Windows 10: How to make computer recognise external microphone

Hi Everyone
I am using a small netbook laptop Lenovo about 4 years old. The Windows 10 version is 1903.

Now that we are all locked down I am using zoom a lot BUT so far I have had to use it on my smartphone because on this computer, although I can hear other people, they cannot hear me.I had this problem a few years ago with skype though that seemed to happen after skype upgraded and I blamed skype and the upgrade. Since then for videocalls I have mainly used whatsApp but on phone, of course.

Now that we are all using zoom so much and because I was encountering this same microphone problem - the App apparently not recognising the internal microphone - it was suggested to me that I should buy an external microphone. This I have done BUT it has not helped and the problem seems to be that the computer just does not recognise it is there. If I go to Settings, then System then Sound it is still only giving me the option 'Microphone (Realtek High Definition Audio)' that it always has i.e. the built in microphone.

So my question is: to use Zoom with the laptop, which will be much better for meetings with more than 4 people, how do I connect in the external microphone? (It connects via the audio jack).

Thank you for any help uyou can give.

:)

 

External microphones detected but not working

Hi,

I realize the inconvenience you are facing with External microphone. I will surely help you.

I suggest you to run a Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.

Please follow the below mentioned steps to run
Hardware and Devices troubleshooter:

• Search for Troubleshooting in the
  Search box, and run it.
• Select view all in the left pane of troubleshooting Window.
• Click on the Hardware and Devices, and follow the
  on-screen instructions.

Please reach back to us if you still face difficulty with external microphone. We will be happy to help.

Thank you.

 

External microphone not showing in the Recording tab

My Windows 10 laptop is not recognizing any external microphones. I have two headsets: a Bluetooth one and one for an audio jack. Both headsets work correctly on other devices. When I connect the headsets to my computer, I can hear audio, but the microphones
do not work.

Here are the steps I've taken so far:

• Updated drivers (they were already up to date)
• From Sound Settings, headsets do not appear as options for the input device
• Ran the microphone troubleshooter - headsets do not appear as options
• From Control Panel > Sound > Recording, headsets do not appear as options. I have selected the disabled and disconnected devices options.
• From Microphone Privacy, all apps have access to the microphone.
  

That's everything I found online to fix this problem. Any suggestions?

 

External microphone does not work

Hi Zarbab,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



The issue could be because of the microphone being in a disabled state. I suggest you to try the steps listed below and check if it works:

• Open Control Panel and categorize to view by
  Small Icons.
  
• Click on Speech Recognition and navigate to
  Advanced Speech Options > Microphone > Advanced
  
• Check Real Conexant HD Audio, save the changes and exit
  Control Panel.
  
• Restart the machine to see if the microphone works.
  

Meanwhile, you may also want to go through the troubleshooting suggestions given in the following articles and see if they help:

• Fix sound problems in Windows 10
  
• HP PCs - Resolving Microphone Problems (Windows 10, 8)
  

Let us know how it goes.

Regards,