Mac audio for calls

Mac microphone too quiet? How to fix it

If your Mac microphone volume is too low on calls, check the input device, Input volume, the call app's own level, distance, and Bluetooth mode, in that order.

By the Notey team at AInject · · 6 min read

In short

Open System Settings › Sound › Input, check the right microphone is selected, and raise Input volume while watching Input level. Then check the call app's own microphone setting, the device's gain dial or mute, your distance from it, and whether a Bluetooth headset is in call mode.

If your Mac's microphone is too quiet, open System Settings › Sound, choose Input under Output & Input, make sure the right microphone is selected, and drag Input volume up while you speak and watch Input level. If that does not fix it, the cause is usually one of four others: the call app is using a different microphone or turning you down, the device has its own gain or mute, you are too far from it, or a Bluetooth headset has switched into call mode.

This guide works through them in the order that finds the problem fastest.

Fix a quiet microphone

  1. Open System Settings › Sound. Under Output & Input, choose Input.
  2. Check the selected device. Is it the microphone you are speaking into? A display, webcam or headset in a bag can be selected without you noticing.
  3. Raise Input volume. Speak normally and drag Input volume to the right until Input level reaches about the middle. It should not hit the end on loud words.
  4. Check the device itself. Many USB microphones and headsets have a gain dial, a mute button or a mute switch on the cable. Interfaces have a gain knob per input.
  5. Check the call app. In Zoom, Teams or Meet, open the audio settings. Make sure it uses the same microphone, and look at its input level and automatic adjustment.
  6. Check the distance. Move closer: about a hand's width to 20 cm for a desk or headset microphone, normal sitting distance for a MacBook.
  7. Check Bluetooth. If the input is a Bluetooth headset, choose the Mac's built-in microphone instead and keep the headset for listening.
  8. Test. Record ten seconds and play it back, or use the call app's microphone test.

Wrong device

The most common cause of a quiet microphone is that it is not the microphone you think. macOS can switch the default input when a device connects: a dock, a monitor with a microphone, a webcam, a Bluetooth headset. Those are often further away, so you sound quiet and roomy rather than silent.

Choosing the right microphone on a Mac shows every place the choice lives: System Settings, Control Centre and each call app.

Input volume

Input volume sets how much macOS amplifies the microphone. Low settings are a common leftover from someone turning it down to stop feedback.

  • Set it while speaking at your normal level. The Input level meter should sit around the middle.
  • If it is greyed out, the device controls its own level. Use its gain knob or the maker's app.
  • Do not max it out by default. Too much amplification brings up background noise and can distort loud words.

Some Macs also show an option under Input to reduce background noise. It can make a quiet voice in a noisy room clearer, but it is no substitute for getting closer.

The call app's own level

Call apps process your microphone before sending it:

  • Automatic volume adjustment raises and lowers your level on its own. It usually helps; occasionally it turns a quiet speaker down further. If you sound quiet only in one app, try its manual level.
  • Noise suppression can treat a soft voice as noise when it is set high. Set it lower and test.
  • A separate device choice. The call app may still be on the laptop microphone after you plugged in a USB one, or the other way round.

Mic Mode

While an app uses the microphone, macOS may apply a Mic Mode such as Voice Isolation. Voice Isolation filters out background sound, and in a quiet room it should not make you quieter, but if you sound strange in one app and not another, switch it to Standard and compare. Mic modes on a Mac shows where it is.

Distance and placement

Sound drops off quickly with distance. Double the distance and the microphone hears much less of you, while the room noise stays about the same. So moving closer raises your level and improves how you sound, both at once. That is why a headset microphone often sounds louder and clearer than a much better microphone across the desk.

  • MacBook: sit at normal distance in front of the screen. A closed lid with an external display means the built-in microphone is not the one to use.
  • Desk microphone: close, pointed at your mouth, off to one side.
  • Webcam or display microphone: often a metre away; usually quieter than anything closer.

Using a USB microphone for calls covers placement in more detail.

Bluetooth headsets

When an app uses a Bluetooth headset's microphone, Apple says audio quality and volume are reduced until the microphone is no longer in use. A voice through that mode sounds quieter and thinner. Choose the Mac's microphone as input and keep the headset for listening. Bluetooth headsets on a Mac explains the two modes.

Quiet or silent

A quiet microphone and a silent one have different causes. If the Input level meter does not move at all, or a recording is empty, check permission, mute and the selected device. Meeting recording silent or transcript empty covers that case.

Quiet in a recording

A recorder captures what the microphone delivers after macOS's input volume, so everything above applies to recordings too. A quiet voice gives a speech recogniser less to work with, and a transcript of your side will have more gaps.

Notey records the input selected in System Settings › Sound as your side of the meeting. During a recording, the You meter on the floating button shows your level: it should move clearly when you speak. If it barely moves, work through the steps above; if it does not move at all, see the guide on silent recordings. Setting up your Mac's audio for calls covers the whole setup before a call.

Frequently asked questions

How do I increase microphone volume on a Mac?

Open System Settings › Sound, choose Input under Output & Input, select the microphone, and drag Input volume to the right while speaking. Watch Input level; normal speech should reach about the middle.

Why is my Mac microphone quiet only on Zoom?

Zoom keeps its own microphone choice and can adjust your level automatically. Check it is using the same microphone as System Settings, and try its manual input level if automatic adjustment keeps turning you down.

Why is Input volume greyed out on my Mac?

Some devices, including many USB microphones and audio interfaces, do not let macOS change their level. Use the gain dial on the device or its own software instead.

Why did my microphone get quieter when I put my AirPods in?

The Mac may have switched input to the AirPods, and a Bluetooth headset's microphone runs in a lower-quality mode during calls. Choose the Mac's microphone as input and keep the AirPods for listening.

My recording is silent, not quiet. Is that the same problem?

Usually not. Silence usually means the wrong device, a muted device or a missing permission. The guide on silent recordings covers that case.

Why is my MacBook microphone quiet with the lid closed?

With the lid closed, the built-in microphone is covered or out of use. Choose the display's microphone, a USB microphone or a headset as the input instead.