How to Boost Microphone Volume on PC or Mac

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

This wikiHow teaches you how to increase your microphone's input volume to a higher level in your computer's settings, using Windows or Mac.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

This button is located next to the date and time information in the lower-right corner of your desktop. A menu will pop up.
This will open a new window, and show a list of all the audio input hardware connected to your computer.

Advertisement
Find the microphone you're using on the list here, and click on it.
This button is in the lower-right corner of the Sound window. It will open your microphone's settings in a new window.
This button is between Listen and Advanced at the top of the window.
6
Drag the Microphone Boost slider to the right. This will boost your microphone's input volume to a higher decibel level.
- You can see the amount of boost you're adding in decibels (dB) to the right of the slider here.
This will save your new microphone settings, and close the microphone window.
This will save your new audio settings, and close the Sound window.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

This button looks like a black Apple icon in the upper-left corner of your screen. It will open a drop-down menu.
This will open your System Preferences in a new window.
This option looks like a speaker icon on the System Preferences menu. It will open your computer's audio settings.
This button is located next to Sound Effects and Output at the top of the Sound window.
You'll see a list of all the audio input devices connected to your computer here. Find the microphone you're using, and click on its name.
6
Slide the Input volume slider to the right. This will boost the selected microphone's audio input to a higher level of volume.
- You can now speak to your microphone, and check the Input level indicator here in order to see if your microphone's input is boosted.