Mar 29, 2019 Locate the headphone jack on your computer or speakers. The location will vary depending on the computer you are using. Most laptops have headphone jacks along one of the sides. Desktops may have a jack on the front or back of the computer. It will typically have a small headphone icon. If the headset prong is color-coded, it will be green. Jan 15, 2020 Make sure that the microphone is checked, rather than the built-in microphone. On a PC, go into the Control Panel and clicking on 'Hardware and Sound,' then click on 'Sound' and it should pop up another windows. At the top, click on recording, and you should see your microphone there. Use Apple headphones as a microphone on your PC. First things first, you need to check whether your headphones are even compatible with your system. To do so, you’ll need to take a look at your PC model and look for where the microphone jack is. Remember that the key is to use the microphone jack, and not the headphone jack.
Ensure that the microphone is properly connected and stuff. Open the Control Panel and choose Ease of Access. Choose the link Set Up Microphone, found beneath the Speech Recognition heading. The Microphone Setup Wizard materializes.
Editor's Notes. May 02, 2019: There are two distinct types of headsets for PC use: one for your gaming rig, and one for the office. In those categories you'll find both wired and wireless options, though if you're gaming, only 2.4-gigahertz models with dedicated dongles will likely provide low-enough latency to satisfy a fast-twitch experience.
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Computer headsets generally feature one of two types of connector: mini plug or USB. Either connection works well for a headset, but one is analog and one is digital.
Note
If you have speakers connected to your computer, connecting a headset to the line out or headphone jack may result in sound only being output to the headset. To have sound output to headset and speakers, you need to use a USB headset or plug the headphones to a headphone jack on the computer.
USB headset
If your headset features a USB connector, find an unused USB port on your computer. Plug the headset USB connector into the USB port. Your computer should recognize and configure the headset for use and may display a notification message in the lower right corner when ready.
Tip
If the USB headset is not working properly and you're plugging a USB microphone into the top or front of the computer, try connecting it to the back. In some situations, it may only work if connected to the back of the computer.
Mini plug headset
First, identify each headset cable. In some cases, the mini plug connection may be color-coded. A green connector indicates the cable for the headset (hearing) and a connector with a pink ring indicates the microphone (speaking) cable of the headset.
Once the cables are identified, find the connections on the back of your computer. If you have a laptop computer, the connection is likely a brass colored 3.5 mm jack found on the side or front instead of the back. It should be noted, however, that most laptops do not have a mic input as they utilize USB connections to save space.
The picture shows the back of a computer sound card. In this example, the headphone cable plugs into the line out (light green) connection and the microphone cable plugs into the microphone (pink) connection.
How to test the headset
If you are not sure the headphones or microphone are working, you can test each part of the headset by following the steps below.
Testing the headset headphones
The headphones can be tested by opening anything that plays sound. For example, you could open a YouTube video and make sure the sound in the video can be heard.
Testing the headset microphone
The microphone portion of the headset can be tested by opening any sound recorder and recording your voice.
What if the headset is not working?
If you get an error message when connecting a headset to your computer, this often means that additional software is needed for the headset to work properly. If any drivers came with your headset, install them and then try connecting the headset to the computer again.
Some headsets do not come with software when purchased. However, the manufacturer may have updated driver software available on their website. Check the manufacturer's website to see if they have updated drivers available for download.
Another reason for an error to occur is if the sound card in your computer is not currently compatible with the headset. You may be able to resolve this by checking for updated sound card drivers from the manufacturer's website.
Additional information
See the headset definition for further information and related links.
Where you connect a microphone to a computer depends on the connector the microphone utilizes. Generally speaking, there are two types of connectors used with microphones: the mini-plug and USB. Both types can connect to nearly any computer as most machines (including some laptops and Chromebooks) have both. To proceed, you can look at the images below to determine which type of connector your microphone uses and then follow the directions in that section. Or, if you know which connector your microphone utilizes, select the appropriate section from the list below and follow the instructions.
USB microphone
First, locate any available USB port and plug the microphone into it. Once connected, the computer should automatically detect the microphone and install the drivers for it. After the software is installed, you can verify the microphone is ready for use by accessing the sound settings and looking through the options.
What if the mic isn't detected automatically?
First, if you are plugging a USB microphone into the top or front of the computer try connecting it to the back of the computer. In some situations, it may only work if connected to the back of the computer.
If the computer still does not automatically detect your microphone and you've installed the software, you may need to download the drivers yourself. Fortunately, we have pages with these instructions, which are listed below:
Mini-plug microphone
Many microphones utilize a mini-plug connector, similar to that which you would find on your mobile phone, tablet, or iPod. On a desktop computer, the microphone jack is often located on the back and identified by the pink color, as seen in the image. However, microphone jacks may also be located on the top or front of the computer case.
Labtec Pc Mic 333
Many laptop computers and Chromebooks have a microphone built into them. If not, the microphone jack is usually located on the front edge, or near the front left or right side.
What if the mic isn't detected automatically?
Pc Mic Software
If the computer does not automatically detect your microphone and install the software, you may need to download the drivers yourself. Fortunately, we have pages with these instructions, which are listed below:
How to see if the microphone is detected
Open the Windows Control Panel, or press the Windows key, type Control Panel, and then press Enter.
Under Adjust your computer's settings, click Hardware and Sound.
Click the Sound icon.
In the Sound settings window, click on the Recording tab to view the available microphones.
Check if the microphone you plugged in is listed on the Recording tab and that it says Ready or Default Device underneath it.
Tip
How To Use Pc Mic With Headphones In Mixmeister Download
You can select the microphone in this list and click the Properties button to change microphone settings, including the volume level for recording. Click the OK button to save any changes to the settings.