Do you want to enable or disable the microphone on your Windows 10 PC? In this guide, we will see the three easy ways to turn on or off the microphone in Windows 10.
Many users prefer to disable a PC’s camera and microphone when not in use to protect their privacy. Like others, if you also like to disable the microphone, you can do it with ease.
Following are the three easy ways to enable or disable the microphone on a PC running Windows 10. None of these methods require you use third-party software.
Method 1 of 3
Disable microphone via Device Manager in Windows 10
Step 1: Open Device Manager. To do so, right-click on the Start button on the taskbar and then click the Device Manager option.
Step 2: In the Device Manager window, expand the Audio inputs and outputs tree.
Step 3: Right-click on the Microphone entry and then click Disable device option.
Click the Yes button when you see the confirmation dialog.
To turn on the microphone again, right-click on the microphone again and then click Enable device option.
Method 2 of 3
Turn on or off the microphone in Control Panel in Windows 10
Step 1: Right-click on the volume icon in the system tray of the taskbar and then click Sounds to open the same. If you cannot see the volume icon, please refer to our fix to volume icon missing guide.
Step 2: Switch to the Recording tab by clicking on the same.
Step 3: Right-click on the microphone entry and then click Disable to turn it off. That’s it! To enable it, right-click on the microphone and click Enable.
Method 3 of 3
Disable microphones for apps in Windows 10
In addition to the apps mentioned above, you can stop only specific apps or all apps from using the microphone on your Windows 10 PC. Remember that this method cannot stop classic desktop programs from accessing your microphone. Here is how to do that.
Step 1: Navigate to Settings app > Privacy > Microphone.
Step 2: Under Microphone, turn off Let apps use my microphone option to stop all modern apps from using the microphone. If you want to prevent a specific app from accessing the microphone, look for the app name in the Choose apps that can use your microphone list, and turn off the option.
Hope you find this guide helpful.
