WhatsApp could not find a connected audio device or Your microphone is unavailable

With the WhatsApp Desktop app for Windows, PC users no longer need to switch to WhatsApp mobile to make or receive calls. If you get WhatsApp could not find a connected audio device or Your microphone is unavailable when you try to use WhatsApp on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 device, then this post is intended to help you. In this post, we provide the most suitable fixes to this issue on your system.

When you encounter WhatsApp audio or video calls issue on your computer, the two most commonly known error messages you’re likely to get could be either of the following:

• Your microphone is unavailable or in-use on another app
• WhatsApp could not find a connected audio device. WhatsApp needs an audio output device for calls. Connect one to your computer.

For the first error, some affected PC users reported having a similar issue, but whereby the microphone is not working when calling someone, while the device is working if receiving the call.

WhatsApp could not find a connected audio device or Your microphone is unavailable

Even though the voice and video calls work as expected on your PC, you may sometimes receive the message WhatsApp could not find a connected audio device or Your microphone is unavailable when you try to use WhatsApp on your Windows 11/10 device; if so, then our recommended solutions provided below in no particular order should help you resolve the issue on your computer.

1. Initial checklist
2. Run Windows Troubleshooters
3. Update Audio inputs and outputs driver
4. Use WhatsApp Beta or an older version of WhatsApp or WhatsApp on the web
5. Use another communication/messaging app

Let’s see these suggestions in detail.

1] Initial checklist

WhatsApp is available for Windows and Mac. So, you no longer need to switch to WhatsApp mobile app to compose or receive calls if you’re already working on your computer. However, if you get the message WhatsApp could not find a connected audio device or Your microphone is unavailable on your Windows 11/10 computer, we suggest you go through the following preliminary checks and after each task see if the issue is resolved before you proceed with any further with the troubleshooting.

• Restart PC. A quick restart will help refresh the process and apps on your Windows 11/10 computer system which will resolve any temporary glitch.
• Make sure Camera and Microphone permission is allowed for WhatsApp. WhatsApp will require permission to record a voice call because recording audio is related to the hardware functioning of the mic. So, you can give the particular access if you like to let WhatsApp use your phone mic for audio recording or WhatsApp calls. If you don’t use such features, you can deny permission. So, you need to make sure Camera and Microphone permission is allowed for WhatsApp.
• Make sure incoming WhatsApp calls are not muted. You might have muted incoming WhatsApp calls on the desktop. So, ensure this isn’t the case by following these steps: Open WhatsApp on Windows, click the ellipsis (three-dot menu) in the top right corner, and open Settings. Go to the Notifications menu and uncheck the Mute all incoming desktop calls option.
• Make sure the appropriate microphone or audio device for WhatsApp is in use. If you are using an external microphone or webcam on your PC, you must select the relevant microphone and camera from the settings menu, when making WhatsApp calls. Do the following: open WhatsApp and go to a conversation, start a voice or video call and select the three-dot menu in the call interface and then select the appropriate camera, microphone, and speakers for your WhatsApp calls. Make sure the mic or audio device is not in use by another app and your mic is not disabled in the Settings app or Device Manager on your PC. Also, check if the mic is set as the default input device and if Exclusive Mode is disabled in Microphone properties.
• Make sure Bluetooth audio devices are turned off. Check if you have any headphones or earbuds connected to your PC via Bluetooth. For all incoming or outgoing calls, WhatsApp will continue to use the connected device for microphone and audio output. So, make sure any Bluetooth audio devices are turned off or disconnected on your PC.

Read: WhatsApp not showing notifications on Windows 11/10

2] Run Windows Troubleshooters

This solution requires you to run both the Playing Audio Troubleshooter and the Recording Audio Troubleshooter that’s built into the Windows OS. These automated wizards will identify and fix audio issues on your computer – although sometimes this isn’t always the case, it’s worth giving a shot before you proceed further with troubleshooting manually.

Another troubleshooter you should run on your PC to rule out audio hardware issues (which likely will be the case if audio is no longer working system-wide) is the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter. If you are using the inbuilt microphone or audio device, you can connect an external audio input/output device and see if that solves your problem.

Read: WhatsApp Calls not working on WiFi on PC or Phone

3] Update Audio inputs and outputs driver

An outdated driver for your audio inputs and outputs device installed on your system is a likely culprit here. In this case, to rule out the possibility, you can update your audio driver.

You can also download the latest version of the driver from the audio hardware manufacturer’s website and then install it on your PC.

4] Use WhatsApp Beta or an older version of WhatsApp or WhatsApp web

WhatsApp is developing a separate native desktop app for Windows. So, if the current desktop app is giving you trouble with voice/video calls, you can head over to apps.microsoft.com and download the WhatsApp Beta on your PC and see if that works for you. Some affected PC users reported that downloading and installing an earlier version of WhatsApp worked for them. Alternatively, you can temporarily switch to WhatsApp Web and start making or receiving calls.

Read: How to use WhatsApp in Edge browser on Windows PC

5] Use another communication/messaging app

If WhatsApp calls are not working on your desktop for your Windows 11/10 PC, you may consider moving to Skype, Google Meet, Zoom, Telegram, or Signal for your communication/messaging needs.

Why isn’t my microphone working on WhatsApp?

If your microphone isn’t working on WhatsApp on your PC, you can check if the applications can access your microphone: Go to Start > Settings > Privacy > Microphone. Click Change to enable microphone access for the device in use. Under Allow apps to access your microphone section, switch the toggle to the right to allow applications to use the microphone, then toggle the button next to WhatsApp.

Also read: WhatsApp Desktop app crashing or freezing on Windows PC.