Troubleshooting Microphones on Dell PCs

Troubleshooting steps to try when the microphone is not showing up on a classroom, lab, or conference Dell PC.

Symptoms

"Jack Mic" is not listed as an available microphone in Zoom/Teams/conferencing app or Window's Sound settings.

Troubleshooting Steps

Reseat the 3.5mm auxiliary audio cable, located on the front of the Dell PC.

1. Unplug the 3.5mm cable on the front of PC.
2. Plug back in the same 3.5mm cable to the PC's front 3.5mm port.
3. The Dell Optimizer should show a pop-up window that asks what you just plugged in. Click Mic in, then click Do Not Ask Me Again, and then click Optimize.

Front of Dell PC with a 3.5mm audio cable connected.

Dell Optimizer pop-up window.

Check Windows Sound Settings

1. If logged in with an admin account, open Sound settings.
2. Output should be Speakers and include RealTek in the name.
3. Input should be Jack Mic.
4. If logged in as the end user, you can check output by clicking on the speaker icon in the lower right of the desktop. You'll need to wait to open the video conferencing app to check the mic.

Correct RealTek speakers for audio output.

Set Audio Settings in Zoom

Instructions are detailed for Zoom, but general steps can be done in other video conferencing apps.

1. Open Zoom and log into app (SSO).
2. Click settings gear icon in upper right.
3. Click Audio on the left.
4. Speaker should be Speakers and include RealTek in the name.
5. Microphone should be Jack Mic.
6. You can click Test Speaker and Test Mic to verify the devices.

Zoom audio settings.

Alternatively, in Zoom, you can start a Zoom session and click on the up facing arrow next to the microphone icon. You can select the microphone and speaker, and run a test of the speaker and microphone.

Audio settings in an active Zoom session.