Whenever you plug in a microphone on your computer, you may wonder if it is working properly. Windows has the ability to tell if your Microphone is working. It sees which apps are listening to your mic. On the other hand, you may wonder which apps are currently using your Microphone. With the updates in Windows 10, your PC can tell you which app is using your microphone.
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How to See Who Is Listening to Your Microphone?
In Windows 10, you can see a microphone icon in the notification area if there is an active one. The microphone icon can be seen in white if you are using a Windows 10 dark theme or vice versa. If you want to more specifically, then you can hover your cursor over the microphone icon to see the app that is actively using it. If more than one app is using your mic then you can do the same to see the apps that are using your microphone.
If the notification area is not showing the microphone icon then check the overflow button in the Up arrow. Click the Up arrow button to see other information including the microphone.
If you want quicker access to the mic notification then you can simply drag & drop it on the taskbar. (Keep in mind that the microphone icon only shows when at least one app is using it)
Clicking on the microphone will take you to its settings. You can also go to mic settings from the Privacy option in the settings. The microphone section will be available in the “App permission”. Here you will see the list of all apps that can have access to your microphone.
All the apps that can access your microphone will be turned ON. On the other hand, the app that does have access to your mic will be turned Off. More importantly, the app that is currently using your microphone will show “Currently in use” in red.
How to Know Who Has Access to Your Microphone in the Past
Knowing the apps that have successfully accessed your microphone can be a useful insight. To know who has access to your microphone in the past, you need to go to the Settings page. After that, click on “Privacy” and then go to “Microphone”. Scroll down to the Desktop apps section and you’ll see the list of apps. If you are going to this window for the first time, the app list will take time to show up. Below each app shown in the list, you will see their last accessed information. It shows the date and time when that particular app used your microphone.
Here as you can see in the image, the last access date and time of each app is available.
Similarly, other panes like the Camera and location also show last accessed information. When it comes to the camera, you will see when was the last time apps used your camera. However, there is no notification icon for the camera in Windows 10.
Here is a quick tip to know when your microphone is active and an app is using it.
- The microphone icon will show up in the notification area in the taskbar.
If you are using a Windows computer that is owned by someone else, then some controls will be turned off or On according to the owner. For instance, a workplace computer will not give full access to controls to the users. The settings that are managed by your owner or the workplace are available in the Microphone settings.
Bottom Line
You have full control over the microphone access in your Windows 10. All the desktop apps that you install on your PC may not show in the microphone settings. Sometimes, those apps that are downloaded and installed by third-party developers are not fully visible in the settings.
