The ‘Discord Not Detecting Mic’ error is a common one that many users have experienced. In this guide I will show you simple solutions to fix this error.
When it occurs you can hear other people but you can’t communicate back.
This bug seems to happen mostly via the downloaded app on the desktop but not so often with Discord’s online version.
If you’re sure the others haven’t muted your mic, you can try to fix the problem yourself.
Discord has now become the daily tool for gamers to voice by adding into a group when playing video games. Nevertheless, many game lovers articulated that their mic is not working on Discord, especially when they use Windows Desktop Discord app. Sometimes, you tend to chat with your game mates with Speaker, while if you change the default audio. If you really can’t make the camera work, then you can try using Discord on another platform. If you encountered the camera issue when using the app, then try the Desktop version to see if it will work, and vice-versa. Discord is a popular app among the younger generation, whether it’s for live streaming or video chatting. Even after reinstalling just today, Discord won't detect them unless I re-add them. The annoying thing is if I quit Discord for any reason, I have to re-add them again in order for Discord to detect them even though they do appear in the Game Activity Added Games list. Whenever Discord does not automatically detect your game, you will have to manually add the game to Discord. This can be achieved through Discord’s game settings. So, just navigate to Discord’s user settings, and under the game activity tab, you should see an option of adding a game manually. The web version will show the game you are in. The Web version does not have the Games tab that allows you to change this options. Highly active question. Earn 10 reputation (not counting the association bonus) in order to answer this question. The reputation requirement helps protect this question from spam and non-answer activity.
Make Sure It’s Actually A Discord Error
Don’t worry if this error is happening to you because it’s a common issue with Discord and hopefully will be easy for you to fix.
Test your mic in Discord. This isn’t to solve the problem but to check the issue is actually a Discord-related one:
- Open Discord and go to “User Settings” (which is a gear logo at the bottom-left of the screen).
- Select “Voice & Video” and do a Mic Test by clicking on the purple button saying ‘Let’s Check’.
Can you hear your voice when Discord is playing it back?
If you can, it means the problem isn’t to do with your microphone input.
If you can’t, it means you should try the following solutions:
How To Fix ‘Discord Not Detecting Mic’ Error?
The best solutions to this error are:
- Ensure Discord Is Using The Right Microphone
- Log Out Of Discord And Log Back In
- Disconnect And Reconnect The Mic
- Restart The Pc
- Run Discord As An Administrator
- Reset Discord Voice Settings
- Enable Automatic Input Sensitivity
- Try Push To Talk
- Update The Audio Driver
Solution #1: Ensure Discord Is Using The Right Microphone
Start off by making sure the Discord app is using the right mic.
If the wrong device is selected (such as a webcam mic 3 feet away) it won’t detect your voice.
This is how to check you have the correct input device selected:
- Click the gear icon at the bottom left to go to “User Settings“.
- Click “Voice & Video” and click “Input Device” to get a drop-down menu.
- Choose your preferred mic as your input device.
- Ensure the Input Volume slicer (in the Input Device menu) is maxed out (if it’s not – drag the slider to the maximum setting).
See whether this solves your Discord not detecting mic issue.
What if you can’t see your preferred microphone in the list?
In this case, Discord hasn’t been given access to that mic and will therefore not display it for you to choose from.
This is how to allow Discord to use the mic you want:
- Type “Settings” in the search bar, press Enter and click on “Privacy“.
- Under app “Permissions” choose “Microphone” to see which apps are granted access (make sure the toggle switch is in the ‘on’ position. If it isn’t it won’t work because Discord is blocked from using the mic).
- Now Discord should detect your mic.
- If not, go back to the first fix and run through it again.
Are you still seeing the ‘Not Detecting Mic’ error?
We have some other fixes you can try, some of which might only work in the short-term.
But if you want to get back to your game and talking to your friends, they are well worth trying.
Solution #2: Log Out Of Discord And Log Back In
Perhaps it isn’t the microphone causing the problem.
Discord Stream Can't See Game
If you’re using the desktop version of Discord, click the “User Settings” cog icon to log out of the app before shutting it down.
After logging out and closing the app, relaunch Discord and log in.
Now see whether the mic input problem has been fixed.
Solution #3: Disconnect And Reconnect The Mic
Close the Discord app and unplug the microphone or audio jack.
