How to Stop Chrome from Automatically Adjusting Microphone Levels

If your microphone volume slider creeps up or down during a call in Chrome, the cause is usually automatic gain control. This is audio processing that raises or lowers your input level to keep your voice at a steady loudness. Chrome applies it when a website asks for it. Most video call and voice chat sites ask for it by default. On some systems, that processing also moves the operating system's input level for the microphone, which is why the slider seems to change by itself.

Chrome has no single switch in its browser settings that turns automatic gain off for every site. The practical options are to turn it off in the calling service, to limit what applications can change at the operating-system level, or, if you build the page yourself, to request audio without it.

Before you start

• Know where the processing happens. Automatic gain runs locally in the browser's audio pipeline on your computer. It does not depend on uploading your audio anywhere. However, the website decides whether to request it, so the site's own audio settings matter.

• Note your current input level in your operating system's sound settings so you can return to it later.

• Close other apps that use the microphone, such as desktop calling apps, recording software or headset utilities. Some of these have their own automatic volume features and can be the real cause.

• Make sure Chrome is allowed to use the microphone. This covers both the site permissions inside Chrome and the operating-system permissions on Windows, macOS or Linux.

• If you are on a work or school computer, some audio settings may be locked by an administrator.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Confirm that Chrome is the one changing the level

Open your operating system's sound settings and watch the input level for your microphone. Join a call or open a microphone test page in Chrome and speak normally. If the slider moves only while that Chrome tab uses the microphone, and stops when you close the tab, the browser session is responsible. If it still moves with Chrome closed, look at other software instead, such as a desktop calling app, a sound card utility or headset software.

2. Turn off automatic volume in the calling service

Open the audio or microphone settings inside the website you are using. Look for an option described as automatic microphone volume, automatic gain, or automatically adjust input level, and turn it off. Not every service offers this, and the name and location differ between services and change over time. If you find it, this is the cleanest fix, because it stops the site from requesting the processing in the first place. Rejoin the call afterward so the new setting applies to a fresh audio stream.

3. On Windows, stop apps from taking control of the device

Windows lets applications take exclusive control of an audio device. Clearing this option is a commonly suggested way to reduce how much apps can change the microphone. Results vary between devices and drivers, so treat it as something to try rather than a guaranteed fix.

• Open the classic Sound control panel. On Windows 11 you can reach it from System, then Sound, then More sound settings in the Settings app. On Windows 10, use the sound settings link to the Sound control panel.

• Go to the Recording tab, select your microphone, and open Properties.

• On the Advanced tab, clear the option that allows applications to take exclusive control of this device, then apply the change.

• On the Levels tab, set the input level you want by hand.

• Fully close and reopen Chrome, then test again.

The same Advanced tab also shows the default format, which is the sample rate and bit depth. You do not need to change it for this problem. Leave it as it is unless you have a separate reason. To undo the change, check the exclusive control option again. Some audio production software expects exclusive mode, so re-enable it if such an app stops working properly.

4. On macOS and Linux, set the level manually and rely on site settings

macOS has no equivalent of the Windows exclusive control option in its sound settings. On Linux, behavior depends on your desktop and sound server. On both, set your preferred input level in the system sound settings, turn off automatic volume in the calling service if it offers that, and check whether a headset or interface utility is applying its own processing.

5. Select the right input device

Choose the microphone you intend to use in both the calling service and Chrome's site settings for the microphone. If the wrong input device is selected, such as a built-in laptop microphone instead of a headset, levels can look inconsistent even when automatic gain is not involved.

6. If you build the web page, request audio without automatic gain

Developers can set the autoGainControl constraint to false when requesting the microphone with getUserMedia. Read the applied settings from the audio track afterward to confirm what the browser actually granted, because browsers may handle constraints differently between versions.

About extensions

Some third-party Chrome extensions claim to disable automatic gain on every site. They are not part of Chrome. Check what permissions an extension asks for and who publishes it before installing, since it would have access to the pages where you use your microphone.

Check the output

• Watch the input level in your operating system's sound settings during a few minutes of normal speech in Chrome. If the slider stays where you set it, the operating-system level is no longer being adjusted.

• Record a short sample in the calling service's test feature, if it has one, or ask someone on a call to listen. Speak at a normal volume, then softer, then louder. Without automatic gain, quiet and loud speech should differ in loudness instead of being evened out.

• Watch the level meter, if your calling service shows one. Peaks that regularly hit the top suggest the input level is too high. A meter that barely moves suggests it is too low.

• Use headphones as your output device while testing. Sound from speakers can leak back into the microphone and make the result harder to judge.

A steady operating-system slider does not prove that all processing is off. The browser or the service may still apply digital processing to the audio stream without moving the slider. Judge the recorded or received sound, not only the slider.

Common problems and next steps

The level still changes by itself

Repeat the first step with every other audio app closed, including ones running in the background or system tray. Check your sound card or headset utility for automatic volume or voice enhancement features. On Windows, also look for an enhancements or signal processing section in the microphone's properties, which some drivers provide. If none of this helps, the calling service may not allow you to turn off automatic gain. In that case, a desktop app from the same service, if available, may offer more audio controls.

My voice is now too quiet or too loud

With automatic gain off, the input level you set is the level others hear. Raise or lower it in the operating-system sound settings, adjust the hardware gain knob if your microphone or interface has one, and keep a consistent distance from the microphone.

Background noise is more noticeable

Automatic gain and noise suppression are separate features. Turning off one does not turn off the other. A higher fixed input level can make background noise more audible, so lower the level slightly, move the microphone closer to your mouth, or enable noise suppression in the calling service if it offers it.

Chrome cannot find or use the microphone

Check that the site is allowed to use the microphone in Chrome's site permissions. Then check the operating-system permissions: microphone access on Windows privacy settings, or microphone access for Chrome in macOS privacy and security settings. After changing permissions, reload the page. On macOS, you may need to quit and reopen Chrome.

The fix stopped working after an update

Driver reinstalls, operating-system updates, Chrome updates and changes in the calling service can reset or change audio behavior. Recheck the exclusive control option on Windows and the service's own audio setting, then test again as described above.