How do you allow microphone access on Windows?

To allow microphone access on Windows 11, open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone, and turn on Microphone access. Then turn on the switches for apps. Microsoft says to make sure Microphone access is turned on under Privacy & security, App permissions, Microphone ¹. On Windows 10 the path is different, and it is covered below.

On Windows 11, three switches must be on

Microphone access is the first switch, but it is not the only one. Microsoft's steps for Windows 11 continue after it. You go to Microphone settings and turn on Let apps access your microphone ². Desktop programs have their own switch. Microsoft says that for desktop apps you must make sure Let desktop apps access your microphone is turned on ³.

So the full list, in order, is:

1. Microphone access under Privacy & security > Microphone, on.
2. Let apps access your microphone, on.
3. Let desktop apps access your microphone, on, if the program you are using is a desktop app.

If a single program still cannot hear you, check that program's own microphone setting, as described below.

On Windows 10, the switches are under Privacy

Windows 10 uses the older Privacy settings. Microsoft says you need to turn on some permissions in Privacy settings to use the microphone with apps on Windows 10 ⁴. The steps begin at Start > Settings > Privacy, and you select Microphone under App permissions in the left pane ⁴.

On that page, Microsoft says to make sure the toggle for Microphone access for this device is turned on, and then to ensure Allow apps to access your microphone is also turned on ⁵. The first toggle controls the device as a whole, and the second controls apps.

Microsoft's page notes that Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025 ⁶, so Microsoft no longer provides security updates for a Windows 10 PC. The steps above still apply to it, but an upgrade to Windows 11 or a different tool may be the safer long-term choice.

Voice typing shows its own message when access is off

Voice typing has its own error for this problem. If microphone access is off, it says it needs access and tells you to turn this on in settings to use speech to text ⁷. After you turn on the switches above, check that the microphone you want is selected under Settings > System > Sound > Input. Microsoft's first troubleshooting step for voice typing is to select the microphone in that place ⁸.

It depends on the PC and the app

On a personal PC, the steps above are often all you need. Two cases need a different check. First, the switches can be greyed out. The Microsoft steps we read do not say why, so if you cannot change them, the PC may be managed by an administrator, and that person is the one to ask. Second, a program may use its own microphone setting rather than the Windows one. Check that program's audio settings after the Windows switches are on.

For a test, click into a text box in Notepad, press Windows key + H, wait for the Listening alert ⁹, and say a short sentence. If the words appear, the access is working. If they do not, the next checks are in our guide to fixing Windows dictation. If the shortcut itself does nothing, see why the Windows key + H is not working. If the words stop partway through, see why voice typing keeps stopping.

For the microphone hardware itself, our question on whether a laptop microphone is good enough for dictation covers the built-in and external options. For every Windows dictation guide, see our overview of dictation on Windows.

Terms used here are defined in our glossary entries for microphone key and voice typing.