How to Fix PowerPoint Not Recording Audio

Can’t figure out why PowerPoint is not recording audio?

PowerPoint is one of the best software for creating visual presentations. It has various features that can be used for personal presentations, business meetings, proposals, and more. Being around for decades, PowerPoint has established itself as the go-to presentation tool. 

Despite its status and track record, this doesn’t mean that PowerPoint is safe from downtimes and errors. 

Like any other app or software, PowerPoint can encounter bugs and glitches. 

Recently, there have been reports from various users who are having a hard time recording audio on PowerPoint. This can be an issue if you need to record a voice-over for your presentation. 

Most of the time, this problem is caused by improper configurations and lack of system permissions. 

On the other hand, it can also be due to faulty hardware or drivers. 

In this guide, we will show you how to fix PowerPoint if it’s not recording audio on your computer. 

Let’s get started!

1. Restart Your Computer. 

Before changing your configurations, we suggest restarting your device if you encounter problems with PowerPoint. This should reload your system resources and eliminate temporary errors on your device. 

Here’s how you can restart your PC: 

1. First, open the Start Menu by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard. 
2. After that, click on the Power Options tab. 
3. Lastly, click on Restart to reboot your system. 

Go back to PowerPoint afterward and check if the problem is solved. 

2. Check Your Privacy Settings. 

Windows has a built-in security feature that controls how applications can access your microphone and other hardware. If you can’t record audio on PowerPoint, try checking your privacy settings and ensure that PowerPoint is allowed to access your mic. 

Check out the steps below to change your privacy settings: 

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings. 
2. Next, access the Privacy tab and click on Microphone. 
3. Finally, locate the ‘Allow Apps to Access Your Microphone’ section and ensure that it is enabled. 

Restart your system to apply the changes and go back to PowerPoint to check if the problem is solved. 

3. Manage Your Input Settings. 

PowerPoint might be using the wrong hardware on your computer, which explains why you can’t record audio. To resolve this, manage your input settings and ensure that the correct hardware is selected. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. Access Windows Settings by pressing the Windows + I keys on your keyboard. 
2. Now, go to the System tab and click on Sound. 
3. Under the ‘Choose Input Device’ option, select the microphone you are currently using. 

Go back to PowerPoint afterward and see if you can record audio. 

4. Update Your Audio Drivers. 

Your audio drivers might be corrupted, which explains why your microphone is not working on PowerPoint. To ensure that the problem is not with your drivers, we suggest updating your audio drivers to the latest version possible. 

Follow the steps below to update your audio drivers: 

1. First, press the Windows + X keys to open the Quick Menu. 
2. After that, click on Device Manager. 
3. Expand the Audio Inputs and Outputs tab and right-click on your microphone. 
4. Lastly, click on Update Driver and follow the prompts. 

Once done, reboot your system and see if you can now record audio on PowerPoint. 

5. Update Windows. 

The version of Windows you’re using might have an issue that is related to audio recording. If this is the case, we recommend updating your operating system to the latest version possible to patch bugs and glitches. 

See the guide below to update Windows: 

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings. 
2. Next, click on Update & Security and click on Windows Update. 
3. Finally, click on Check for Updates and follow the prompts to update your operating system. 

Restart your computer after the update and check if the problem is solved. 

6. Run PowerPoint As Administrator. 

Running PowerPoint as an administrator will give it the necessary permissions to access your hardware, which includes your microphone. If PowerPoint is not recording audio, we suggest running the app as an admin. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. First, locate PowerPoint on your desktop. 
2. After that, right-click on the app and choose Properties. 
3. Lastly, go to the Compatibility tab and enable the ‘Run this Program as an Administrator’ option. 

Relaunch PowerPoint afterward and see if you can now record audio. 

7. Reinstall PowerPoint. 

If none of the solutions above worked for you, we suggest reinstalling PowerPoint on your computer. This way, we can ensure that there are no missing or broken files on your storage drive. 

See the guide below to reinstall PowerPoint: 

1. First, open the Control Panel on your computer. 
2. Now, click on Uninstall a Program and locate PowerPoint. 
3. Lastly, right-click on the app and choose Uninstall. 

Reinstall the app on your computer afterward and check if the problem is solved. 

That ends our guide on how to fix PowerPoint if it’s not recording audio. If you have questions or other concerns, please drop a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