How to choose which microphone your Mac uses

Set the system microphone in System Settings, under Sound and then Input, where every connected microphone is listed with a live level meter so you can see which one is actually picking up sound. That sets the default for the whole system, though some apps quietly choose their own input regardless of it.

Bad microphone audio on a call is usually not a bad microphone. It is the wrong one being used, silently, while a better one sits connected and ignored. Here is how to see everything attached to your Mac, set the one you actually want, and why it sometimes does not stick.

See everything connected, not just what's active

Open System Settings, then Sound, then the Input tab. Every microphone macOS can currently see is listed here: the Mac's own built-in mic, AirPods or any other Bluetooth headset, and any USB or audio-interface microphone that is plugged in. Click each one and watch the level meter while you speak, which is the fastest way to confirm which microphone is genuinely picking up your voice rather than trusting the name in the list.

Whichever one is selected here becomes the system default input, and most apps that do not specify otherwise will use it. This is the setting worth checking first, and it takes about ten seconds once you know where it lives.

Why AirPods often sound worse than the built-in mic

If AirPods are connected, macOS frequently defaults to their microphone over anything else, including the Mac's own built-in mic, because Bluetooth headsets are treated as the preferred input the moment they connect. The problem is that Bluetooth microphone audio typically runs at a lower quality codec than a wired connection, which is why voice on a call can sound noticeably thinner the moment AirPods are in, even though the built-in microphone sitting a few inches away would sound clearer. Switching the input in Sound settings back to MacBook Air Microphone or the equivalent fixes it immediately, audio quality included.

Switching faster, from the menu bar

Chorus lists every connected input in its own menu-bar panel, the same list System Settings shows, and lets you switch the active one with a click or a keyboard shortcut instead of two levels of System Settings. If you regularly move between a headset for calls, the built-in mic for quick voice notes, and a USB mic for anything that needs to sound better, that switch becomes a single action rather than a short trip through Sound settings every time.

Worth being precise about the limit here: Chorus changes which microphone is the system default, the same thing System Settings changes. It does not override an app that has deliberately picked its own microphone in its own preferences, for the same reason nothing outside that app can. If a call app is still on the wrong microphone after switching the system default, the fix is inside that app, not in Chorus.

A quick checklist if audio still sounds wrong

• Check the level meter, not just the name. A microphone can be selected and still pick up almost nothing if it is muted at the hardware or plugged in loosely.
• Disconnect AirPods if you don't need them for the call. Removing the competing Bluetooth input is often faster than switching around it.
• Check the app's own audio settings, not just System Settings. Several popular call apps keep a separate microphone choice of their own.
• Restart the app after changing the input. Some apps read the microphone once at launch and do not notice a change made mid-call.

Frequently asked questions