No microphone on your Mac? Check the input device first

Steps

1. 01

   Select the microphone you mean to use

   Ventura or later

   • Apple menu›System Settings›Sound(scroll down the sidebar if needed) → Input
   • Select '[your Mac] Microphone', or the headset or external mic you want

   Monterey or earlier

   • Apple menu›System Preferences›Sound›Input tab, and select the microphone

   Why?

   A display with a built-in microphone appears in this list too, so check which input is actually selected.

2. 02

   Watch the level meter and set the input volume

   • Speak normally and watch the input level meter on the same page — it should move with your voice
   • Drag the Input volume slider up if the meter barely moves
   • Still flat? Pick a different device in the list to check whether any input works

   ✓You should see: The meter moving as you talk — macOS can hear you, so anything still wrong is the app.

   Why?

   If there's no slider for that device, set its level on the device itself or in its own app.

3. 03

   Let the app use the microphone

   • Quit the app first
   • Ventura or later:System Settings›Privacy & Security›Microphone›turn the app on(Monterey or earlier:System Preferences›Security & Privacy›Privacy›Microphone)
   • Reopen the app and try again

   Also see: Microphone permission on your Mac? Let the app use it

4. 04

   Check the microphone inside the call

   • FaceTime: open the Video menu and make sure the right microphone is ticked; Zoom and Teams have their own microphone picker
   • Sonoma or later: during a call, open Mic Mode from the Video or Audio menu in the menu bar — Standard if your voice sounds odd, Voice Isolation to cut background noise
   • Make sure nothing — a case, a sleeve, your hand — is covering the microphone

   Why?

   Mic Mode is available on Macs from 2018 onwards; on Ventura and Monterey it's in Control Center.

5. 05

   Prove it with a recording

   • Record ten seconds in Voice Memos and play it back
   • The Recording indicator in Control Center shows when the microphone is in use or was used recently
   • External USB mic or audio interface still silent: check the maker's site for macOS updates and compatibility

   ✓You should see: Your own voice on playback — the mic works end to end.

   Also see: USB device not recognised on your Mac: find the fault