Windows 10: Realtek audio driver doesn't work with external microphone

Hi! I've recently encouraged a problem with my microphone. The Realtek audio driver seems to only be able to recognise the laptop mic and not the headset. The headset audio works just fine but the microphone that is used by the system is the laptop one and i can't change that. In the drop-down menu for audio input there is only the Realtek audio driver option and i cannot specify whether to use the headset mic or the laptop one. The Realtek setting that i can access via control panel also doesn't seem to provide any useful information. Anyone here who knows how to solve this? I recently migrat

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Microphone doesn`t work

My microphone and ear-phone doesn`t work. Please help me, I have windows 7 home basic, my computer reproduces a sound, but devices no.

 

External Microphone not recognised

Hi

Welcome to Microsoft community.

If your external microphone is not being recognized by your laptop, there are several troubleshooting steps you can follow to resolve the issue. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get your external microphone working on your MSI Katana GF66 laptop running Windows 11:

1. Check Connections:
   
   • Ensure that the microphone is properly connected to your laptop using both the USB power cable and the 3.5mm audio cable.
     
   • Try different USB and audio ports to rule out any issues with specific ports.
     
2. Driver Installation:
   
   • Make sure you have the necessary drivers installed for the external microphone. Sometimes, devices require specific drivers to function properly. You can typically find these drivers on the manufacturer's website.
     
3. Device Manager:
   
   • Open Device Manager by right-clicking on the Start button and selecting "Device Manager."
     
   • Look for any entries related to your external microphone. It should appear under "Audio inputs and outputs."
     
   • If you see the microphone listed, make sure it's enabled and up to date. You can right-click on it and choose "Enable" or "Update driver."
     
4. Sound Settings:
   
   • Right-click on the speaker icon in the taskbar and select "Open Sound settings."
     
   • Under the "Input" section, make sure the external microphone is selected as the default recording device.
     
5. Privacy Settings:
   
   • In Windows 11, privacy settings can sometimes affect microphone access. Go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone and ensure that apps have permission to use the microphone.
     
6. Troubleshoot Sound Problems:
   
   • Windows has a built-in troubleshooter that can help diagnose and fix audio-related issues. Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot, and select "Playing Audio" and "Recording Audio" troubleshooters.
     
7. Test on Another PC:
   
   • Since the microphone works on another laptop, try it on a different computer again to confirm that it's not a hardware issue with the microphone.
     
8. Reinstall Drivers:
   
   • If none of the above steps work, you may want to uninstall the drivers for your external microphone in Device Manager and then plug it back in to let Windows reinstall the drivers.
     

Please let me know if you need any further assistance. Thank you.

Best regards

Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

 

External microphone really quiet (Realtek HD Audio-Manager)

Hello,

I have a problem with the Realtek HD Audio-Manager. I bought a new headset a few days ago. It is working fine on the Playstation, tablet and on my mobile phone. However on my Notebook it is very quiet.

I plugged it in but the I think the Realtek HD Audio-Manager puts the internal microphone and my external microphone into one microphone array (well, that's what at least is showing in the system settings).

So even though I set every audio setting to maximum, the microphone is still very quiet. I also updated the drivers and reinstalled the Realtek HD Audio-Manager.

Once when I deinstalled the Realtek HD Audio-Manager and I tried the troubleshooting it somehow worked fine for a few seconds. But then it reinstalled Realtek HD-Audio-Manager automatically and the microphone was quiet once again.