How to Test Audio in Microsoft Teams: Test Calls, Settings & Fixes

This is an independent guide. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft Corporation.

You join a Teams call two minutes before your big presentation. You start talking. Nobody responds. You check your mic, toggle mute, restart the app. By the time you fix it, you've burned five minutes and everyone's patience.

About 1 in 5 remote workers report audio issues at least once a week. Most of those problems are preventable with a 30-second check before the meeting starts.

This guide covers every way to test audio in Microsoft Teams: the built-in test call, device settings, pre-meeting checks, in-meeting controls, and fixes for the most stubborn audio problems. Whether you're on Windows, Mac, or a web browser, you'll find your answer here.

After the test call ends, Teams shows a summary with your network stats, including latency, jitter, and packet loss. Green checkmarks mean everything looks healthy. Yellow or red warnings point to network or device issues.

Can't find the test call button? This is one of the most common complaints on Reddit and Microsoft's forums. The test call feature requires the Teams desktop app. It's not available in the web browser version of Teams. If your organization uses Teams through a browser, skip to the device settings method below, or use our free online microphone test to verify your mic works before joining.

How to Check Microsoft Teams Audio Settings Before a Meeting

You don't need to make a test call every time. Teams lets you pick and preview your audio devices right from the settings menu, which is helpful when you switch between headsets, Bluetooth earbuds, or your laptop's built-in mic.

You normally use your AirPods for calls, but today they're dead. You plug in a USB headset. Teams might still be pointing at the AirPods. A quick settings check prevents the "can you hear me?" loop.

Here's how to review your Microsoft Teams microphone settings:

1. Open Settings > Devices (same path as the test call)
2. Under Microphone, click the dropdown and select the device you want to use
3. Speak into your mic and watch the blue level indicator below the dropdown. If it moves, Teams is picking up your audio
4. Under Speaker, select your output device and click the Test button. You'll hear a short ringtone through the selected speaker
5. Adjust the volume slider if the test tone is too quiet or too loud

If you don't see your device in the dropdown, it might not be connected properly. Unplug it, plug it back in, and check again. For Bluetooth devices, make sure they're paired and set as the default audio device in your operating system first.

Running Teams in a web browser? You'll get a device permissions prompt the first time you join a call. Make sure you select "Allow" for microphone access. You can change your device selection from the browser's address bar (click the camera/mic icon) or from the pre-join screen before entering a meeting.

How to Test Audio on the Teams Pre-Join Screen

Every time you click "Join" on a Teams meeting, you get a preview screen before you actually enter the call. This is your last chance to verify everything works.

On the pre-join screen:

• Toggle your microphone on or off using the mic button
• Toggle your camera on or off using the camera button
• Click the gear icon (or "Device settings") to open a panel where you can switch your speaker, microphone, and camera
• Speak and watch for the audio level indicator next to the mic icon. Movement means Teams is receiving your audio

This screen is available on desktop, web, and mobile versions of Teams. It's the single most reliable way to test camera in Teams without joining a meeting. Check your devices here, and you'll avoid the first-minute scramble.

If you regularly switch between devices (home headset vs. office monitor speakers, for example), make it a habit to glance at this screen for two seconds before clicking "Join now." It saves everyone the awkward silence.

How to Manage Microsoft Teams Audio Settings During a Meeting

Already in the call and something sounds off? You can switch devices and adjust audio without leaving the meeting.

Click the three-dot menu (⋯) in the meeting toolbar and select "Device settings." A panel slides open on the right side. From here you can:

• Switch your microphone to a different device (e.g., from laptop mic to USB headset)
• Switch your speaker to a different output device
• Adjust speaker volume with the slider
• Turn on noise suppression by selecting a level: Auto, High, Low, or Off

The noise suppression feature is worth knowing about. Setting it to High filters out keyboard clicks, dogs barking, construction noise, and most background sounds. Auto lets Teams decide based on what it detects. If you're in a noisy coffee shop, crank it to High. If you're in a quiet home office, Auto works fine.

