At times you can find your PC to do some ghostly glitches. But don’t worry. It has nothing to do with ghosts. Many people find their microphone to adjust itself without any physical manipulation. There are a bunch of reasons for it to happen and you can easily rectify it if you know them.
We have provided the reasons so that you can understand the causes of auto adjustment in the microphone. Know them and rectify the issue soon.
Why does my microphone keep adjusting itself?
A microphone adjusts the volume itself due to certain applications having access to the device or due to an underlying issue in the driver.
There is a good chance of your PC being affected by malware which causes the microphone volume to adjust itself. Therefore, let us discuss all the possibilities that cause this issue in a PC.
Reasons for Automatic Volume Adjustment in Microphones
If you know the reasons why this issue happens, you can easily rectify it and prevent the microphone volume levels from getting automatically adjusted.
Manipulation From Applications
Certain apps like Skype, Steam, etc. are known to manipulate the microphone controls. You can give access to applications to control the microphone settings and this will cause the auto adjustment.
Especially, when these apps are started up after the OS boot, you will have this issue. You will find the applications to be enabled for quick launch during startup and it affects the microphone control.
Certain applications have the capacity to automatically take control of the mic settings and even if you try to adjust it, you will not be able to manually control it. This is because windows provide access to such apps.
Outdated Driver
Sometimes, drivers are not updated and this enables the controls to be manipulated automatically. Also, the drivers are not able to communicate with the hardware properly which results in this condition.
Instead of being outdated, the driver may be corrupted due to improper installation and this causes the involuntary use of microphone controls.
Malware Infection
Your computer might be infected with malware and it will be controlling the microphone without your knowledge.
Certain malware infections have the ability to manipulate applications which then affects your microphone settings. This is also very dangerous for your privacy and you have to rectify it immediately.
Now that we have found the various causes of this condition to occur, let us get to know how to stop it from auto-adjusting.
Read: Does using a condenser microphone improve your voice?
How to stop the microphone from auto-adjusting?
Adjusting the Apps
As we mentioned earlier, the two most prominent apps to take control of the microphone are Skype and Steam. You can change the settings in the following manner to avoid auto-adjustment.
Skype Settings
- Open the Skype application on your PC and find the three-dot icon on the top.
- Click it and you will see an option called Settings.
- Enter into settings and find the Audio and Video option on the left side panel.
- Click on it and under the audio section, you will have a Microphone volume bar.
- Below that you will find an option called, automatically adjust microphone settings.
- Disable that option and exit the application. Now restart the PC and you will be resolved that issue.
Steam Settings
- Open the Steam application and log in to your account.
- Then click on the Friends and Chat icon at the bottom of the screen.
- In the Friends and Chat window, click on the gear symbol to enter into settings.
- Inside the settings, click on the Voice tab and scroll down to find the Advanced settings option.
- In the advanced options, toggle the Automatic Volume Gain control to off it.
- This will remove the application’s ability to manipulate the mic control.
Disabling Access to Applications
If you don’t want any application to manipulate your mic settings, then you can completely cut off the access and prevent them from gaining any control over it.
- Search for the control panel in windows and enter into it.
- Click on the hardware and sound menu and enter into the Sound option.
- In this sound window, click on the recordings tab and choose the microphone connected to the system.
- Right-click on the selected microphone and choose the Properties option.
- Here go to the Advanced Tab and enter into the exclusive mode section.
- Now, you will find an option that says, “allow applications to take exclusive control of this device”.
- Uncheck the box and click Apply to save the changes.
- Now no application will be able to take control of the microphone and you will only have manual control.
Update Driver
Most of the time it may be a driver problem and it requires a simple update from the manufacturer.
- Find the mic model and search for the driver from driveragent.
- Look for the latest version and download it.
- Also, make sure that no errors occur during installation and that the computer doesn’t shut down midway.
- Because it will cause the driver to be corrupted and the problem will not be resolved.
Scan for Malware
- Run a thorough scan of your PC with the help of Microsoft’s Defender and find out the malware or virus in your PC.
- If you find any application or data to be corrupted, delete it and clear all the temporary files residing on your PC.
- Reboot your PC after the scan and delete the files.
- This will remove all the temp files and disinfect the malware too.
Read: 5 Effective Ways to Avoid shocks by a Microphone
Conclusion
You can easily change the settings on your PC and prevent the applications from manipulating your microphone.
Also, follow all the steps and make sure nothing takes control of your mic except manual control. With a periodical scan for viruses and malware, you can also prevent unethical hacking into your PC.
