Lenovo’s laptop microphones are at the screen’s top center, right next to the webcam. This allows you to participate in zoom calls, meetings, or chat with family and friends at a moment’s notice without needing external peripherals.
Because of this, many users of Lenovo laptops won’t bother carrying an external microphone around. What’s the point when there’s one built right into the laptop?
However, sometimes users can experience an issue where the Lenovo microphone suddenly stops working—leaving them with no method of talking to anyone.
If this is happening to you, you’re in the right place! We’re going to explain what causes this issue in the first place and then how you can fix this easily by yourself so you can get back to chatting as soon as possible.
Why does your Lenovo microphone is not working?
Several things can cause your microphone to stop working. But generally speaking, it’s a software settings or permissions issue on your laptop.
The good news is this is very easy to fix. So let’s first go through the potential causes of this issue so you can figure out where your problem lies. Then we’ll show you how to fix it!
The wrong device is being detected
If you happen to have an external microphone selected, or if any audio device driver has been installed with an input that can be chosen as a microphone source, then it’s very common for Windows to change that device suddenly.
As you can only have one microphone input selected at a time, this will render the in-built one nonfunctional.
What we need to do in this scenario is go into the Windows sound settings, select the correct microphone source and then tell Windows always to use that device as the input source.
The microphone’s volume is turned down
All microphones have what’s called an ‘input gain,’ which is essentially the amount of volume that is allowed to enter the internal mic. The general idea is to give you control over input volume to avoid clipping/distortion, which can happen when too much signal enters the microphone.
However, many apps will take control of this setting mainly if you use the mute button in certain voice chats. So even when you didn’t intentionally set the internal mic volume down, it may still be down all the way, essentially making it silent.
Bad drivers
All microphones and audio programs require an audio driver to function. A driver is essentially software that instructs the microphone on how to work and communicate with your machine.
These can often run into trouble and need either reinstalling or updating, as, without a good working audio driver, the microphone will not work.
App permissions
In addition to functioning drivers, any app that needs to use your microphone, such as Skype, Discord, Zoom, etc., requires permission from your machine to utilize it.
However, Windows will not always grant permission to an app by default. So you will need to head into the setting and manually give that app permission to use the microphone.
Damaged internal hardware
The microphone in a Lenovo laptop is usually pretty robust and not prone to breaking. However, it is always possible to become damaged in some way and may need replacing by Lenovo.
How to fix a Lenovo microphone not working
We know the leading causes your Microphone stopped working. We can now take a look at how to fix it, get your microphone back.
Follow these steps in order, and providing there is no physical/internal hardware damage, you should have it back up and running soon!
Restart Windows
As usual, the first thing to do is try restarting your computer. Often the microphone is not working just due to a simple glitch in the system, which can be worked out with a simple restart so the problems with the microphone might be solved.
Choose the correct microphone in Windows
If Windows doesn’t have the correct microphone source selected, then any app you try to use will try to use the wrong device as your microphone.
So we need to head into the Windows sound settings and ensure our Lenovo Microphone is selected as our microphone input source.
To do this, follow these related settings step:
- Either right-click the small speaker icon in the taskbar or use the search function and search for ‘sound.’
- Open up the sound app.
- Here you’ll have the ‘output’ section, where you select your speaker, and underneath that, you have the ‘input’ section, where you choose your internal microphone.
- Click the dropdown menu under ‘input’ and make sure your Lenovo microphone is selected.
Generally speaking, if you are using a third-party app such as Skype or Discord, they will use whatever device you have selected in Windows as the default microphone. But it’s worth going into the app’s settings and double-checking the same internal microphone is set there too.
Check the volume is up
You’ll be surprised how often this catches people out. If you are using a third-party app, ensure you are not muted in them and that the volume is turned up.
Then, navigate to the ‘sound’ menu using the same method mentioned above. Then under ‘input,’ click on device properties.
Here you want to ensure your volume is not down and that the ‘disable’ box is NOT ticked.
Need to update /reinstall drivers
Making sure to your driver you’re using is the latest driver and working is very important as the internal microphone will not function without a working drive.
Head to the device manager by using the search function and opening the menu.
Here you will see a dropdown menu for ‘Sound, video and game controllers.’ Open this and locate the Lenovo Mic.
Right-click on this and next click ‘update driver,’ which will automatically scan for any driver updates and install them. If no driver updates are available, it may be better to reinstall it.
To do this right, click on the same device and click on ‘uninstall’ first, then reinstall it similarly.
Ensure the app has permission to access to your microphone
Even when the microphone is installed and working, if we don’t give the app permission to access it, then it will not work.
To give an app permission to access the internal microphone, use the search function to find the ‘privacy’ app.
Once in this app, navigate to the microphone tab and ensure ‘Allow apps to access your microphone’ is toggled on. Then if you scroll further down, you will see individual toggle switches for each app so you can get further control over which apps can access the microphone.
Ensure whichever program you use with your internal microphone is toggled to ‘on.’
Damaged hardware
If none of the above-suggested solutions have worked, then it may be a case of the microphone hardware being faulty or damaged.
In this scenario, you will need to contact Lenovo Laptop support, who will help arrange for the laptop to be fixed.
F.A.Q about the microphone on your Lenovo laptop
Q: How can I access my Lenovo microphone?
A: To access your Lenovo laptop mic, you can do the following:
– Click on the Windows icon and go to Settings.
– Click on System and then go to Sound.
– Click on the Input tab (or recording tab) and make sure that your microphone is selected.
– You might not be able to access your microphone if the app doesn’t have permission allowed by you
Q: How can I fix my Lenovo laptop microphone not working with a headset?
A: To fix your microphone on a Lenovo not working with a headset, you can try the following:
– Make sure that your headset is properly connected to your laptop, because if setting is affecting your microphone it will cause the issues with audio.
– Check to see if the microphone is mute or unmute.
– Check to make sure that the microphone settings are configured correctly.
– Use the built-in microphone troubleshooter which is running Windows 10 computer.
– Update your windows audio drivers.
– Check to see if the microphone is working with different apps and programs.