You can also use keyboard shortcuts during the call:

• Ctrl + Shift + M (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + M (Mac) to toggle mute
• Ctrl + Shift + O (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + O (Mac) to toggle camera

Need to verify your mic is actually transmitting? Ask a colleague: "Can you confirm you hear me?" It takes three seconds and beats guessing.

For teams that rely on daily calls, exploring Microsoft Teams alternatives with simpler audio handling can save hours of troubleshooting each month.

Troubleshooting Common Microsoft Teams Audio Problems

You've checked your settings and made a test call, but something still isn't right. Here are the most frequent audio issues and how to fix them.

Microphone not detected ("No audio devices available")

This usually means Teams can't see your mic at all.

• Check the physical connection. Unplug your USB mic or headset and plug it back in. Try a different USB port
• Check OS permissions. On Windows, go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone and make sure Teams has permission. On Mac, check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone
• Restart Teams. Close the app fully (right-click the system tray icon and select Quit) and reopen it
• Update audio drivers. On Windows, open Device Manager > Audio inputs and outputs, right-click your mic, and select "Update driver"

You can hear others, but they can't hear you

• Make sure you're not on mute. Check the mic icon in the meeting toolbar
• Verify the correct microphone is selected in Settings > Devices. If you have multiple audio devices (built-in mic, headset, webcam mic), Teams might be using the wrong one
• On Windows, check that the mic volume isn't set to zero in Sound Settings > Input
• Try our online microphone test outside of Teams. If the mic works there but not in Teams, the issue is Teams-specific

Others sound robotic, choppy, or distant

• This is usually a network issue, not a device problem. Check your internet speed. Teams needs at least 1.5 Mbps for stable audio
• Close bandwidth-heavy apps (streaming video, large downloads)
• If you're on Wi-Fi, move closer to the router or switch to a wired Ethernet connection
• Try lowering the video quality: turn off your camera temporarily to free up bandwidth for audio

Echo or feedback during the call

• You or someone on the call is using speakers instead of headphones, and the mic is picking up the speaker output
• Switch to headphones or earbuds. If you must use speakers, reduce speaker volume and increase the distance between speaker and mic
• Enable noise suppression (set to High) to help reduce echo

Bluetooth headset connects but audio stays on laptop speakers

• Bluetooth devices sometimes pair with the OS but don't appear in Teams immediately. Go to Settings > Devices and manually select the Bluetooth headset from the speaker and microphone dropdowns
• On Windows, make sure the Bluetooth device is set as the default in Sound Settings
• If it still doesn't work, disconnect the Bluetooth device, restart Teams, then reconnect

How to Test Audio in Microsoft Teams on Web and Mobile

Not everyone uses the desktop app. Here's what's different when you're testing audio on the Teams web client or mobile app.

Teams Web App (Browser)

The web version of Teams works in Chrome, Edge, and Safari. Firefox has limited support. Key differences:

• No test call feature. The "Make a test call" button only exists in the desktop app. For a quick mic check in the browser, use our free online microphone test before joining your meeting
• Browser permissions matter. The first time you join a Teams call in the browser, it asks for mic and camera access. If you accidentally clicked "Block," go to your browser settings and change the permission for teams.microsoft.com
• Device selection happens on the pre-join screen. Click the gear icon before joining to pick your mic and speaker
• Chrome and Edge work best. They support the full range of Teams audio features, including noise suppression

Teams Mobile App (iOS and Android)

• Open the Teams app and tap your profile picture > Settings > Devices (if available) or check audio on the pre-join screen
• On the pre-join screen, tap the speaker icon to switch between phone speaker, earpiece, and connected Bluetooth devices
• If your Bluetooth headset isn't showing up, make sure it's connected in your phone's Bluetooth settings first
• Phone audio quality tip: if you're on cellular data and audio is choppy, switch to Wi-Fi when possible

For a quick sanity check on any device, consider creating a custom Teams background while you're testing. It gives you a reason to open the pre-join screen and check all your settings at once.

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