How to Increase Microphone Volume and Gain in Windows 10

If people on calls say you sound quiet, or your recordings come out faint, Windows 10 has two controls that make your microphone louder. The first is the regular input level, which most people mean by microphone volume. The second is Microphone Boost, an extra gain stage that some audio drivers provide. This guide shows where to find each one, how to set them without adding distortion, and how to check the result.

Before you start

All of these adjustments are made locally in Windows and in your audio driver. You don't need an online service or an account to change microphone volume or gain. Before you change anything, check these points:

• Connect the microphone and make sure Windows detects it as an input device. A headset or webcam microphone counts as a separate device from a built-in laptop microphone.
• Note the current slider positions so you can put them back if the new settings sound worse.
• If a specific app can't hear you at all, check that microphone access is allowed in Windows privacy settings. Volume settings can't fix blocked access.
• If your microphone has a hardware gain knob, a mute switch or its own control software, check those first. They act before Windows receives the signal.

Microphone Boost is not a standard Windows feature. Your sound card or microphone driver provides it, so it appears on some computers and not on others. On a computer without it, you can still raise the normal input level.

Step-by-step instructions

Raise the input level in Settings

• 1. Right-click the speaker icon on the taskbar and choose Open Sound settings, or open Settings and go to System, then Sound.
• 2. Under Input, select your microphone from the input device list.
• 3. Select Device properties under the input device.
• 4. Move the Volume slider to the right. Depending on your Windows 10 build, you may also see a Start test button that shows the level as you speak.

Make sure you change the input section. The output device controls your speakers or headphones, and turning it up makes other people louder to you, not you louder to them.

Adjust gain and Microphone Boost in the Sound control panel

• 1. In Sound settings, open Sound Control Panel. Depending on your Windows version, the link appears under Related Settings or in the right-hand column. You can also open Control Panel and select Sound.
• 2. Go to the Recording tab, select your microphone and click Properties.
• 3. Open the Levels tab.
• 4. Raise the Microphone slider first. This control is the same input level as the slider in Settings.
• 5. If a Microphone Boost slider appears below it, raise it one step at a time. Boost moves in fixed decibel steps instead of a smooth range.
• 6. Click Apply, then test before you raise anything further.

What does Microphone Boost do? It amplifies the signal before the normal level control, much like the gain knob on an audio interface. This helps with quiet or low-sensitivity microphones. However, it amplifies everything the microphone picks up, including background noise, hiss and room echo. That is why you should raise the regular level first and use boost only for the remaining difference.

Check app-level controls

Many calling and recording apps have their own input volume, input device selector and automatic gain or noise suppression options. If you sound quiet in only one app, open that app's audio settings. Make sure it uses the same microphone you adjusted, and check whether automatic adjustment is overriding the level you set in Windows.

Check the output

Speak at your normal distance and volume while you watch the meter in Sound settings or the green bar on the Recording tab. Normal speech should move the meter clearly, and your loudest words should not keep pinning it at the top. A meter that sits at maximum is a sign of clipping, which sounds harsh and distorted and can't be removed afterwards.

Meters only show level, so you should also listen to the sound. Make a short test recording with Voice Recorder or the recording app you normally use, then play it back on headphones. Listen for three things: whether your voice is loud enough, whether there is a constant hiss or hum, and whether loud syllables crackle. If hiss is the main problem, lower boost by one step and raise the regular level instead.

The Advanced tab in the microphone's properties shows the default format, which is the sample rate and bit depth Windows uses for that input. This setting affects compatibility, not loudness. Change it only if an app reports a format problem.

Common problems and next steps

Where is Microphone Boost in Windows 10?

When it's available, Microphone Boost is on the Levels tab of the microphone's properties in the Sound control panel, not in the Settings app. If it's missing, the driver for that device doesn't provide it. This is common with USB microphones and many headsets. Installing the audio driver from your computer or motherboard manufacturer sometimes adds it, but this is not guaranteed. If no boost is available, raise the input level, move closer to the microphone or use the microphone's own gain control.

What should Microphone Boost be set to?

There is no single best boost level, because microphones and drivers differ. A practical approach is to start with boost at zero and the input level high. Then add boost one step at a time until normal speech is clearly audible on the meter. Stop at the lowest step that works, and go back one step if noise or distortion appears. You don't need boost if your voice is already loud enough without it.

Volume keeps changing by itself

If the slider moves after you set it, an app may be adjusting the microphone automatically. Turn off automatic microphone adjustment in the app you use for calls. On the Advanced tab in the Sound control panel, you can also clear the option that allows applications to take exclusive control of the device. Then test the microphone again.

Louder but noisy

Too much boost is the usual cause. Lower it, move the microphone closer to your mouth and reduce sources of background noise, such as fans. If the driver has an Enhancements tab with noise suppression, you can try it. Test the result afterwards, because these processing options vary by driver and can sometimes make your voice sound unnatural.

Windows 7

Windows 7 uses the same Sound control panel. Open Sound, go to the Recording tab, open your microphone's Properties and select Levels. The Microphone slider and, if your driver provides it, Microphone Boost work the same way as described above.