➤ Google Meet microphone doesn't work on Windows and Mac 🎮

If you are reading this article it is because the Google Meet microphone does not work on Windows and Mac, we have the solution, not one, but 10 ways to fix. For the most part, Google Meet offers a seamless browser-based video conferencing experience on Windows and macOS.

But just like with competing services like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, you may experience problems with the microphone not working with Google Meet. This can happen when hosting or attending meetings.

There are various simple and complicated reasons why Google Meet may not properly broadcast microphone audio on PC and Mac. After having encountered a few problems over the past few weeks, I have compiled a list of solutions that can help you easily troubleshoot Google Meet microphone audio. Let's start.

Google Meet microphone not working on Windows and Mac, unmute audio

First off: don't dismiss the fact that maybe you silenced yourself in Google Meet. Take a look at the bottom of the screen during a meeting - a red microphone icon with a bar indicates a muted microphone.

Click on it to unmute the sound. You can also check the microphone status in the Google Meet preview pane before joining a meeting.

In addition to muting you (intentionally or accidentally), connecting to a Google Meet meeting after at least five attendees have already signed up will automatically mute the microphone as well. Also, the host can mute the microphone remotely. In both of these cases, only you can turn the sound back on.

Enable microphone access

As a measure for privacy, most major web browsers block microphone access to websites and web apps like Google Meet by default. Your browser should have asked you to allow microphone access the first time you launched a meeting on Google Meet. However, you may have rejected the notification by mistake.

In this case, you need to manually give the web app the necessary permissions. The process changes from browser to browser.

Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge Chromium: Click the lock icon in the left corner of the address bar, then set the Microphone to Allow.
Firefox: Click the lock symbol in the left corner of the address bar, then remove the Temporarily blocked limitation next to Use microphone.
Safari: Go to Preferences (Safari menu> Preferences), click the Websites tab, select Microphone, then set meet.google.com to Allow.

Select your favorite microphone

If you have multiple audio devices plugged into your PC or Mac, Google Meet may use a different microphone, such as the one built into your computer. Try specifying the exact microphone you want to use.

Start by clicking Settings in the Google Meet menu.
Under the Audio tab, select the correct microphone you want to use. The speakers can be set to use the same hardware (if available) to avoid potential problems with echo.
Click Finish to save the changes.

Google Meet microphone problems are relatively easy to fix. Often times, you may have ended up muting yourself or preventing the browser from accessing your microphone. If not, the other fixes listed above should set things right. Google Meet microphone not working on Windows and Mac,

Google Meet microphone does not work on Windows and Mac, check the microphone input

The microphone on your PC or Mac may have too low an input level to capture your voice.

On your PC, open the Windows Settings app (via the Start Menu or Action Center), click System, click Sound, then click Sound Control Panel in Related Settings. Go to the Recording tab, select your microphone and then click Properties. Under the Levels tab of the Microphone Properties dialog, move the slider under Microphone to a higher input level. Also, make sure the icon next to it isn't grayed out.
On your Mac, go to System Preferences (Apple menu> System Preferences), click Sound, then switch to the Input tab. Select your favorite microphone, then adjust the input level accordingly. Your changes will be saved automatically.

Allow browser to access the microphone

Both Windows and macOS have built-in privacy settings that can prevent programs from using the microphone. It is best to check if this prevents browsers from accessing the microphone.

On Windows, go to Windows Settings> Privacy> Microphone. Make sure the “Allow apps to access the microphone” option is set to On. Scroll further down and make sure the “Allow desktop apps to access the microphone” option is set to On.
On the Mac, start by going to System Preferences> Security & Privacy. Select Microphone, then make sure the box next to your preferred web browser is checked.

Google Meet microphone doesn't work on Windows and Mac, restart browser

Try closing and restarting your browser. This is a great way to troubleshoot persistent microphone-related issues, such as in cases where audio is not heard after a few minutes in a Google Meet session. Once done, join the meeting. On the Mac, be sure to close the browser via the menu bar before restarting it.

Try restarting your PC or Mac

If restarting your browser didn't help, try restarting your PC or Mac instead. This action also helps fix various microphone glitches with Google Meet.

Troubleshooting the microphone with Windows

Windows 10 comes with a built-in troubleshooter that can detect and fix microphone problems.

Go to Windows Settings> System> Sound.
Scroll down to the Input section, select your preferred microphone using the menu under “Choose your input device”, then click Troubleshoot.
If the troubleshooter detects problems with the microphone, follow the on-screen instructions to resolve.

Free the microphone on MAC

On the Mac, your microphone can end up being used by other apps or browser extensions, thus preventing Google Meet from using it effectively.

To check if this is the case for you, start by leaving all Google Meet meetings.

Then, open Terminal (Finder> Applications> Utilities> Terminal) and type the following command:

sudo killall coreaudiod

Press Enter and enter your Mac login password to execute the command. Then, restart your Mac. Then, join the meeting.

Use Google Meet with Chrome

Google Meet is only accessible via a browser-based interface on PC and Mac. While it works on all major browsers like Firefox or Safari, it's a good idea to use it on Google Chrome. Usually, Google products and services work best on Google's web browser.

If you're still having sporadic issues with your microphone, try using Google Chrome at least for Google Meet meetings. Alternatively, you can consider using a Chromium-based alternative browser such as Microsoft Edge.