Mac microphone too quiet: how to turn it up

By Published

When your Mac's microphone is too quiet, the cause is almost always one of four things: the input volume slider is low, the Mac is listening to a different microphone than you think, a call app turned the level down, or a Bluetooth headset is sending its microphone at phone quality. Each takes a minute to check. I make YapToText, a dictation app, and a quiet microphone is the most common reason dictation misses words, so the end of this page covers what the app does about it.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

Raise the input volume

  1. Open System Settings and click Sound.
  2. Click Input, then select the microphone you use in the list.
  3. Drag the input volume slider to the right and talk. The input level meter should move well into the middle when you speak at a normal volume.

If the slider was low, this one change fixes most quiet microphones. Around three quarters is a good start. All the way up can add hiss on some built-in microphones.

Make sure the Mac is using the right microphone

A Mac picks up new inputs as you plug them in: a display with a camera, a webcam, AirPods, a headset. If it switched to one across the room, your voice sounds quiet and far away. In the same Input list, pick the one closest to your mouth, and watch the level meter while you talk. The microphone guide covers which kind hears best for dictation.

If the volume keeps going down by itself

  • Call apps. Zoom has a setting to adjust the microphone volume automatically, and other call apps do the same. While they run, they can lower the Mac's input level, and it stays low after the call. Turn that setting off in the call app, or quit it, then raise the slider again.
  • Bluetooth headsets and AirPods. When their microphone is in use, Bluetooth drops to a phone quality link, so your voice sounds thin and quiet. The Mac's built-in microphone often hears you better. AirPods dictation explains the trade.
  • Mic Mode. In apps that support it, such as FaceTime, Control Center shows Mic Mode while the microphone is on. Voice Isolation cuts background sound, and Standard leaves the sound alone.
  • A USB microphone. Some keep their own gain. Look for a dial on the microphone itself, or open Audio MIDI Setup (in Applications, Utilities), select the microphone, and check the volume on its Input tab.

When dictation still cannot hear you

Apple's Dictation uses the microphone chosen under Microphone source in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation, which can differ from the one in Sound. Set both to the same one. Mac dictation not working goes through the rest, smallest fix first.

What YapToText does about a quiet microphone

YapToText watches for a quiet input and tells you, instead of quietly getting words wrong. All of it runs on your Mac.

  • A warning when the Mac's input volume is low. Below 50 percent, the app shows the level and offers a Raise to 80% button, or opens Sound settings for you.
  • Auto-amplify quiet speech. On by default, on the Dictation page. Quiet speech is lifted before it reaches the speech model.
  • Input boost and a live meter. In Settings, General, Microphone, the boost goes from 1x to 12x. Talk and raise it until normal speech reaches the green to yellow zone without sitting in the red.
  • Input source. The same card picks the microphone YapToText listens to, separate from the system default. If that one is unplugged, it falls back to the default.
  • A noisy room warning. The Dictation page warns when the room or the fans are too loud for the microphone.

The troubleshooting guide has the rest, and dictating with hearing aids covers Bluetooth hearing aids.

About the author. I am Ryleigh Newman, and I make YapToText. My hands do not work well enough to type for long, so I dictate nearly everything, and I built this app because I needed it. More about me and the app.

Sources

Questions

How do I increase microphone volume on a Mac?

Open System Settings, click Sound, click Input, select your microphone, and drag the input volume slider to the right while you watch the level meter.

Why does my Mac microphone volume keep going down?

Usually a call app, such as Zoom, adjusting the microphone volume automatically. Turn off that setting in the app, then raise the slider in Sound settings again.

Why is my microphone quiet only in dictation?

Apple Dictation can use a different microphone than the one in Sound settings. Check Microphone source in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation.

Is there a microphone boost on Mac?

macOS has only the input volume slider. Some USB microphones have their own gain in Audio MIDI Setup. YapToText adds an Input boost of up to 12x for dictation.