During Teams meetings, I am sometimes unable to unmute my microphone:
It usually occurs when I use the Teams Web app (https://teams.microsoft.com) and Bluetooth headsets that mute when I raise the microphone arm.
If I am on my Lenovo laptop, I can usually solve it by using the function key for microphone mute/unmute:
But on my desktop computer’s keyboard, I do not have that key.
To solve it, I right-click the volume icon in the system tray and select Sounds:
Click on the Recording tab, select the microphone you want to unmute and click Properties:
Click on the Levels tab. Here I can see that my microphone is muted in my computer’s sound settings (just as Teams said):
Click on that icon to unmute:
Remember to lower the microphone arm on your headset if you have automatic mute when it is raised.
The mute symbol is gone, and I am automatically unmuted in the Teams meeting, yay!
You can go directly to the Recording tab in Sound settings using this command:
control.exe mmsys.cpl,,1
I have created a shortcut on my desktop for this for quick access:
Please comment and let me know if this solved it for you or not. I can update this post with other solutions you may have.
Also, let me know if you have more information about why the microphone is muted in Windows in a way so that Teams or my headset cannot unmute it.
Update 2022-02-16!
The free tool SoundVolumeView from NirSoft solves this in a fantastic way! You can download it here:
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/sound_volume_view.html
It does not require any installation, just download it, extract the zip file, and run the app called SoundVolumeView.exe. Select the microphone you are using and Press F8 (or right-click) to unmute:
Even better, you can easily create a Desktop Shortcut to specific actions. Here I chose to create a shortcut to toggle the mute status on my headset’s microphone:
Now I can just double-click this icon on my Desktop to unmute:
Another thing, the is a global microphone mute/unmute button coming to the taskbar in Windows 11, that may solve this issue without third party apps. Here is a 7 sec video of how it will look:
Microsoft Security Solutions 
Hi Tom! Seriously, this helped my alot. I have been using the teams web app since I’m using the local app for another organization. For some reason the webapp would always be on mute and I would end up restarting and being late to meetings. THIS solves everything! Thanks a million!
Glad it helped, thanks for posting the feedback!
Hi Tom, I was having this trouble for a few days, really glad I came across your instructions- because it actually worked for me. Thank you very much!
Glad it helped you too! 👍🏻
Thank you! This worked for me, too. Now I no longer look like an idiot in teams meetings.
Your welcome!
That’s the exact reason I found the solution and posted it here, by the way 🙂
This totally worked for me! I’ve been happily using the same headset, same browser(s) in Teams web and yesterday this problem started. Not sure how I muted to begin with, and I would never have found it so deep down. But it’s good now! Thanks so much!
Thanks for letting me know it helped you too 😀
Thanks, Tom, this solved the same problem for me too!
Happy to hear, Adam!
Thank you
You’re welcome! 😀
Really helpful! Thank you very much.
Your welcome, glad it helped!
Than you Tom, this have been serious problem to me lately, HP Elitebook with Windows 10, using Teams from Chrome web browser.
This solved a problem.
Thanks for the feedback and glad it helped 👍🏻
Thank you so much! This worked for me, too
OMG – finally an answer that worked! I have been struggling with this for weeks. It was working fine, then I went on a trip and it never worked again. I spent hours searching for a resolution to this problem! Thank you so so much!!!!!!
I’m glad it helped, and I appreciate the feedback!
holy crap – this had been driving me nuts for over a week – I am on Win11 so it was a slightly different place to configure it, but essentially yes find the input device and unmute it there!!
Hallelujah!!
Actually the Teams message is totally correct, however it was not obvious where to unmute what and how!!
Yeah, it’s a really frustrating problem, glad it helped!
Any advice how to do that on Win 11? Shortcut just opens the Sound properties but does not actually unmute. Have to do it manually each time. Thanks!
It’s unfortunately the same in Windows 10. It’s just a shortcut to the closest setting I could find (Recording tab in the Sound settings), you still need to manually double click the microphone, select tab Levels and click unmute. If someone finds a shortcut all the way to the unmuting part, please let us know. It will probably not be the same for everyone since the name of the Microphone will be different depending on manufacturer, but that’s manageable.
See my update to this blog post, I hope that method works for you as well.
Hi, I have exactly the same issue. Using Windows Sound Properties or NirSoft Tools work very fine. Nice tweak !!! But, I observed this problem is caused because another application using my microphone is the real source of the problem. When I close Cisco Jabber application, I can unmute/mute my microphone from Teams without problem. If you try NirSoft tools, you will able to list all applications that are running and have a mute flag, this could help you to find the source of this problem !!
Ahh, great feedback, thank you!
I don’t use Cisco Jabber, but the next time it happens I will check to see if I can identify the reason.
Thanks, this was really helpful! I’ll have to try ggcbe’s tip also.
Dude, you are a lifesaver!! Thank you!!
Thanks! Saved my life!
Hopefully an exaggeration 😀 But you’re welcome.
Its helpful and wonderful. It solved my problem. Thanks. I was struggling with that issue. But I do want to understand why the microphone or external microphone is muted in Windows in a way so that Teams or my headset cannot unmute it. Can anyone tell me, pls?
Oh My! This saved my life! Thank you and Thank you!