How to Test Your Microphone on Windows 11

There are a few situations where you might need to test your microphone on Windows 11:

Before an online interview, meeting, or presentation to ensure your mic is working properly
If you’re having trouble with audio quality during video calls or meetings
After you’ve made changes to your audio settings or bought a new mic to check if your mic is working as expected
If you think there might be something wrong with your microphone

In this guide, we show you different methods to test your microphone in Windows 11.

Table of contents

Using the Settings App

Using the Settings App

Windows 11 has a new Settings app that makes it very easy to test your microphone.

Go to your Start menu and select Settings.
Select Settings.
Select System > Sound.
Select System > Sound
Under Input, select your microphone.
Select your microphone.
In the Test your microphone section, click Start test.
Click Start test.
Start speaking into your microphone. If you see a green bar moving, your microphone works fine.
If you see a green bar moving, your microphone works fine.
When you finish your test, click Stop test.
Click Stop test.
The result of your test will be shown under the Test your microphone section.
The result of your microphone test.
The desired result should be around 75% volume when speaking in a normal tone. If the result is below 50%, you can try to increase the volume of your microphone by moving the volume slider to the right.
The volume slider.
When you’re done, you will be ready to use your microphone in Windows 11.

The old Control Panel method of testing your microphone still works in Windows 11.

Go to Start and search for”control panel”. Select the first option.
Open the Control Panel.
Select Hardware and Sound.
Click Sound.
Click Sound.
Go to the Recording tab.
The Recording tab.
Start speaking into your microphone. The green volume bar next to the Microphone icon moves if it works well.
The green volume bar next to the Microphone icon moves.

In Windows 11, you can use the new built-in Voice Recorder app to test your microphone.

Go to Start and type “Voice Recorder” in the search box and click Enter.
Open the Voice Recorder app.
Click the Mic icon to begin recording your voice.
Click the Mic icon.
Speak in a normal tone. If your microphone works properly, you will see the sound waves moving as you speak.
The sound waves moving.
To stop recording, click the Stop icon.
The Stop icon.
To playback the recording, click the Play icon. If you can hear your voice clearly, your microphone works fine.
The Play icon.