Skype 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 Skype settings. Go to Skype audio settings.
• The bar does not move here — the issue is system-level (permission, device or driver), not Skype. See System-level fixes.

Step 2: Fix Skype audio settings

Open … (More) → Settings → Audio & Video, then:

1. Open Audio & Video settings. Click … → Settings → Audio & Video.
2. Pick the right Microphone. Set Microphone to the device that worked above; the level bar under it should move as you talk.
3. Make a free test call. Use the Echo / Sound Test Service contact to record and play back your voice.
4. Turn off auto-adjust if quiet. Disable Automatically adjust microphone settings and raise the level if you are too quiet.

Skype-specific gotchas worth checking

Skype keeps the classic Echo / Sound Test Service contact — call it, talk after the beep, and it plays your voice straight back; if you hear yourself, Skype is capturing fine and the other side is the problem. Watch out for Automatically adjust microphone settings in Settings → Audio & Video: on quiet condenser mics it can ride the level down to near zero, so untick it and raise the level manually.

Skype now runs as the same engine on web and desktop; if your saved microphone choice does not stick between calls, sign out and back in to refresh the device profile. On a fresh Windows install Skype sometimes grabs the wrong default capture device until you set yours as the Windows Default in Sound → Recording.

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 Skype. 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 Skype.

macOS

1. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone: enable Skype (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.

Skype in the browser (web client)

If you joined Skype from a browser, click the mic icon in the address bar, choose Allow, and reload. The web client uses the same browser microphone permission as the test on this page.

Skype on phone (iOS / Android)

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

Step 4: Last resorts

• Update Skype 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 Skype.
• On a USB headset, try a different port and confirm it is selected as both the microphone and speaker.

FAQ