How-To

How to Stop Hearing Yourself on Mic on Windows 11 & 10

Testing a microphone on Windows 11

If you hear yourself when you use your mic on Windows, you probably have microphone monitoring switched on. Here’s how to stop it.

As the rise in apps like Zoom has shown, it’s important to have access to a good quality microphone on a Windows PC. You might need it for work, but it’s also a good idea to keep your mic ready for emergencies.

What do you do if your microphone isn’t working properly, however? If you keep hearing yourself on your microphone, it could mean your mic isn’t set up properly.

This should be an easy fix, so if you want to know how to stop hearing yourself on Windows 11 and Windows 10, follow the steps below.

Why Do I Hear Myself Using My Mic on Windows?

If you’re able to hear yourself on your mic while you’re using a Windows PC, it’s a sign that your sound settings aren’t configured correctly.

This is usually because you’ve enabled microphone monitoring on your device. This is a feature that loops your mic input straight to your speakers or headphones, allowing you to see how you sound.

You might also have another mic activated at the same time—your internal mic on a laptop and your standalone mic, for instance. It might also occur if your mic is boosted and the settings aren’t correct.

Less rarely, it could point to a hardware fault. If you’re worried about this, try your mic (if possible) on another device to see if the issue repeats itself.

How to Stop Hearing Yourself on a Mic on Windows 11

If you’re running Windows 11, you should be able to stop hearing yourself on your microphone by disabling microphone monitoring.

For most users, this will stop the mic input from being repeated back to your speakers or headphones. To stop hearing yourself on a mic on Windows 11, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Start menu and select Settings.
    Open the Windows 11 Settings menu
  2. In Settings, press System > Sound.
  3. Select More sound settings.
    Opening the More Sound Settings menu on Windows 11
  4. In the Sound window, press Recording and select your mic.
  5. Press Properties.
    Opening the mic properties menu on Windows 11
  6. In the Listen tab, uncheck the Listen to this device checkbox.
  7. Click OK to save your changes.
    Disabling mic listening on Windows 11

How to Stop Hearing Yourself on a Mic on Windows 10

If you’re running Windows 10, you can also disable microphone monitoring for your mic. However, due to the changes between Windows 11 and Windows 10, the steps are slightly different. To stop hearing yourself on a mic on Windows 10, follow these steps.

  1. Right-click the Start menu and select Settings.
    Opening the Windows Settings menu
  2. In Settings, press System > Sound.
  3. Click Sound Control Panel.
    Open the Sound Control Panel on Windows 10
  4. In the Sound window, select the Recording tab.
  5. Choose your microphone and press Properties.
    Open mic properties on Windows 10
  6. In the Microphone properties window, select Listen.
  7. Uncheck the Listen to this device checkbox.
  8. Press OK to save.
    Disable mic listening on Windows 10

Configuring Your Microphone on Windows

The steps above should allow you to quickly configure your microphone so you don’t hear yourself through it on a Windows PC.

Still having mic problems? If you’re on Windows 10, don’t forget to boost your microphone levels. Windows 11 users can test their microphone out and double-check it isn’t a hardware problem.

12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. Jared

    July 13, 2022 at 5:20 pm

    Still having microphone passthrough when the “listen to this device” is unchecked.

    • guy

      September 13, 2022 at 7:07 pm

      same

    • piscio

      July 17, 2023 at 10:12 am

      same

  2. NoName

    January 24, 2023 at 12:37 am

    same here

  3. Vukhin

    April 30, 2023 at 5:23 am

    Thank you very much. I have solved my problem.

  4. Steve Jablonski

    August 31, 2023 at 7:17 am

    Too bad, it didn’t work for me (Windows 11). I still have the problem. What other options do we have to kill the sidetone?

  5. Maureen

    September 7, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    Thank you, this solved my problem on Windows 10

  6. Who Cares

    September 13, 2023 at 1:55 pm

    Does not solve my issue. Microphone won’t work unless it’s set to LISTEN. I am actually screaming at the top of my lungs at how awful this is right now. I just want to use my mic to record my voice for videos, but it won’t work at all. I hate the world right now.

  7. Jenn

    October 25, 2023 at 9:42 am

    Thank you so much!! You have solved my issue and I can continue to work through teams instead of my cell phone :)

    • Jeff Butts

      October 25, 2023 at 10:33 am

      Awesome, glad to hear it! Thanks for reading, and thanks especially for the feedback.

  8. yakov

    October 30, 2023 at 8:15 am

    Right-click the speaker icon in the notification area
    Select Playback devices
    Right-click the output device
    Select Properties
    Click the Levels tab
    Find the Microphone device
    Click the speaker icon next to the microphone to mute it
    Click [OK] in the two dialog boxes

    • Fikri

      November 29, 2023 at 4:54 am

      THANK YOU!!!

    • MaJic86

      December 19, 2023 at 5:41 am

      Yo Yakov you are a real one, Thank you so much

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