If you’re using Bluetooth, disconnect it from there. The aim here is to stop the mic connecting to the computer.
Now wait 10 seconds and then connect it again. Open Discord and see whether the issue is solved.
Solution #4: Restart The Pc
Sometimes turning the computer off and on again is all you need to do!
It is worth a try if the above fixes haven’t helped:
- Shut down your computer and unplug the router or modem too.
- Wait for a few minutes then reconnect the router or modem.
- Restart the PC and see whether the issue is fixed.
Solution #5: Run Discord As An Administrator
The Discord app uses User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for sending data to other Discord users.
This is a basic internet protocol which allows apps to send short messages to other Internet Protocol (IP) hosts on the network.
The UDP is what allows the others to hear your voice messages.
If Discord doesn’t have the correct privilege to send your voice over the network, it won’t work.
If this could be the problem, run the app as an administrator:
- Right-click on the Discord desktop icon and select “Run as Administrator“.
See whether this fixed the Discord not detecting mic problem.
Solution #6: Reset Discord Voice Settings
If none of the above solutions have brought you any joy, this one is worth trying. This is how to reset your voice settings on Discord:
- Find “User Settings” in the bottom left corner of the app.
- Than find “Voice & Video” under “App Settings” and click that.
- Scroll down to find red text in a box saying “Reset Voice Settings” and click on it (this will delete every microphone setting you ever used on Discord).
- Click “OK” to confirm and reconnect the microphone and see whether Discord detects it now.
Solution #7: Enable Automatic Input Sensitivity
Having automatic input sensitivity disabled might cause a mic input detection error. It might be the case that the manual sensitivity is positioned too far to the right.
This means your voice level is always less than that and therefore the mic won’t activate on Discord.
Discord will be able to decide on the best sensitivity level for your voice if you enable automatic input sensitivity.
This is how to do it:
- Click on “User Settings” which is the gear icon in the bottom left corner.
- Select “App Settings” and then “Voice & Video“.
- Scroll down to find the “Input Sensitivity” header.
- Switch the toggle from “On” to “Automatically Determine Input Sensitivity“.
Now see if Discord lights up in green as you speak (this means the discord not detecting mic error should be solved).
Solution #8: Try Push To Talk
The Push to Talk setting means you have to press a button on your keyboard to speak, but it might be better than nothing.
Push to Talk won’t affect the performance of your PC but it can be annoying having to press and hold a button whenever you want to say something.
This is how to activate it:
- Go to Discord User Settings, than to “App Settings” and click on “Voice & Video“.
- Check the empty box next to where it says “Push to Talk” (the “Input Sensitivity” bar will change to “Shortcut“.
- Click “Record Keybind“.
When you see the red-bordered box under “Shortcut” with a “Stop Recording” button, click a mouse or keyboard button.
This button is going to be your Push to Talk key (the button or key you press will now appear in that box).
You can change your mind about the button or key while it’s still recording.
If you aren’t sure what to choose, consider W, A, S or D, or a mouse button if you aren’t using that mouse button in your game.
See whether this has fixed the error.
Solution #9: Update The Audio Driver
If nothing above has been helpful, then you might have an issue with the audio driver. A driver which is out of date or corrupted can make it difficult for an app to detect your microphone.
You can update this driver manually or automatically, as you prefer.
This is how to update it manually:
- Because there are different audio drivers, you will have to go to the manufacturer’s website for the audio card you use.
- Look for the latest driver version.
- Before downloading it, ensure it’s compatible with whichever Windows version you are using.
- Download the driver and restart Discord.
Maybe you don’t know what kind of audio device you’re using, in which case you can use a driver update software to scan your system and detect available devices.
Discord Won't Detect Game
It will then find the latest device drivers, such as the audio card, which are compatible with the Windows version you use.
There are various driver updater versions to choose from. Some are free while others are paid, so compare some different ones to find one you like.
Discord Wont Detect Game To Stream
Conclusion
If you have reached the end of this guide and still can’t get Discord to use your microphone, you might have to contact Discord and ask for some support.
You can also try to remove the Discord app and reinstall it. Finally, try the online version of Discord might work if the desktop version does not.
Discord Mac Doesn't Detect Game
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