Setup help
Microphone not working? How to allow mic access in your browser
Every speaking task records you, so speaking practice and the mock tests both need microphone access. If your browser refused it once, it will keep refusing quietly, and the page has no way to ask again. This walks you through turning it back on in Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge, on a computer and on a phone, and through the faults that stop a recording even when the browser has said yes.
Steps checked against the browser makers' own documentation: Google Chrome Help, Apple Safari on Mac, Apple Safari on iPhone, Mozilla Support, and Microsoft Support. Menus move between versions, so if a label does not match your screen, look for the nearest equivalent.
Ten seconds
Try this first
Four checks fix most blocked microphones. Work down the list and stop as soon as a recording starts.
- 1
Look for a blocked microphone icon in the address bar
Most browsers put a small crossed-out microphone at the right or left of the web address after they refuse a request. Click it, choose to allow the microphone, and reload.
- 2
Check the headset is plugged in and not muted
Push the plug or USB connector home, and check the inline mute switch on the cable and the mute key on your keyboard. A muted headset records perfect silence, which looks exactly like a broken microphone.
- 3
Close anything else that is using the microphone
A video call, a meeting window left open in the background, a voice recorder or a game chat can hold the microphone and leave nothing for the browser.
- 4
Reload the page and start the item again
Permission changes do not reach a page that is already open. Reload first, then begin the speaking item. The recorder asks for the microphone when the item starts, not when the page loads.
If that worked
Go straight back to speaking practice and run one short item to confirm the recording plays back. If it did not work, the per-browser steps below cover the setting your browser is actually holding.
Step by step
Allow the microphone in your browser
Pick your browser, then your device. Mobile instructions differ from desktop in every case, and on iPhone and iPad the setting is not inside the browser at all.
Chrome on Windows, Mac and Linux
Chrome keeps a microphone setting for each site. If you answered Block once, Chrome remembers it and stops asking, so nothing appears to happen when practice starts.
- 1
Click the icon just left of the web address
On Chrome 117 and later this is a sliders icon, which Google calls the tune icon. On older versions it is a padlock. Either one opens the same site information panel.
- 2
Switch Microphone on
If Microphone is listed in the panel, turn it on. If it is not listed, click Site settings in the same panel to open the full permission list for this site.
- 3
Set Microphone to Allow
On the site settings page, find Microphone and choose Allow from the dropdown beside it.
- 4
Reload the page and try the item again
A permission change does not reach a page that is already open. Reload, then start the speaking item again. The recorder asks for the microphone at the moment the item begins, not when the page loads.
If you blocked it permanently and the panel shows nothing
- 1
Open the global microphone list
Type chrome://settings/content/microphone into the address bar and press Enter. The same page is reachable through Settings, then Privacy and security, then Site settings, then Microphone.
- 2
Move the site out of the blocked list
Under the heading for sites that are not allowed to use your microphone, click this site's name and change Microphone to Allow. You can also delete the entry so the browser asks you again next time.
- 3
Check which microphone Chrome is using
The dropdown at the top of that page selects the input device. If you have a headset plugged in, choose it here rather than leaving the built-in microphone selected.
The full picture
Where the microphone can be switched off
A recording has to pass five gates before your voice reaches the page. Any one of them can be shut, and from inside the practice runner they all look the same. If the browser steps did not help, work down this table in order.
| Layer | Where to look | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The site | The icon at the left of the address bar, then the microphone entry | Is this site allowed, or is there a stored Block from a previous visit? |
| The browser | The browser's own microphone settings page, listing every site | Is the site sitting in the blocked list, and is the right input device selected? |
| The operating system | macOS: System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone. Windows 11: Settings, Privacy & security, Microphone. | Is your browser switched on in that list? On Windows, are desktop apps allowed to use the microphone? |
| The device | The headset cable, the USB or audio port, the Bluetooth connection, the keyboard mute key | Is the microphone physically connected, unmuted, and paired to this computer rather than your phone? |
| The other app | Whatever else is open: meetings, calls, recorders, game chat | Has something else claimed the microphone? Usually only one app can hold it at a time. |
Not a browser setting
When the permission is fine and it still does not record
These are the causes people spend the longest on, because the browser is telling the truth: it was allowed, it just got silence.
The operating system is blocking every browser, not just this site
On a Mac, open the Apple menu, then System Settings, then Privacy & Security in the sidebar, then Microphone, and switch your browser on. On macOS 12 and earlier the same list is under System Preferences, then Security & Privacy, then the Privacy tab. On Windows 11, open Settings, then Privacy & security, then Microphone, and turn on Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone, and Let desktop apps access your microphone. On Windows 10 the same page is under Settings, then Privacy, then Microphone. The clue that this is your problem: the browser never even shows a permission prompt.
Another app is holding the microphone
An input device is usually exclusive to one app at a time. A meeting window minimised an hour ago, a voice recorder, a game chat client or a second browser tab already recording will all take the microphone and leave the browser with silence. Quit them, then reload the practice page. If you are not sure what has it, sign out of meeting apps and restart the browser.
The headset is muted, unplugged, or the wrong device is selected
Check the inline mute switch on the cable, the mute button on the earcup, and the mute key on your keyboard. Then check which input the browser is actually using: browsers keep their own device dropdown on the microphone settings page, and it does not always follow the system default. If your headset is Bluetooth, confirm it is connected to this computer rather than still paired to your phone.
The page was not reloaded after the permission changed
This is the most common false alarm. A page that is already open keeps the answer it was given when it loaded. Change the setting, then reload the page, then start the speaking item again.
