After many reports were published by affected players, we’ve looked closer into this issue and come up with a shortlist of all the possible causes. As it turns out, the root cause that might cause this type of problem on your PC might be different depending on your hardware and Windows settings. Here are the most common culprits that are known to cause this problem: Now that you know all the possible causes for this error, here is a list of methods that might help you fix this microphone problem:
1. Enable microphone access for Ground Branch
The first thing you can try when troubleshooting this issue is to enable the microphone access to let Ground Branch use your microphone. In some cases, players have found out that their microphone’s access was disabled, without any clear reason about why and how that happened. Note: This problem might arise if you have configured Windows to reject any request from a newly installed app or game to use the primary audio recording device. If you find yourself in this particular scenario and you wish to investigate and see whether this method is applicable, there are 3 ways to check if the microphone is disabled and enable it if necessary. Keep in mind that every method below will ultimately help you achieve the same thing, just the execution is different. Feel free to follow whichever sub-guide you feel most comfortable with from below:
Enable microphone from Privacy & security menu
To follow this method, you first need to go check if the microphone’s access is enabled in the Privacy & security section. You can find this section in the Settings of your computer. Here’s how to do this: Note: The instructions are identical regardless if you’re following the steps below from Windows 10 or Windows 11.
Enable microphone from Sound Properties
If you want to avoid using the more modern audio interface menu (present on Windows 10 and Windows 11), you can also ensure that your microphone is enabled from the Sound Properties menu. For step-by-step instructions on how to do this, follow the guide below:
Enable microphone from Device Manager
You can also check if your microphone is enabled from Device Manager. This method will work on every Windows version (even Windows 7 and Windows 8) and should be the preferred approach in case you are familiar with the Device Manager interface. Here are the steps on how to do that: If the problem is still not resolved even after you followed one of the sub-guides above to make sure that the microphone is functional, move down to the next method below.
2. Update Windows to the latest version (if applicable)
The next thing you can do to try to fix the problem is to see if there are any available Windows updates that you missed and didn’t install. As it turns out, Ground Branch requires a key infrastructure Windows Update in order to be rendered on low-end systems (using legacy GPUs) on Windows 11. Unless you install this essential infrastructure update on top of your Windows installation, expect to experience both audio and graphic issues with certain maps. Fortunately, the installation of the missing infrastructure update will happen automatically – all you need to do is access the Windows Update screen and install every pending update until your OS is up to date. If you don’t know how to update your Windows, here are the steps for doing so: Note: The instructions below will work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. In case your microphone is still not working only when playing Ground Branch (and other games), check the next method below.
3. Plug in another mic and make it the default recording device
If none of the methods above have worked for you, some players have reported that what worked for them is using another microphone instead. If you have a spare microphone or headset, going this route will show you if your microphone needs to be changed in order to be able to use it while playing Ground Branch. Update: As it turns out, there are certain legacy headsets that seem to be incompatible with the VoIP implementation inside Ground Branch. In this case, there is no fix other than utilizing a different headset. And keep in mind that simply plugging in your new headset or microphone will not be enough – you also need to ensure that the new headset you just plugged in is set as the default audio input device so that Ground Branch uses it by default. Here are the steps you need to follow in case you don’t know how to make it your default input device: Note: The instructions below will be applicable on Windows 10 and Windows 11. If you still notice that your microphone doesn’t work while you play Ground Branch but it works for other applications or games, move down to the next method below.
4. Restart the game to recognize the new microphone
This error might be happening because Ground Branch is unable to see your microphone. In most cases, this problem occurs when you plug in your headset after launching the game (or while the game is minimized or running in the background) In case your microphone is not being recognized by the game despite being plugged in, you can force it to be recognized by closing the game, then launching it back. After you close the game and exit to the desktop, unplug your microphone device and plug it back. This is how you will make sure that the microphone is connected to your PC. Now you can open the game and test it to see if it will now recognize your microphone. If your microphone is being recognized and is still not working, go to the next fix below.
5. Disable all unused audio input devices
Some affected players have managed to fix this issue by disabling all the unused audio input devices of your PC. This fix will be effective in those situations where you might be using two headsets at the same time and the game entity is confused about which headset it’s supposed to use. Several users dealing with the same kind of issue have confirmed that while they have more than one headset connected, the game disables both – most likely this is a development bug caused by the fact that the headsets are likely using the same driver. So when the one headset is disabled in order to prevent it from interfering with the default option, what really happens is both are disabled. If you suspect that this scenario is applicable as you currently have more than one headset connected, follow the instructions below to disable all unused audio input devices from the Classic Control Panel menu of your Windows installation. Note: The instructions below will work on every recent Windows version including Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11. Here are the steps you need to follow if don’t know how to do this: In case your mic is still not working even after you made sure to disable every unused microphone currently connected to your system, go to the next potential fix for this issue.
6. Enable then Disable in-game VOIP ‘Toggle’ mode
If you got this far without a resolution to fix your microphone issues in Ground Branch, another thing you should try is to click on the Voice Input Mode (from the in-game menu) and enable the Toggle mode, then disable it again. You can do this from the main settings menu of the game. This method was confirmed to work by a lot of users that we’re experiencing this problem on Windows 11 – the fact that this simple fix worked for so many users supports the theory that the developer incorrectly implemented the VoIP solution for Ground Branch (for Windows 11 users). If you haven’t tried this fix yet, follow the instructions below to enable and disable the VOIP Toggle mode in the Ground Branch menu and see if you can fix your microphone issues: If the problem is still not resolved, move down to the next method below.
7. Enable / Disable “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device”
Another place that you need to check to make sure that your microphone is enabled is the Advanced tab of the mic Properties. Apparently, depending on which headset you’re using, you might find that the status of this toggle is different from the other places where you enabled your microphone (in the methods above). Besides enabling and disabling the microphone, you also need to make sure that you enable the toggle named as “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device” option. In case you don’t know how to find that option, here is a guide that will help you do that: In case this method didn’t work as well, check below the last thing you can try.
8. Ask the server admin to unmute you (if applicable)
The last thing you can try is to ask the server admin if he muted you, and if that is the case ask him to unmute you to be able to use the microphone. In some cases, players have found out that they were unable to use the microphone because their communications were blocked by the admin of the server. If none of the methods before have fixed your issue, it is worth at least asking him if you are muted. Especially if you were reported or engaged in activities that breached the community guidelines. You can also try different servers to see if there your microphone will work if you connect to a brand new server where you haven’t played before.
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