You muted yourself on a Discord voice chat for a few minutes to concentrate on a task, and when you’re trying to unmute it again, Discord won’t let you unmute! Yes, I can compare this situation to my own too.
I’ve been using Discord for a long time, and I’ve faced this issue several times now.
So, why is Discord not letting you unmute?
I researched the reasons for this problem and fixed them myself. Stay with me till the end and read the full post to fix Discord not letting it unmute.
Why can’t I unmute my microphone in Discord?
There are some reasons related to your device and Discord app which might cause some issues with your output settings. Also, some background processes might conflict with the Windows operating system.
There are other reasons too, causing this issue.
Below are the reasons that cause the Discord app not to let you unmute:
Inability to Access Device Microphone
If the Discord app can’t access your microphone, it cannot let you unmute as there is no way to override microphone access.
The unmute option is directly connected to the microphone usage permission. So, if you cannot unmute yourself in the Discord app, there’s a microphone permission issue on your device.
If you don’t grant the microphone access to the Discord app, it cannot let you join in a voice chat as you won’t be able to talk.
Faulty Output Device Settings
Output device means the device you’ll use to talk with your friends in the Discord app. In this case, the microphone you’ll use for voice chatting.
If your output device settings are not set up correctly or have conflicting settings, you won’t be able to unmute yourself in Discord.
Also, if you set up incorrect or faulty output settings, you won’t be able to unmute, and your friends won’t hear your voice.
Check out our epic guide to know Why is Discord Giving Static Sound
Activating Push to Talk
If you’ve selected push to talk service to communicate with your friends in the Discord app, then you’ll not be able to use the conventional way to mute and unmute yourself in the app.
Push-to-talk service in Discord works differently than the usual voice chatting system. It requires a dedicated button on your keyboard to activate and deactivate the microphone.
On the other hand, you can mute or unmute yourself using the microphone button beside your username if you’re on a voice chat in Discord.
Overlapped Microphone Access
If you’re using another app that requires microphone access simultaneously with the Discord app, it complicates the microphone usage.
As a result, Discord can’t access the microphone, creating a mute, unmute issue in the app.
In Windows default settings, more than one app can’t access the device microphone at a time.
That’s why if another app is using your microphone, Discord cannot unmute you at that time, which will violate your privacy status.
Check out our separate post on how to Fix Discord Screen Share No Audio Problems.
Incorrect Browser Settings
If you’re using a browser instead of the Discord app for PC, then you have to grant some permission to run the app smoothly on your PC.
Discord asks you the permissions on the setup page or silently gets permission directly from your Windows settings. But, it is a whole different scene if you use Discord directly from your browser.
You have to grant all the necessary permissions right from your browser when Discord asks for them. Microphone settings are one of them.
If you don’t grant microphone access to the Discord website in your browser, Discord can’t mute/unmute easily and does not let you unmute.
Also read, Fix: Discord Not Working with Audio Interface
How to Fix Discord Not Letting Me Unmute
As I’ve explained all the reasons that might cause the Discord app not to let you unmute, I’ll now give you the solutions to fix them and eliminate the problem.
Here are the steps to fix Discord not letting me unmute:
1. Grant Microphone Access to the Discord App
I’ve told you that you need to give microphone access to the Discord app to make a voice call and mute/unmute whenever you choose. Without permission, Discord cannot let you unmute.
Now, to grant microphone access, follow the step below:
- Click on the Windows Start
- Select Settings.
- Click on Privacy.
- Scroll down and select Microphone.
- Toggle on Allow apps to access your microphone.
- Scroll Down and search for the Discord App.
- Toggle on to grant microphone access to Discord.
Now restart your PC and open the Discord app to check if the problem is solved.
2. Change Output Device Settings
Output device settings affect the voice chatting performance and make the Discord app perform without any issue. But incorrect or faulty output device settings will lead you to problems like Discord not letting you unmute.
Follow these steps to set up the correct output device in the Discord app:
- Open the Discord app.
- Click on settings beside your username.
- Select Voice and video under App Settings on the left menu.
- Select Output Device and choose the device you’re using.
- Adjust the Output volume as your choice.
- Restart the Discord app.
Now check if the problem still appears.
3. Deactivate Push-to-talk
I explained the difference between the mute/unmute option between push-to-talk and voice chat. If you’ve enabled push-to-talk, then the standard mute-unmute system won’t work for you.
Follow these steps below to find the mute/unmute key for push-to-talk:
- Open the Discord app.
- Click on the settings icon.
- Go to Voice & video under App Settings.
- Select Voice activity.
Now, re-launch the Discord app and see if the issue is solved.
You can also reset your voice settings by clicking Settings > Voice & video > Reset voice settings (At the bottom of the window).
4. Quit Other Apps Accessing Microphone
Suppose any other app is accessing the microphone simultaneously as the Discord app. In that case, they’ll conflict with each other, and Discord won’t be able to run it’s processes smoothly, resulting in not letting you unmute.
Follow the steps below to quit apps using microphone access along with Discord:
- Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager.
- Search for programs that might use the microphone access like Messenger, WhatsApp, or Google Meet.
- Select the program by clicking on it.
- Click on the End Task button on the down-right corner of the window.
Now re-launch the Discord app and see if the issue still arrives.
5. Check Browser Settings
If you’re using Discord from a browser, make sure to grant all the site-related settings to the Discord website, including microphone access.
Follow the steps below to grant microphone access to Discord in Google Chrome:
- Click on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- Click on Settings.
- Go to Privacy and Security.
- Select Site Settings.
- Click on Microphone.
- Under Default behavior, click on Site can ask to use your microphone.
- Open the Discord website and click on mute/unmute.
- Grant microphone access when the site asks for it.
Now the problem of Discord not letting you unmute is solved.
Here’s a complete guide on how to use stereo mix in Discord.
FAQ
Question: How to unmute Discord with the keyboard?
Answer: You can unmute by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + M key combination while using the Discord app. If you want to open the hotkeys menu and set up another shortcut, you can click CTRL+ / keys.
Question: How to unmute on Discord Mobile?
Answer: On Discord mobile, if you’re in a voice channel, there is a microphone icon at the bottom of your screen. Tap that icon, and your mic will be set to mute. Tap on that icon again if you want to unmute yourself.
Conclusion
I’ve given you all the possible reasons and solutions that might cause the Discord app not to let you unmute and not let you join in a voice chat with your friends.
Follow these steps carefully to fix Discord’s microphone-related issues that won’t let you unmute yourself.
Feel free to comment down below for any discord-related problems.
