OBS Studio Mic Test & “Microphone Not Working” Fix

Step 1: Does your mic work at all?

Click Test my microphone above and speak:

• The bar moves here — your mic and drivers are fine; the problem is in your OBS Studio settings. Go to OBS Studio audio settings.
• The bar does not move here — the issue is system-level (permission, device or driver), not OBS Studio. See System-level fixes.

Step 2: Fix OBS Studio audio settings

Open Settings → Audio, or the Mixer's gear → Properties, then:

1. Set the Mic/Aux device. Open Settings → Audio and set Mic/Auxiliary Audio to the device that worked above (not Disabled).
2. Check the Audio Mixer. In the Audio Mixer confirm the mic channel is not muted (no red speaker) and the level bar bounces as you talk.
3. Add an Audio Input Capture source. If the mixer is empty, add a source: + → Audio Input Capture and select your mic.
4. Check filters. Remove an over-aggressive Noise Gate or Noise Suppression filter that may be silencing a quiet mic.

OBS-specific gotchas worth checking

OBS does not capture a mic until you add the source: the Audio Mixer shows Mic/Aux only after you set it in Settings → Audio → Mic/Auxiliary Audio or add a + → Audio Input Capture source. A muted-looking channel (red speaker icon) or a fader dragged to the bottom silences you while everything else looks fine.

The classic OBS trap is filters: right-click the mic in the mixer → Filters. A Noise Gate with too high a threshold or a Noise Suppression filter set aggressively will mute a quiet mic completely — lower the gate's close threshold or bypass the filter to test. Also check Advanced Audio Properties (the mixer gear) for the monitoring setting and that the track is assigned to the track your recording/stream actually uses.

Step 3: System-level fixes (if the test above also failed)

If the volume bar did not move in the test, the problem is your device or OS, not OBS Studio. Fix it here, then retest.

Windows 10 / 11

1. Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone: enable Microphone access and allow desktop apps (and your browser).
2. Settings → System → Sound → Input: select the correct device and confirm the meter moves.
3. Right-click the speaker icon → Sound settings → Recording: set your mic as the Default device and enable it.
4. Close other apps holding the mic (Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS) and restart OBS Studio.

macOS

1. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone: enable OBS Studio (or your browser), then quit (Cmd+Q) and reopen — macOS only applies the permission after a restart.
2. System Settings → Sound → Input: choose the right device and check the level.

OBS Studio on phone (iOS / Android)

Open your phone Settings and enable the Microphone permission for OBS Studio, then reopen the app and rejoin. In the call, tap the screen and confirm you are not muted.

Step 4: Last resorts

• Update OBS Studio to the latest version (older builds have audio device bugs).
• Update or reinstall your audio/headset driver and reboot.
• Sign out and back in, or do a clean reinstall of OBS Studio.
• On a USB headset, try a different port and confirm it is selected as both the microphone and speaker.

FAQ