How to Fix Microphone Volume to 0 or 100 in Windows 11

This practical guide explains how to fix microphone volume to 0 or 100 in Windows 11. Follow the steps in order, review the requirements first, and use the troubleshooting notes when a setting or option does not work as expected.

Block apps from controlling Windows 11 microphone

Step 1:

Open Control Panel and select Sound from the list. Next, select the Recording tab and double-select Microphone below.

Step 2:

In the Advanced tab , uncheck Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device and Give exclusive mode applications priority .

Turn off automatic gain control on the app

For communication software like Discord, Zoom, Skype, or Microsoft Teams, open the app's settings and find the audio or voice settings. Then turn off Automatically adjust microphone settings or Automatic Gain Control.

If you use Chrome, we access chrome://flags/ in the address bar. Then find Allow WebRTC to adjust the input volume and change it to Disabled .

Uninstall audio driver software

Some pre-installed audio utilities (such as Realtek Audio Console, Dell/Alienware audio service, or Intel Smart Sound Technology) can interfere with microphone settings, so you may need to uninstall them to fix the microphone volume to 0 or 100 error.

Step 1:

You press the Windows + X key combination and select Device Manager . Next, we select Sound, video and game controllers to expand.

If we see software-specific devices (like Intel Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio), right-click and select Disable device or Uninstall device.

Step 2:

Then go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps and uninstall those apps.

Update, roll back, or reinstall audio drivers

Step 1:

In Device Manager, right-select the microphone under Audio inputs and outputs and select Update driver. Select Search automatically for drivers to let Windows find the latest version.

If updating still does not fix the error, you need to restore the previous driver version. Right-select the device, select Properties > Driver tab , then click Roll Back Driver.

If neither updating nor restoring worked, select Uninstall device , then restart your PC. Windows will automatically reinstall the default driver.

Check microphone privacy

Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone and turn on Microphone access .

Temporarily disable access for all apps, then enable them one by one to determine if a specific app is causing the volume reset.

Using Windows Troubleshooters

• How to use Windows Update Troubleshooter