AUDIO / WINDOWS 11
Microphone connected.
Windows still silent?
Check the same microphone at three points: Windows, your browser and the website. These permission layers are separate. One working test helps you choose the next check; it does not certify every app.
Compare with the free microphone testStart with the Windows input test
Check the connection and physical mute switch. Open Settings → System → Sound. Under Input, select the microphone you intend to use. Open that device’s properties, run Start test, speak, stop the test and use Play to hear the recorded sample. Adjust Input volume if needed. These controls are described in Microsoft’s microphone troubleshooting guide.
Use the device name as your reference for the browser check. If Windows does not list it, return to connection or device troubleshooting before changing a website permission. If a sample sounds distorted, lower the input level and repeat at your normal speaking distance.
Check Windows microphone access
Open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone. Check Microphone access and Let apps access your microphone. Microsoft Store apps can have individual switches. A desktop browser may instead depend on Let desktop apps access your microphone, and may not appear in the individual-app list.
The desktop-app switch affects the listed desktop apps together, rather than granting access only to Signal. Decide whether that access fits your needs before changing it. A website still needs its own browser permission. See Microsoft’s explanation of microphone privacy and desktop-app exceptions.
Allow the test site in your browser
In Chrome, open Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Microphone. Check the default input and whether Signal is listed as blocked. To allow a blocked site, open its entry and change the microphone permission. When you start Signal’s test, choose the microphone access you want from Chrome’s prompt. Google documents these Chrome settings.
For Edge, operating-system access alone also does not authorize every website: allow the microphone on the site you intend to test, as described in Microsoft’s Edge permission guidance. Permission for Signal does not transfer to a meeting website. If a work or school policy prevents a Chrome setting from changing, contact the administrator; do not try to bypass that policy.
Listen before deciding what works
Open Signal in a normal browser tab. Select Start microphone test, grant microphone access and choose your reference input. Speak, then use Record 10 seconds and listen back with headphones. Signal processes this recording in the browser and does not upload it.
A moving meter is a signal check; audible playback is the stronger comparison. If the meter moves but playback is silent, check your selected output and speaker volume using the recording troubleshooting steps. Stop the test to release the microphone before comparing with another app.
Use the comparison to choose your next check
If Windows records sound but Signal is blocked, return to browser and site permissions. If both recordings work but a call is silent, select the same input and check mute and permission inside that call app. For Zoom, use the separate browser-versus-Zoom guide.
If the device is absent from Windows, the website cannot establish which driver or hardware part is at fault. Use Microsoft’s device troubleshooting for your exact model, or get support with the device name, Windows version and observed error. Keep private recordings and account details out of public reports.
About this guide
Independent Signal instructions reviewed against the linked Microsoft and Google documentation on 5 October 2026. Signal is not affiliated with either company. Menu names can change. This article’s navigation and browser rendering were checked; the Windows settings and every device variant were not operated as part of this review.
This reading page requests no microphone access and loads no advertising. The general audio guide offers optional advertising separately. The microphone test runs on its own browser origin.