. I don't know how to fix it anymore.

Answer 1

Hi there,

Thank you for posting this.

 

I understand how troublesome your issue is, especially since your mic works perfectly on Discord but becomes very quiet as soon as you switch to in‑game voice chat.

This usually happens because Windows detects in‑game voice as “communication activity” and automatically alters audio levels, or because the game takes exclusive control of the microphone and bypasses the gain that Discord applies, which makes your voice sound very low even if the volume is set to 100%. Microsoft recommends setting Windows to Do nothing in the Communications sound settings so it doesn’t change audio during voice activity, disabling exclusive control for your microphone so games can’t lower its input level, and confirming that microphone privacy permissions allow desktop apps and games full access to the mic, as restricted access can cause low volume only in games. Microsoft also notes that many games use their own input device and mic gain settings separate from Windows and Discord, so you must manually select the correct microphone and increase voice gain inside the game itself for normal volume.

Please use the following links as an additional guidance and references:
Low microphone volume while gaming
Fix microphone problems
MIC VOLUME LOW ON BOTH MY MIC DEVICES

If you found this information helpful, please select “Accept Answer” and consider giving it an upvote. If you have any follow‑up questions, feel free to use the “Comment” option.

 

Best regards,

 Yaj S.

Answer 2

I checked everything and everything was put in the settings as stated when i had this problem. Are there any other solutions I can try?

Answer 3

In this scenario Discord hears the microphone clearly, but in‑game chat receives a very low signal. That usually means Windows and the headset are fine, but either:

• The game is using a different input device than Discord, or
• The game/Windows input level for that device is low, or
• App permissions for the microphone differ between Discord and the game.

Try these steps on Windows 11:

1. Confirm the correct default input device in Windows
   1. Select Start > Settings > System > Sound.
   2. Under Input, make sure the same microphone/headset that works in Discord is selected.
   3. Speak and check Test your microphone to confirm Windows sees a strong level.
2. Raise the microphone input level
   1. In Settings > System > Sound, under Input, select the microphone to open its properties.
   2. Under Input settings, select Start test, speak normally, then Stop test and Play the sample.
   3. Increase the Input volume slider until the test recording sounds normal.
3. Check microphone privacy permissions
   1. Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
   2. Under Allow access to the microphone on this device, select Change and ensure it is On.
   3. Ensure Allow apps to access your microphone is On.
   4. Scroll down and make sure the game (if listed as a Microsoft Store app) and Allow desktop apps to access your microphone are turned On.
4. Verify the input device in the game settings
   • Open the game’s audio/voice‑chat settings.
   • Set the Input device / Microphone to the same device selected in Windows and Discord.
   • Check for an in‑game mic volume, input gain, or voice chat volume slider and raise it.
5. If the game still sounds quiet
   • Temporarily set the headset mic as the system default and default communication device in Windows Sound settings, then restart the game so it re‑detects the input.
   • If the issue only occurs in one game and not others, the problem is likely in that game’s voice‑chat implementation; use Discord for voice or check that game’s support resources.

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References:

• Fix microphone problems
• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows
• The volume of the incoming audio is low