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Are you having trouble with the microphone or recording audio on your Dell computer? If you notice symptoms like the microphone not working, stuttering, jarring, crackling, or choppy recording, intermittent issues with microphone recording, distorted recording, follow the troubleshooting steps below.
The audio or sound recording issues may be caused due to an outdated audio driver, audio recording settings, no microphone available on the computer, faulty microphone, or microphone settings on the third-party software such as Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, Google Meet, Discord, and so on, that you are using.
Expand the sections below for more information and follow the troubleshooting steps in a sequence.
For help with audio or sound playback issues, learn How to Troubleshoot No Sound on Computer or Audio Playback Issues.
Dell Technologies recommends ensuring that the device drivers and BIOS are up to date using the SupportAssist application for optimal recording performance and to help resolve common microphone-related issues.
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To learn how to manually download and install a device driver such as Chipset driver, and Audio driver on your Dell computer, see the Dell knowledge base article How to Download and Install Dell Drivers.
To learn how to download and update the BIOS on your Dell computer, see the Dell knowledge base article Dell BIOS Updates.
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If the issue persists, go to the next step.
The following audio performance issues may occur if there is any type of damage to the audio cables or the audio ports on the computer:
The audio ports are exposed to elements that may cause a buildup of dust or even physical damage. If you notice that the port or connector has dust or other contaminants, use a can of compressed air to clean the ports. See our Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean.
If you notice any physical damage, contact Dell Technical Support to learn more about repair options that are available in your region.
If there is no damage, go to the next step.
A simple reboot can resolve many issues almost immediately. Restarting your computer is an effective way to clear the memory (RAM) and ensure that any errant processes and services that started are shut down.
Restarting your computer closes all the applications or software running on your computer, applications running on the taskbar, and dozens of other services that may be running in the background, which were started by various applications.
Most analog microphone ports are pink and belong in the corresponding pink connector on your headset or microphone. Most standard headsets with microphones are designed to work with the single audio connector on your laptop.
Using mobile earphones or headphones with one single jack will not work on a computer that has two split audio ports (one port each for speaker and microphone).
Try swapping between USB ports. If you are using a USB hub, bypass the USB and connect the USB headset or microphone directly to the USB port on your computer.
Ensure that the Bluetooth headset is paired with your computer and is selected as the default recording device on the computer. To learn more, see the Bluetooth troubleshooting section in this Dell knowledge base article.
The default audio recording device is the device that Windows uses to record or listen to the sound. When you connect a microphone, Bluetooth headset, or other microphone enabled device to your computer, you can select which device you want to use by default. Windows can record audio through the microphone port, integrated microphone, or Bluetooth. It is essential to select the correct recording device and check the volume settings for recording to work on your computer.
Voice communication software such as Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, Google Meet, Discord, and so on, have their own audio controls to choose which recording device or microphone is used as default.
Typically, this option is available in the settings menu of the application. The location of the audio settings may differ between each application. See the app manufacturers website for more instructions on how to access the audio settings and choose the default microphone.
For Windows 11 or Windows 10 computers, see the following Dell knowledge base articles to ensure that the microphone is enabled correctly.
Microsoft Windows includes various 'troubleshooters' designed to quickly diagnose and automatically resolve many computer problems. Although Windows Troubleshooter cannot fix hardware problems, they are a great place to start if you encounter a problem with your computer. Windows Troubleshooters are built into the Control Panel in Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8.1 or 8.
If the issue persists, go to the next step.
Pair your Bluetooth headset with your computer. If you are pairing your Bluetooth device for the first time, see the product documentation of your Bluetooth device for device-specific pairing instructions.
Running a hardware diagnostic test can help you identify hardware-related problems and provide you with troubleshooting steps to help resolve the issue. To determine if your Dell computer is experiencing a hardware problem, it is recommended that you first run a hardware diagnostic test on your computer. Dell offers both integrated and online diagnostics. The Dell ePSA hardware diagnostic test checks if the hardware devices are working correctly.
If your computer can boot into Windows and has an active Internet connection, run a hardware diagnostic test on the sound card or audio card using SupportAssist.
If your computer cannot boot into Windows or does not have an active Internet connection, follow these steps to run a diagnostic test.
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Windows updates can support your Windows operating system in many ways. Windows updates can solve specific problems, provide protection from malicious attacks, or even add new features to the operating system.
If the issue persists, go to the next step.
System Restore is a integrated Windows tool that is designed to protect and repair the operating system. When something goes wrong with your computer, System Restore should be used before restoring the computer to factory defaults.
Learn How to Use System Restore in Microsoft Windows.
If the issue persists, go to the next step.
If the diagnostic tests on the USB ports passed, it is most definitely an issue that is related to software installed on your computer. If the above troubleshooting steps did not resolve the issue, you can try to restore your computer to factory defaults as a last resort.
Dell computers are built with a small amount of hard disk space that is reserved for reinstalling your operating system. This method is the easiest way to restore your computer to factory condition. The restoration process deletes all user data from the computer, so be sure to back up all your files before starting this process.
Learn how to Restore your Computer Using SupportAssist OS Recovery.
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