Where Is The Microphone On A Chromebook?

Testing the Microphone

Before you start to troubleshoot potential issues with the internal microphone settings, it’s always good to test the mic and be sure the internal microphone itself is actually the problem that is preventing you from being able to use your microphone normally.

If using Google Chrome as your internet browser, you can download an audio settings extension or series of apps after you open Chrome that will check to see if both your internal and external mic is working or not.

Once you open Chrome, you can search for an extension called “Microphone Test,” “Mic Test” or “Audio Engineer” and download the first result that pops up.

Google Chrome extensions and apps are free and lightweight on any open Chrome browser, so you will have them downloaded and installed quickly, even if you’re on a slower internet connection.

Once the extension is installed into your system settings, click on the new icon that popped up in the top right or in your system tray and follow it to a new browser page. From here, you can speak normally towards your microphone and see if the displayed audio bars move.

If the audio bars move, your microphone is working correctly. If the audio quality or microphone quality bars do not move, you may need to ensure the microphone settings are being recognized properly, or adjust the microphone sensitivity.

Setting Up Default Microphone Usage

If you have downloaded a microphone testing extension but aren’t noticing any movement in the bars or soundwaves, you may need to change the default built-in or external microphone that is being used to pick up sound.

In some cases, the Chromebook may default to a headphone jack that previously had an external mic or other peripheral device attached to it. This is an extremely simple fix that can be done right on the Chromebook quickly and easily in just three steps.

1. Navigate to the Settings option
2. Click on the Audio tab and navigate to the Microphone setting
3. Ensure the default microphone shown is your built-in microphone

Adjusting Microphone Sensitivity

Once you are sure the proper built-in or external microphone is set as your default, check the microphone test extension again. This time, you should see some movement in the bars or soundwaves.

If you do, but they seem faint, you will need to adjust your microphone sensitivity via the microphone icon or site settings. This can be done in five simple steps.

1. Navigate to the Settings option in the system tray
2. Click on the Audio tab and navigate to the Microphone setting
3. Click on the Input and then Microphone slider bar
4. Move the slider to the right to increase the sensitivity
5. Save the changes, exit the settings, and test the microphone

If you are not noticing any movement in the soundbars after adjusting the default microphone and the sensitivity, you may need to update audio input permissions.

Setting Up Microphone Permissions

Normally not an issue with your computer directly, but a microphone may need permissions updated when being used through an online program such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. In some cases, these programs may default to administrator-only permissions which means other users on the PC may not have access for your microphone with that program.

In order to change the voice input permissions and headset access, start the Chrome device program and wait a few seconds. In some cases, you may be greeted with a small device pop up window asking if you want to grant permission to the program to use your microphones.

If this happens, make sure you trust the program that is asking for this permission and simply click yes to grant permission. However, if the pop up window does not appear, you will need to manually check for permissions in the program’s settings.

If using Google Chrome as your default browser, you can navigate to the top right area of the screen and click on the three small vertical dots next to your Google user icon. From here, you will perform some easy steps to manually adjust permissions in the privacy and security section.

1. After clicking on the vertical dots, navigate down and click on Chromebook Settings
2. From Settings, move to Privacy and Security
3. Navigate to Site Settings and click that option
4. You will then click on Permissions followed by Microphone

In this section, you can view the permissions that are granted or denied for your microphone and adjust them as needed to ensure your microphone is allowed to pick up audio when you are using certain programs or websites.

Troubleshooting Microphone Issues

If the above options are not working, there are a series of additional troubleshooting tasks you can perform to see if there is a way to get your built-in or headset microphone to work or be recognized by your chosen program’s voice input access.

Disable Chrome Extensions

Occasionally, multiple extensions on Chrome can interfere with each other. In this case, you may be noticing issues with your Chrome access microphones working at some times but not every time.

Disable extensions one by one can be the easiest way to locate the extension that is causing problems with your mics. If you only have a few Chrome extensions, this process will be quick and simple to pinpoint the app that is causing problems with your mics – but if you have a large number of extensions, this app checking process can take quite a bit of time.

1. Start by clicking on the three vertical dots in the top right corner of Chrome
2. Navigate to More Tools and then Extensions or Apps

From this menu, you will disable or uninstall each of the extensions or apps one by one and test your built-in mic afterward. Since you will be testing the Chromebook’s microphone after the removal of each of the extensions or apps, this process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several minutes.

Log Into Guest Mode

In some cases, you may notice there are issues using the microphone when you are signed into a user profile on the Chromebook. Additionally, some programs may not work if you are logged in as an administrator so you need to downgrade to a separate user account or log in as a guest.

In order to use guest mode for your microphone access, you can log out entirely or log in as a guest while still on your personal account. In order to do this, click on Quick Settings at the bottom of your screen near the clock.

1. From here, navigate to the Sign Out option.
2. At this point, you will click on the Browse As a Guest option

Once you are logged in as a guest, you can then open up software such as Zoom or other programs that uses your microphone audio settings and see if your microphone works properly at this time.

Connect an External Microphone

If your built-in microphone and audio settings seem to be broken when you talk directly towards it, but the Chrome drivers are up to date and working properly on the computer, you can try to use an external microphone (like the Blue Yeti mic) or a gaming headset or headphones with a mic instead.

These will normally plug into your Chromebook via USB port or 3.5mm jack depending on the available ports you have. Your headset of various brands can simply be plugged into the input access point causing the microphones to pick up audio and adjust it naturally.

Most external microphones and headphones with a built-in mic will be plug-and-play on your computer which means they will automatically install themselves and update their drivers as soon as they are plugged into your Chromebook input access point.

Try Alternate Software

The software could be your issue in some cases, as some software may not be compatible with your microphone’s driver version. In this case, the easiest option is to change your software.

Alternate software for online video conferencing can include:

• Zoom
• Discord
• Skype
• Google Classroom
• Google Meets
• Google Duo
• Google Hangouts
• Microsoft Teams

If you switch to a new conferencing software and have no issues with your microphone, you will know it was a compatibility issue with the sound option of your previous software. This can be due to the software itself, or may be due to using an earlier version of that software.

Factory Reset Your Chromebook

As the ultimate last-ditch attempt to fix your microphone issues, you can consider a complete factory reset of most Chromebooks and their settings.

The biggest downside here is that it will wipe all of your software, saved folders, and bookmarks. It will reset the computer back to factory settings as if you just purchased it.

While this can fix a variety of issues with your hardware, including the microphone and the sound option settings, it should definitely be left as a complete last attempt to fix your microphone. If older laptops are not under warranty, this may be the only solution left to try.

1. Click on the System Settings option near the clock at the bottom right corner
2. Navigate to the Gear Icon and move to Advanced
3. From here, select the Reset Settings option
4. Verify your selection by clicking on Reset a second time

This will start the complete wipe and reset of your system settings and may take several minutes depending on how much saved information it needs to erase.

However, once the process is done, it will be like having a brand new Chromebook once again and many of the previous issues you had may very well be fixed.

Conclusion

Knowing where the microphone of your Chromebook is located is important for a variety of reasons. Maybe you need to troubleshoot an issue or want to use a headset with a mic instead.

In any case, the microphone is located on the top right side of the Chromebook near the webcam. If your microphone is not working despite having the latest audio drivers installed, you can try using an external microphone or headset, change to a different software program, or do a complete factory reset of your Chromebook.

Hopefully one of these solutions will help you fix your microphone so you can go back to using your Chromebook as normal.