How to Fix a Mac Microphone Not Working

Step by step

1. 30 sec

   Verify the selected input device

   Open System Settings and navigate to Sound. Click the Input tab and ensure the correct microphone is selected from the list. Speak into the microphone and watch the Input level bar to confirm it detects audio signal.

   Note: If no signal appears, ensure the input volume slider is not set to zero.
2. 1 min

   Grant microphone permissions

   Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone. Locate the application experiencing issues and ensure the toggle switch is set to On. If the application is not listed, it lacks the necessary system-level access to request hardware input.

   Note: You may need to restart the application for these changes to take effect.
3. 1 min

   Check for software conflicts

   Close all other applications that might utilize the microphone, such as Zoom, Teams, or browser tabs. Sometimes a background process holds an exclusive lock on the audio input driver, preventing other software from accessing it.

   Note: Use the Force Quit menu to terminate unresponsive background communication tools.
4. 1 min

   Reset the Core Audio daemon

   Open Terminal from your Utilities folder. Type sudo killall coreaudiod and press Enter, then provide your administrator password when prompted. This command forces the Mac to refresh its connection to all audio hardware.

   Note: The process restarts automatically immediately after being terminated.
5. 1 min

   Perform a hardware diagnostic test

   Shut down your Mac. For Apple Silicon models, press and hold the power button until the Startup Options screen appears, then press Command + D to enter Diagnostics mode. Follow the on-screen prompts to scan for hardware failure related to the microphone array.

   Note: If the diagnostic reports a hardware error code, contact Apple Support for repair.