realtek microphone not working properly in Windows 11 - driver 6.0.9354.1

Hi Bev Fair,

Beside the Q&A Assist’s advice, here are a few additional checks that can help narrow this down:

First, turn off audio enhancements in Windows. Go to Settings > System > Sound > Input then select your microphone and set Audio enhancements to Off. These enhancements can sometimes suppress microphone input instead of improving it.

Next, check Microsoft Teams settings. Open Teams > Settings > Devices, set Noise suppression = Off, and run a test call. Teams processing can reduce mic sensitivity in some cases.

Then, disable exclusive control. Press Win + R, type mmsys.cpl, go to the Recording tab, open your microphone properties, select the Advanced tab and uncheck both exclusive mode options.

It’s also helpful to test the microphone outside of Teams, such as using Voice Recorder or the Teams web version. If it works normally there, it may indicate this is related to the Teams desktop app or its interaction with the current driver.

Finally, if the issue persists, try installing the audio driver directly from your device manufacturer’s support site as per suggested above, as certain driver versions can affect how microphone gain is handled.

If you can share your device model, I’d be happy to help check which driver version works best.

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Perform these steps in order to restore usable microphone levels on Windows 11 with a Realtek microphone array:

1. Verify app and system access to the microphone
   1. Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
   2. Ensure Microphone access is turned On.
   3. Ensure Let apps access your microphone is On, and confirm that apps such as Microsoft Teams are allowed.
   4. If using a desktop app, ensure Let desktop apps access your microphone is also On.
2. Test and adjust input level in Windows 11
   1. Select Start > Settings > System > Sound.
   2. Under Input, select the Realtek Microphone Array to open its properties.
   3. Under Input settings, select Start test and speak at normal volume.
   4. Select Stop test, then Play to listen to the sample.
   5. If the recording is faint, increase the Input volume slider toward 100% and repeat the test until the level is acceptable.
3. Reinstall the Realtek audio driver If levels remain too low even at 100%, refresh the driver installation:
   1. Right‑click Start and select Device Manager.
   2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   3. Right‑click the Realtek audio device and select Uninstall device.
   4. If available, check Delete the driver software for this device (or Attempt to remove the driver for this device) and confirm.
   5. Repeat for any duplicate Realtek audio devices.
   6. Restart the PC so Windows reinstalls the audio device automatically.
4. Update the audio driver After reinstalling, update to the latest available driver:
   1. Select Start > Settings > Windows Update.
   2. Select Check for updates and install any audio or optional driver updates, then restart.
   3. If no newer driver appears via Windows Update, open Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers, right‑click the Realtek device, and select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
   4. If Windows reports the best driver is already installed but issues persist, download the latest Realtek audio driver for the exact PC model from the PC manufacturer’s support site, install it following their instructions, and restart.
5. Re‑test microphone level After driver reinstall/update and restart:
   1. Return to Settings > System > Sound.
   2. Select the Realtek microphone under Input and repeat the Start test / Play procedure.
   3. Confirm that the test line under Test your microphone moves clearly when speaking.

If, after these steps, the Realtek microphone array is still too faint while an external microphone works normally, this typically indicates a device‑specific driver or hardware issue. In that case, install the exact audio package recommended by the PC manufacturer and, if the problem continues, contact the device manufacturer’s support for a Realtek/firmware–specific fix.

References:

• Fix microphone problems
• Update Audio drivers in Windows
• internal microphone on windows 11 not working - Microsoft Q&A
• Reloaded Windows 11 and Realtek Audio Line In is gone - Microsoft Q&A
• Internal Microphone not detected - Microsoft Q&A
• Kinect for Windows 11 has broken!!! (Solve Found) - Microsoft Q&A
• How to fix this. no audio device is installed - Microsoft Q&A