How To Disable Webcam Mic: Five Effective Ways

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

If you work from home, learning how to turn off your webcam mic is very important.

The last thing you want to happen is to disrupt an important meeting with your background noise.

Of course, there are other reasons you should learn how to disable webcam mics.

Maybe you prefer using an external speaker or headphones, or you want to make sure your computer doesn’t pick up unnecessary sound.

Maybe you’re also concerned about privacy and cybersecurity issues, such as eavesdropping.

Whatever your reason, there are different ways to silence your webcam mic when you have to.

How To Disable Webcam Mic Through Your Computer Settings

Below are how you can tweak your computer settings, depending on its OS.

Windows

If you’re using a Windows computer, the easiest way to turn off your webcam mic is through the Device Manager.

The simple steps you need to take are:

  1. Right-click the start button.
  2. Click Device Manager.
  3. Look for “audio inputs and outputs” from your list of devices.
  4. Click the dropdown icon and choose “microphone“.
  5. Right-click and choose “disable” from the dropdown options.

This straightforward method of disabling your webcam microphone works on Windows10, 7, and 8.

Other Methods

Alternatively, you can mute your mic in Device Properties.

To do this, click Start > Settings > System > Sound.

Or, simply right-click on the speaker icon in your system tray.

Then, choose Open Sound settings.

From there, you can disable your device’s built-in microphone.

If you’re using Windows 10, you can mute your webcam’s microphone in specific apps through the Privacy Settings.

Just go to the Settings app, choose privacy, and select Microphone under App Permission.

Then, disable the option to “Allow app to access your microphone”.

However, according to Microsoft, an app with a driver could bypass this setting by interacting directly with your webcam.

If you’re worried about your privacy, it’s better just to disable these apps or control their permissions if possible.

Mac Computer

Disabling the webcam mic on your Mac computer can be done in two ways.

The first one involves lowering the volume in your microphone settings until it’s muted.

The other is by restricting the app that uses the microphone.

Here’s how to lower the volume of your webcam microphone:

  1. Click the apple icon on the menu bar.
  2. Open System Preferences and select Sound.
  3. Choose the Input tab.
  4. On the Microphone Properties window, drag the Input Volume slider down to the lowest level.
  5. Your mic will be muted at this point. 

Here’s how you can mute your mic by restricting access for apps:

  1. Click the apple icon, and then choose System Preferences.
  2. Click Security & Privacy.
  3. Select Privacy.
  4. Select Microphone.
  5. Click on the checkbox next to specific apps that you want to disable microphone access.
tips on how to disable webcam mic

How To Disable Your Webcam Mic for Specific Browsers

If you’re concerned about your privacy when accessing certain websites, you should consider shutting down your webcam microphone on specific browsers.

Chrome

  1. Click the three-dot icon on the top right part of your browser.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. On the Settings menu, choose Privacy and Security.
  4. Look for a Camera and Microphone.
  5. Mute the mic from there but make sure to use the option to “Ask before accessing” so you can easily tweak your settings when accessing certain websites.
  6. You can also pre-select websites where you don’t want to enable microphone access until you turn the setting back on.
  7. Click Save before exiting the Settings page of your Chrome browser.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Click Menu.
  2. Then go to Options, and select Privacy & Security.
  3. Look for the Permissions section.
  4. Choose Microphone and click the Settings button.
  5. There, you can specify websites that are allowed to access your microphone.
  6. You can also block new requests to access your microphone.

Safari

  1. Go to Preferences and choose Websites.
  2. Look for Microphone
  3. You can choose to “ask“, “deny“, or “allow” your microphone for specific websites.

How To Disable Webcam Mic Through System Bios

If you’re highly concerned about privacy and cybersecurity, a better way to disable your webcam mic is through your system BIOS instead of the Device Manager.

The steps to do so will differ between machines, but generally, the key is to disrupt the boot process by hitting or pressing a certain key.

By doing this, you will be redirected to the BIOS mode.

It could be F10, F2, F1, F12, or DEL, depending on the laptop or PC you’re using.

Once you’re on BIOS, you can search for your webcam and microphone.

After disabling the microphone, save your settings and exit the BIOS.

Your computer will cycle again through the boot process until the Windows re-starts.

How To Disable Webcam Mic Through an App

Some applications make managing your audio device a lot easier.

If you’re constantly in video conferences or Zoom meetings, you’d benefit from installing one.

Examples are Shush for Mac and MicMute for Windows.

Shush

This app provides a simple way to turn on your mic only when you’re talking.

It features a push-to-talk mode by default, so your webcam mic only gets activated while you press and hold a certain key.

If you’re presenting, say in a meeting, and you need to talk often, you can switch to a push-to-silence mode where your mic stays muted as long as you hold down a certain key.

MicMute

This app lets you mute your webcam microphone in the same way you would turn off your speaker through an icon in your system tray.

When your mic’s on, the MicMute icon turns red.

You can also set a hotkey to keep your mic turned on while you’re talking.

How To Disable Webcam Mic by Using an External Mic

Another easy way to disable the mic of monitors with built-in webcams is to use an external audio device, such as headphones.

Typically, when you connect headphones to your computer, your system will automatically switch to using its microphone.

When your computer can’t find any mic, it will enable your default webcam mic.

Stay Silent, Stay Private

A hot mic is truly an embarrassing experience, especially when you’re in the middle of an important meeting.

It can also pose privacy and security threats.

Luckily, you don’t have to be paranoid.

By trying out any of these tips on how to disable webcam mics, you can silence your mic at your will and prevent it from streaming unnecessary information.

Depending on your purpose, you can turn off your microphone through your device’s settings or apps managers or even go all the way to disabling it from your computer BIOS.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

shares
Special offer for our visitors

Get your Home Office Free Guide

We will never send you spam. By signing up for this you agree with our privacy policy and to receive regular updates via email in regards to industry news and promotions