Missing input device Windows 11 Pro

Question

All was well with my input and output devices until the input device simply disappeared. It now only works with a headset. I cannot use the laptop's mic to interact with AI or make phone calls or use Teams and Zoom. I cannot find the driver on my Asus Expertbook and all trouble shooting has failed. This is really unacceptable.

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Answer 1

Follow these steps to restore the missing internal microphone on Windows 11 Pro:

1. Confirm the mic is not just muted or mis-selected
   • Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
   • Under Input, check Choose a device for speaking or recording.
   • If only the headset mic appears, continue with the driver steps below.
2. Run the built-in audio input troubleshooter
   • In Settings > System > Sound, scroll to Advanced.
   • Under Troubleshoot common sound problems, choose Input devices.
   • Follow the wizard and apply any fixes it suggests.
3. Reinstall the audio driver (for the missing internal mic)
   • Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
   • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   • For each audio device listed (especially the one related to the laptop’s audio):
     1. Right-click it and select Uninstall device.
     2. Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device (or Delete the driver software for this device), then select Uninstall.
   • Restart the PC. Windows will attempt to reinstall the audio devices and drivers automatically.
   • If nothing reappears, in Device Manager right-click Sound, video and game controllers and select Scan for hardware changes.
4. Update the audio driver
   • In Device Manager, under Sound, video and game controllers, right-click the audio device and select Update driver.
   • Choose Search automatically for drivers and complete the wizard.
5. Use the generic Windows audio driver if needed
   • In Device Manager, right-click the sound card/audio device.
   • Select Update driver > Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
   • Select the generic audio driver offered and apply it.
6. Verify microphone privacy and app access
   • Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
   • Ensure microphone access is turned on for the device and for apps such as Teams and Zoom.

If the internal microphone still does not appear after reinstalling/updating drivers and using the generic driver, this can indicate a hardware fault on the laptop’s mic module, in which case Asus support should check the device.

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References:

• Fix microphone problems
• Fix sound or audio problems in Windows
• I don't see an audio input device - Microsoft Q&A
• My audio inputs and outputs suddenly disappeared, how do i fix this? - Microsoft Q&A
• internal microphone on windows 11 not working - Microsoft Q&A
• Internal Microphone not detected - Microsoft Q&A
• How to fix this. no audio device is installed - Microsoft Q&A