You are in a private or incognito window
Private windows deliberately forget site permissions when they close, and some browsers are stricter about granting a microphone in them at all. Use a normal window for speaking practice so you only have to grant access once.
The connection is not secure
Browsers only hand the microphone to a page loaded over https. If the address bar shows a warning about the connection, fix that first. On ptemocks.com the address always starts with https, so this is worth checking if you are practising on a copy of a page saved to your computer.
A work or school device has a policy against it
Managed laptops can carry an administrator policy that turns off microphone capture in the browser, and no setting on the device will override it. Microsoft publishes exactly such a policy for Edge. If your laptop was issued by an employer or a university, practise speaking on a personal device instead, or ask your IT administrator.
A quick way to tell the two apart
If the browser never shows a permission prompt at all, the block is above the browser: the operating system, or a device policy. If it shows a prompt, you allow it, and the recording is still empty, the block is below the browser: a muted headset, the wrong input device, or another app holding the microphone.
FAQ
Microphone questions, answered
Your browser refused the recording request. That normally means one of three things: the microphone permission for this site is set to block, the operating system is not letting your browser use the microphone at all, or another app already has the microphone open. The page cannot re-open a permission you have denied, which is why the setting has to be changed in the browser or in system settings.
Yes, and nothing about it is permanent. Open the site information panel from the icon at the left of the address bar and switch the microphone back on, or clear the stored decision so the browser asks you again next time. Then reload the page. Every browser covered on this page has a route back.
On a desktop browser, no. Once you choose Allow for a site, the browser remembers it until you clear it. Firefox on Android asks each time by design and never records unless you agree at that moment. A private or incognito window also forgets the decision as soon as you close it.
There are two places. For Safari, open the page, tap the page menu button at the left of the address field, tap the settings option, then set Microphone to Allow. For Chrome, Edge or Firefox on iOS, open the Settings app, tap Apps, tap the browser, and turn Microphone on. On iOS 17 and earlier the browser sits in the main Settings list rather than under Apps.
Every browser on iPhone and iPad runs on Apple's web engine, so the microphone is granted by iOS to the app rather than by the browser to the site. That is why the fix for Chrome on iOS lives in the iOS Settings app and not inside Chrome, and why changing something in Chrome's own settings makes no difference.
Then the hardware is fine and something is blocking the browser specifically. Check the operating system's microphone privacy list, which is System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone on a Mac and Settings, Privacy & security, Microphone on Windows 11, and make sure your browser is switched on there. On Windows, also check that desktop apps are allowed to use the microphone.
Close everything else that uses the microphone, then reload and try again. An input device is usually exclusive to one app at a time, so a video call, a meeting window left running in the background or a recording app can take the microphone and leave the browser with nothing to capture.
Usually it just needs selecting. Browsers keep their own input-device dropdown on the microphone settings page, and it does not always follow your system default, so pick the headset there. Check the inline mute switch on the cable as well. If the headset is Bluetooth, confirm it is connected to this computer and not still paired to your phone.
You were almost certainly in a private or incognito window. Those windows are designed to forget site permissions when they close, so the microphone grant goes with them. Use a normal window for speaking practice and you will only have to grant access once.
Managed devices can carry an administrator policy that turns microphone capture off in the browser, and no setting you change on the device will override it. Microsoft publishes exactly such a policy for Edge. If your laptop was issued by an employer or a university, practise speaking on a personal device, or ask your IT administrator to allow it.
No. The real test is taken at a test centre on their computer, using a headset the centre provides, so your own hardware never comes into it on the day. The microphone matters for practice at home, because your recording is what gets scored and what your speaking feedback is built from.
Partly. You can read the prompt aloud, then reveal the model answer and compare what you said against it, which still builds content and structure. What you will not get is a recording or a speaking score. Fix the microphone before you sit a full mock test, otherwise your speaking result will not reflect what you can actually do.
A current version of Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge all work. What matters more is that the page is loaded over https, because browsers only hand the microphone to a secure page, and that you use a normal window rather than a private one so the permission is remembered between sessions.
Save this
Quick reference: microphone permissions at a glance
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| First thing to try | Click the icon at the left of the address bar, allow the microphone, reload the page. |
| Chrome, one site | Address bar icon, then Site settings, then set Microphone to Allow. |
| Chrome, blocked permanently | Go to chrome://settings/content/microphone and move the site out of the blocked list. |
| Safari on Mac | Safari menu, then Settings, then Websites, then Microphone, then Allow for this site. |
| Safari on iPhone | Page menu button at the left of the address field, then the settings option, then Microphone. |
| Any browser on iPhone | Settings app, then Apps, then the browser, then turn Microphone on. |
| Firefox | Padlock, then Connection secure, then More information, then Permissions, then Use the Microphone. |
| Edge | Padlock, then Permissions for this site, or go to edge://settings/content/microphone. |
| macOS system setting | System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Microphone, then switch your browser on. |
| Windows system setting | Settings, then Privacy & security, then Microphone. Allow apps and desktop apps. |
| Nothing records even though it is allowed | Another app is holding the microphone, or the headset is muted or unplugged. |
| After changing any setting | Reload the page. An open page keeps the answer it was given when it loaded. |
Microphone sorted? Record one item and check it back.
Run a single short speaking task first, so you find out the microphone works before you commit to a full test. Once a recording plays back cleanly, take a mock and let the speaking score stand for something.
Task-specific drills: Read Aloud · Repeat Sentence · Describe Image · Re-tell Lecture · Answer Short Question
Still stuck after all of this? Email hello@ptemocks.com with your browser, your device, and what you saw on screen, and we will work it out with you.