Microphone not working? Start with the symptom.

Access blocked or no permission

1. Desktop Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Microphone. Allow this site only if you want to test.
2. On Mac, also check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone for the browser. Follow any request to quit and reopen it.
3. Return to the test and start it again. If your organization locks permissions, ask its administrator; do not bypass the restriction.

No prompt? Review the site permission first. A blocked request alone does not prove a broken microphone.

• Chrome permissions
• Mac microphone access

No microphone found or disconnected

1. Stop the test. Reconnect the microphone or headset, then confirm it appears in the computer’s sound-input settings. For Bluetooth, confirm the device is connected, not merely remembered.
2. Return to the test, start it and choose an available microphone. A previously selected input may no longer be connected.
3. If the computer itself does not list the input, use the exact device maker’s connection instructions before repeating browser tests.

An empty browser list is not a hardware diagnosis. Check the system list separately.

Test starts, but there is no signal

1. Check the headset’s mute switch. Speak normally near the microphone you intend to use.
2. Select that input in the test, rather than a monitor or headset you are not using. If input selection is unavailable, use the system input check below.
3. Compare with the system input check below. If only one input reacts, use that input; if neither check reacts, continue with the device maker’s guidance.

A moving meter means this browser received a signal. It does not establish clear speech, the intended microphone, or a working call.

Microphone could not start or is busy

1. Finish any active call or recording. Close other microphone tests and apps using the input, then retry once.
2. If it still fails, save your work and restart the browser. Check the input at system level before reopening the test.
3. If the same input fails at system level too, follow the device maker’s troubleshooting. Avoid installing a driver or buying a replacement based only on a browser error.

A browser read error can arise at the hardware, operating-system or browser level. “Busy” is one possibility, not a confirmed cause.

Signal here, but nobody hears me in a call

1. Stop this test before returning to the call.
2. Check the call app’s selected input and mute control. Browser calls need their own site permission; Home Cues permission is separate.
3. Use the call app’s audio test or ask a participant to confirm audibility. If the problem remains only in that app, follow its official support instructions.

Our suggested comparison isolates the next place to investigate. A signal here cannot confirm the call app’s settings, network delivery or what another person hears.