How to fix Microsoft Teams showing the wrong microphone or speaker device during calls and meetings

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix Microsoft Teams showing the wrong microphone or speaker device during calls and meetings. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Microsoft Teams allows you to choose which microphone and speaker (or headset) it uses for calls and meetings. When the wrong device is selected, other participants may not hear you, or you may not hear them. In some cases, Teams may default back to a different device after a Windows or macOS update, or after a new peripheral is connected. This guide walks you through changing your audio devices within Teams, resetting the audio settings, and resolving driver or system-level conflicts on both Windows and macOS.

Quick Fix Steps

If you need to resolve the issue straight away, work through these steps in order:

1. Open Microsoft Teams and click the three dots (...) next to your profile picture, then select Settings.
2. Go to Devices and confirm the correct microphone and speaker are selected under Audio devices.
3. Make a test call by clicking Make a test call at the bottom of the Devices page.
4. If the issue persists, quit Teams completely, reopen it, and recheck the device selection.
5. If still unresolved, restart your computer and try again.

If the quick steps do not resolve the problem, continue to the detailed instructions below.

Detailed Instructions

Change the default audio device in Microsoft Teams

Teams lets you choose separate devices for calls, meetings, and music playback in some versions. To set your preferred devices:

1. Click the three dots (...) next to your profile picture in Teams.
2. Select Settings > Devices.
3. Under Audio devices, choose your preferred device from the Speaker dropdown.
4. Choose your microphone from the Microphone dropdown.
5. Use the sliders to test volume levels, and speak into the microphone to confirm the input meter moves.
6. Close the Settings window. Your selection is saved automatically.

Reset Teams audio settings

Resetting the audio configuration forces Teams to re-detect connected devices, which often resolves stubborn selection issues.

1. In Teams, open Settings > Devices.
2. Click Reset (or Reset audio settings, depending on your Teams version).
3. Wait for Teams to refresh the device list, then reselect your preferred microphone and speaker.
4. Run Make a test call to confirm the issue is resolved.

Set the correct device at the operating system level

Teams relies on the operating system to identify available audio devices. If the wrong device is set as default in Windows or macOS, Teams may inherit that selection.

Windows 10 and Windows 11

1. Right-click the speaker icon in the system tray and choose Sound settings (or Open Sound settings).
2. Under Output, select the correct speaker or headset.
3. Under Input, select the correct microphone.
4. Scroll down and click More sound settings to open the classic Sound control panel.
5. On the Playback tab, right-click your preferred device and choose Set as Default Device, then Set as Default Communication Device.
6. Repeat on the Recording tab for your microphone.
7. Click Apply, then OK.

macOS

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
2. Click Sound.
3. On the Output tab, select your preferred speaker or headset.
4. On the Input tab, select your preferred microphone.
5. Close the window. Changes are saved automatically.

Troubleshooting

Teams keeps switching back to the wrong device

This usually happens when multiple audio devices are connected, or when a Bluetooth device is intermittently disconnecting.

• Disconnect or unpair Bluetooth devices you are not actively using.
• Disable Bluetooth on your computer if you are using a wired headset.
• In Teams Settings > Devices, turn off Auto-select audio device if available, then manually choose your device.
• Update your Bluetooth or USB headset firmware via the manufacturer's website.

Microphone not detected or greyed out in Teams

1. Confirm the microphone is not muted at the hardware level (check for a physical mute switch or button).
2. Check that the microphone is enabled in your operating system sound settings.
3. On Windows, press Win + R, type mmsys.cpl, and press Enter. On the Recording tab, ensure your microphone is enabled and not disabled.
4. On macOS, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, and confirm Teams has microphone access.
5. Reinstall or update the audio driver from your computer or headset manufacturer's website.

Update or reinstall audio drivers (Windows)

Outdated or corrupted drivers are a common cause of audio device conflicts.

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager.
2. Expand Audio inputs and outputs.
3. Right-click your audio device and select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
4. If no update is found, right-click the device again and choose Uninstall device, then restart your computer. Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver automatically.
5. For Bluetooth headsets, also expand Bluetooth and update the relevant adapter driver.

Clear the Teams desktop client cache

Corrupted cache files can cause Teams to remember the wrong audio device even after you change it.

1. Quit Microsoft Teams completely. On Windows, right-click the Teams icon in the system tray and select Quit. On macOS, use Cmd + Q.
2. On Windows, press Win + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams, and press Enter.
3. On macOS, open Finder and press Cmd + Shift + G, then enter ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Teams.
4. Delete the contents of the following folders: Cache, blob_storage, databases, GPUCache, IndexedDB, and Local Storage.
5. Restart Teams and sign back in. Reconfigure your audio devices in Settings > Devices.

Check for Teams and operating system updates

Microsoft regularly releases updates that fix audio handling bugs in Teams. Running an outdated version can cause device selection issues.

1. In Teams, click the three dots (...) next to your profile picture and select Check for updates.
2. If an update is available, allow it to download and install, then restart Teams.
3. On Windows, go to Settings > Windows Update and install any pending updates.
4. On macOS, open System Settings > Software Update and install any available updates.

Test with the Teams web app

If the desktop client continues to misbehave, testing in the browser helps determine whether the issue is with Teams itself or with your local configuration.

1. Open https://teams.microsoft.com in Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
2. Sign in and join a test call or meeting.
3. When prompted, allow the browser to access your microphone and speaker.
4. Check whether the correct audio device is selected and working.

Reinstall the Teams desktop client

If all other steps have failed, a clean reinstall of Teams can resolve persistent audio device issues caused by corrupted installation files.

1. Quit Teams completely.
2. On Windows, open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Microsoft Teams, and select Uninstall.
3. On macOS, open Finder, go to the Applications folder, drag Microsoft Teams to the Trash, and empty it.
4. Download the latest version of Teams from https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-teams/download-app.
5. Install Teams, sign in, and reconfigure your audio devices in Settings > Devices.

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