The most common technical support question students have is about the microphone. Students will start an online session, and the microphone will not work. This problem makes the class frustrating for everyone.

Usually, it is one of two problems. Either the microphone is muted. Or their browser has blocked the microphone from working.

Fixing these two problems can be a challenge. The process of fixing a PC is different from a Mac. Other versions of Windows can have different ways to fix this. Different browsers block the microphone in different ways.

Here are the directions we give to teachers and students for using FCPS devices.

Step 1: Restart

Restart your computer.  It is always a good first step to restart your computer.  

Step 2: Unmute

Sometimes the microphone becomes muted.  Here are directions on how to unmute it.

Step 3: Unblock

Sometimes the microphone does not work because it is being blocked by the browsers. For our students we suggest using Google Chrome, so here are the directions on how to unblock on Google Chrome.

Step 4: Does the Microphone Work?

It is always possible that the microphone is broken, or disabled in another way. The easiest way to check this is by using the Camera app in Windows 10. If the camera app does not work, and you have a device from Fairfax County, you should talk to your teacher about submitting a ticket.