How to test your microphone in Microsoft Teams

The Teams desktop app for Windows and Mac has a test call that records a short message and plays it back. Teams on the web and the Teams phone app do not offer it. Wherever you join from, check that Teams uses the right microphone, then compare with a short browser recording made with the same microphone.

Check my microphone with MicProbe

MicProbe’s Teams test approximates microphone processing locally in your browser. It does not join Teams or measure what a meeting participant hears.

Make a test call in the Teams desktop app

Select Settings and more next to your profile picture, then Settings → Devices.
Under Audio settings, choose your Speaker and Microphone.
Select Make a test call. Teams asks you to record a short message and plays it back.
Listen for the same problem people mention in meetings, then read the summary Teams shows after the call.

Microsoft says the test call is currently in English only and is not available in Teams for the web. It deletes the recording after the call. See Microsoft’s guide to call settings in Teams.

Check the microphone before you join a meeting

On the pre-join screen, choose Computer audio, then open Audio settings to check the speaker and microphone before you select Join now. Microsoft notes that you can join up to 15 minutes early to check your setup.

During a meeting, select the arrow next to Mic, then More audio settings, to change the microphone without leaving. In the Teams phone app, tap Speaker on the pre-join screen to choose where sound plays. Microsoft’s guide to audio settings in Teams meetings covers both.

Check noise suppression and voice isolation

In the desktop app, Noise suppression is under Settings → Devices. During a meeting, the menu next to Mic offers Background noise only or Voice isolation. Voice isolation uses a voice profile you record under Settings → Recognition. On iPhone, open your profile picture, then Settings → Calling → Noise suppression. See Microsoft’s guide to reducing background noise in Teams.

The Teams desktop app can turn your Windows input volume down during a call and back up when it ends. If your microphone level seems to change between calls, check Automatically adjust mic sensitivity in the same audio settings.

Compare with a browser recording

Open MicProbe, select the Microsoft Teams test and choose the same microphone you selected in Teams. Follow the recording guide, then use Play to hear the saved sample. Keep your speaking distance, room and listening device the same for both checks.

A named MicProbe test is a local approximation, not a recording from Teams. It lets you hear your side and keep a sample for comparison, even where Teams has no test call; it cannot show how Teams processed or sent your voice.

What does the difference tell you?

Both recordings sound wrong: start with the microphone, its position and the room. Follow the guides for low volume, muffled speech or static and buzzing.
The browser recording is clear, but Teams sounds worse: recheck the microphone selected in Teams and compare one noise setting at a time. Then read why a clear recording can sound worse in a call.
Words go missing in meetings: use the cutting-out microphone guide to separate missing words in your recording from interruptions in the call.

If Teams cannot hear your microphone

Check that you are unmuted in Teams and that the microphone or headset has no mute switch turned on. On Windows, open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone and turn on Microphone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone. On a Mac, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and turn on Teams. In Teams on the web, allow the microphone when the browser asks, or use More options → App permissions and refresh the page. Microsoft’s Teams microphone troubleshooting guide covers each step.

If you use a Bluetooth headset, sound playing through it can change when its microphone is active; see the Bluetooth microphone guide.

Common questions

Why can’t I find Make a test call in Teams?

Microsoft lists the test call only in the Teams desktop app for Windows and Mac. It is not in Teams for the web, and the phone app does not list it. Without it, join a meeting a few minutes early and ask someone how you sound, or record a short sample in the browser and listen to it.

Does a good Teams test call mean meetings will sound good?

It shows how your microphone sounds through Teams at that moment. In a meeting, a different selected device, a changed noise setting or an unstable connection can still change what others hear.

Does MicProbe test Microsoft’s servers?

No. Its Teams test uses a local approximation. The connection check sends a sample voice to a nearby Cloudflare server and back, not through Microsoft’s servers. Read what MicProbe measures and what it cannot check.

For other apps, see the Zoom, Google Meet and Webex mic test guides.