If people can't hear you, you can't hear them, or your camera shows a black screen, work through these checks in order. Most problems are fixed in the first two sections.
Check the obvious first
- Make sure you're not muted in Teams, and that any mute button on your headset or keyboard is off.
- Check your computer's volume isn't turned down or muted.
- If your camera has a privacy shutter or a camera key on the keyboard, open it or switch it on.
- Close other apps that might be using your microphone or camera, such as Zoom, Webex or the Camera app.
Choose the right devices in Teams
Teams sometimes picks the wrong speaker, microphone or camera, especially after you plug in a headset or dock.
- In Teams, select Settings and more (the ... next to your profile picture) > Settings > Devices (labels can differ slightly).
- Under Audio devices, choose your headset or the device you want to use for speaker and microphone.
- Under Camera, choose the right camera and check the preview.
- Select Make a test call. Teams records a short message and plays it back so you can check both your microphone and speaker.
During a meeting, you can change devices without leaving: select More (...) > Settings > Device settings, or use the arrow next to the microphone or camera button.
Allow Teams to use your microphone and camera
Your computer may be blocking Teams.
Windows 11
- Open Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
- Make sure Microphone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone are on, and that Microsoft Teams is allowed.
- Repeat for Camera.
macOS
- Open System Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Select Microphone and make sure Microsoft Teams is switched on.
- Do the same under Camera, and under Screen & System Audio Recording if you share your screen.
- Quit and reopen Teams after changing these settings.
Bluetooth and USB headsets
- Make sure the headset is charged and connected to this computer, not your phone.
- Bluetooth headsets often appear twice in the device list, for example as "Headphones" and "Headset" or "Hands-Free". Choose the one that includes the microphone.
- If a USB headset stops working, unplug it, wait a few seconds and plug it into a different port.
- If the headset came with its own app, check it for firmware updates.
If you're about to join an important meeting and nothing works, join from your phone using the Teams app or dial-in number while you sort out your computer afterwards.
Restart and update
- Quit Teams fully: right-click the Teams icon in the taskbar or menu bar and choose Quit.
- Restart your computer. This fixes a surprising number of device problems.
- Install any pending updates. See Restart and install updates.
If Teams itself is behaving oddly, try clearing the Teams cache.
Still stuck?
Log a ticket with the make and model of your headset or camera, or start a remote session so an engineer can check your device settings with you.