In short
To change which microphone your Mac uses, open System Settings › Sound, choose the Input tab under Output & Input, and pick the device you are speaking into. Speak, and watch the Input level meter move. That setting is the Mac's default input.
The complication is that your call app may not be using it. Zoom, Teams and Meet each keep their own microphone choice, and a recorder running alongside the call may follow the Mac's default. When the two disagree, the call hears you and the recording does not, or the other way round. This guide shows where each setting lives and how to make them agree.
Where the Mac's microphone is set
System Settings
- Open System Settings from the Apple menu.
- Choose Sound.
- Under Output & Input, choose Input.
- Select the device. The list shows every input the Mac can see: the built-in microphone, USB and Bluetooth headsets, a display's microphone, and virtual devices installed by other apps.
- Speak and watch Input level. Adjust Input volume if the meter barely moves or hits the top.
Control Centre
The Sound control in Control Centre is a quicker way to switch devices, and it links to Sound Settings… for the full list. It changes the same system default as System Settings.
When an app is using the microphone, an orange dot appears in the menu bar, and Control Centre names the app. That tells you an app is listening, not which device it is listening to.
Mic Mode
While an app is using the microphone, Control Centre can show Mic Mode, with options such as Voice Isolation. That changes how the microphone is processed for the app using it, not which microphone is used. If your voice sounds different in one app than another, check it.
Where call apps set their own
Each call app has its own audio settings, and each can be set to a specific device or to follow the system:
- Zoom: the audio section of Zoom's settings, and the arrow beside Mute in a meeting.
- Microsoft Teams: the devices section of Teams' settings, and the device options in a meeting.
- Google Meet and other browser calls: Meet's audio settings, and, the first time, the browser's own permission prompt, which may also name a microphone.
When the call app names a specific device, it keeps using it even after you change the Mac's default. That is the most common reason two apps on the same Mac hear two different microphones.
The fix is to pick one device and set it in both places. Where the call app offers "same as system" or a similar option, choosing it means you only have to set the microphone in one place.
Common wrong-microphone cases
A dock or display took over
Many displays, docks and webcams have a microphone. Plugging one in can make it the default input. It is usually further from you than the built-in microphone, so the result is quiet and roomy rather than silent.
A headset you are not wearing
A Bluetooth headset in your bag can still be connected. If it is the input, the recording hears the inside of the bag. Disconnect it or choose another input.
A virtual device
Noise-suppression tools, streaming apps and some older recording utilities install virtual audio devices. Selected as the input with their app not running, they deliver silence.
Bluetooth call mode
When a Bluetooth headset's microphone is in use, many headsets switch to a mode with lower sound quality in both directions. Listening on the headset and speaking into the Mac's built-in microphone avoids it. See recording a call while wearing AirPods or a Bluetooth headset.
It changed mid-call
Devices connecting and disconnecting during a call can move the default input. When your Mac switches audio devices in the middle of a call covers that case.
Which microphone to choose
For a transcript, the microphone closest to your mouth usually wins. In practice:
- A MacBook's built-in microphone is fine in a quiet room at normal distance.
- A wired headset or a USB desk microphone is better in a noisy room or a shared office.
- A Bluetooth headset's microphone in call mode is usually the weakest option for transcription.
Getting better meeting transcripts covers the room and habits as well as the hardware.
Which microphone Notey uses
Notey records your side from the input selected in System Settings › Sound, the Mac's default input. It does not have its own microphone picker. If you change the default during a recording, Notey follows it.
So the rule for Notey is: set the microphone you want in System Settings, and set your call app to the same device. If the lane for your side stays flat while you speak, the default input is the first thing to check; meeting recording silent or transcript empty covers the rest.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the microphone on a Mac?
Open System Settings › Sound, choose the Input tab under Output & Input, and select the device. That sets the Mac's default input, which most apps use unless they have their own setting.
Why does Zoom use a different microphone from my Mac's setting?
Zoom, Teams and Meet each have their own microphone setting. When it names a specific device, the call app uses that device whatever the Mac's default is. Set the call app to the same device as System Settings, or to follow the system default where it offers that.
Why did my Mac switch to a different microphone on its own?
macOS switches the default input when a device connects, such as a Bluetooth headset, a dock or a display with a microphone. Choose the input again in System Settings after connecting.
Which microphone is best for transcription?
The one closest to your mouth that is not a Bluetooth headset microphone in call mode. A MacBook's built-in microphone is usually fine in a quiet room; a wired headset or desk microphone is better in a noisy one.