How to Fix Echo on Mic in Windows 11: Easy Step-by-Step

How to Fix Echo on Mic in Windows 11

Got that annoying echo echo coming from your microphone on Windows 11? Happens to the best of us—like a bad déjà vu during calls or gaming sesh. Mostly, it’s not some spooky interference but just a dodgy setting. Fixing it is usually dead easy — no need for a tech degree, just a few tweaks here and there. Here’s how to sort that echo without losing your marbles.

Head into Sound Settings

First up, right-click the little sound icon on your taskbar—near the clock, yeah? Choose “Sound Settings.” Fair dinkum easy, but easy to overlook. Once you’re in, you’ll see both input and output options. Think of it as your audio control centre. If you prefer, hit Win + I to open Settings, then go to System > Sound. Or, from the Run dialog (Win + R), type ms-settings:sound.

Check Your Microphone

In the “Input” section, make sure you’ve got the right mic selected. Sometimes Windows randomly picks the wrong device—ripper, right? Many echo issues pop up because it’s trying to pick up sound from multiple mics or the wrong one entirely. So, double-check your selection like your audio sanity depends on it.

Hit Device properties for your mic, then go to Additional device properties. You’ll see a “Levels” tab where you can tweak the microphone volume. Don’t crank it all the way to 11 — aim for about 50–80%. That range usually keeps echoes away. Also, don’t forget to peek at the “Enhancements” tab, too.

Adjust Microphone Properties

Clicking on “Levels” is only part of the story. You also want to check “Enhancements” — sometimes Windows adds these audio effects that just make things worse. If you see options like “Acoustic Echo Cancellation” or similar, uncheck them. It’s like cutting out unnecessary hassle. And if the Enhancements tab isn’t there, your driver might not support it.

Feeling tech-savvy? You can also try this through PowerShell:

Get-PnpDevice -FriendlyName "*sound*" | Enable-PnpDevice -Verbose

Turn Off Enhancements

Back in the Enhancements section — time to clear those out. Uncheck anything that looks dodgy and might be causing the echo. It might feel like fiddling around, but in many cases, disabling these effects does the trick. Honestly, who needs all that extra ‘audio magic’ if it just causes headaches?

Update Your Drivers

This part’s a bit of a mission: head into Device Manager. Right-click the Start button and pick Device Manager, or hit Win + X and find it there. Under “Sound, video, and game controllers,” locate your audio device, right-click, and select Update driver.

Choose Search automatically for drivers. But if you’re feeling keen, visit the website of your mic or speaker maker for the latest drivers. Feeling brave? Run this command:

pnputil /add-driver "path\to\driver.inf" /install

Final Tips & Tricks

• Use SoundRecorder.exe or Voice Recorder to double-check if the echo’s gone after your fiddling.
• Try disabling “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device” in the Advanced tab — makes a difference sometimes.
• Keep Windows up-to-date via Settings > Windows Update or by running ms-settings:windowsupdate.
• Fancy yourself a PowerShell wizard? Check for hidden updates with Get-WindowsUpdate.

If nothing works, have a gander at your physical setup. Sometimes, just moving your mic a bit further from the speakers does the trick. It can be a bit frustrating, but now you’ve got plenty of options to try out.