How to configure and test a Microphone on Steam

Steam is one of the popular gaming platforms with a library of more than 30000 games. These games include both free-to-play and paid games. You can download Steam on your Windows 11/10 PC from its official website. To use Steam, you should have a Steam account. If you do not have a Steam account, you can create a new one. Sometimes, while using Steam, you may encounter a situation where your microphone does not work. In this case, before trying solutions or workarounds, it is necessary to know whether you have configured your microphone correctly on Steam or not. In this article, we will show you how to configure and test a microphone on Steam.

How to configure and test a Microphone on Steam

If you do not know how to configure and test a microphone on Steam, this article will help you. Here, we will describe the step-by-step process of configuring and test a microphone on Steam.

How to configure a microphone on Steam

First, let’s talk about how to configure a microphone on Steam. The following steps will help you with that:

1. Open the Steam Client.
2. Go to “Friends > View Friends List.”
3. When your friends list appears, click on the gear-shaped icon on the top right side to open the FRIENDS LIST SETTINGS.
4. Now, select VOICE from the left side.
5. Click on the VOICE INPUT DEVICE drop-down. You will see the microphones connected to your computer. Select the microphone that you want to use with Steam.

You can also select your output device by clicking on the VOICE OUTPUT DEVICE drop-down menu. In the Volume section, you will find the following two options:

• Input volume/gain: You can change the input volume of your microphone by moving the slider.
• Output volume/gain: Here, you can set the output volume by moving the slider.

If your friends are not able to hear your voice, you can either increase the Input volume/gain or Output volume/gain. On scrolling down, you will see the following advanced options:

• Echo cancellation
• Noise cancellation
• Automatic volume/gain control

You can turn on or off these advanced features as per your requirement. In this way, you can configure or set up your microphone on Steam. Now, let’s see how to test a microphone on Steam.

How to test a microphone on Steam

Steam also has a feature that lets you test whether your microphone is working or not. To test a microphone on Steam, you have to open your FRIENDS LIST SETTINGS in Steam by following the steps mentioned above. After that, select the VOICE category from the left side.

You will see a START MICROPHONE TEST button on the right side and three options in the VOICE TRANSMISSION TYPE section. You can test your microphone by using any of these three options. To use these three options, you have to assign a hotkey. If a hotkey is already assigned, you will see that hotkey, otherwise, you will see None. To assign a hotkey, click on None or the hotkey that is already assigned, and then press a key on your keyboard. For example, if you want to assign the Ctrl hotkey to test your microphone, first, click on None and then press the Ctrl key. Now, if you want to assign another hotkey, click on the hotkey that you have previously assigned (in our case, it is Ctrl) and then press another key on your keyboard. You can also assign your mouse click as a hotkey.

After assigning a hotkey, you can test your microphone in Steam. You can use any of the following three options to test your microphone:

• Open Microphone: If you select this option, Steam will continuously play the sound received from the microphone. You can hear this sound by connecting your speakers or headphones. If you press the assigned hotkey, Steam will stop playing the sound received from the microphone. Pressing the same hotkey again will play the sound received from the microphone through the connected output device.
• Push-to-Talk: This option lets you hear your own voice through the speakers or the connected output device only when you press and hold the assigned hotkey.
• Push-to-Mute: If you use this feature to test your microphone, you will hear your own voice through the connected output device. Pressing and holding the assigned hotkey will mute the output device. Releasing the hotkey will again unmute the output device.

The following steps will help you test a microphone in Steam:

1. Click on the Start Microphone Test button.
2. Select any of the following three options:
   • Open Microphone
   • Push-to-Talk
   • Push-to-Mute
3. Start speaking into your microphone. You will hear your own voice.
4. When you finish testing your microphone, click End Microphone Test.

In this way, you can test your microphone on Steam.

Read: Steam error accepting this trade offer 11, 15, 16, 25, 26, 28.

How do I change my mic settings on Steam?

You can change your mic settings on Steam. To do so, open your FRIENDS LIST SETTINGS in Steam and then select the VOICE category from the left side. Now, you will see different options to change your mic settings on Steam. We have explained this above in this article.

How do I run a microphone test?

To test your microphone on Windows 11, go to “System > Sound,” Select your microphone to open its properties and then click on the Start test button. Alternatively, you can also use free mic testing software and online tools.

I hope this helps.

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