Background noise
Most background noise is the room reaching an open mic. Fix the room and the mic distance first, then let the app's suppression clean up the rest.
- Room · source off
- Mic · closer mic
- System · input volume
§ Apps · Discord
Discord
Voice channels, calls and screen shares for communities and friends.
- Platforms
- Windows · macOS · Linux · iOS · Android · Web browser
- Suppression
- Noise Suppression
- Echo cancel
- Yes · Echo Cancellation
- Noise gate
- Yes · Input Sensitivity
- Push-to-talk
- Yes
- Last verified
- 2026-10-18
§ 01 — Setting
Where the setting is
| Platform | Path |
|---|---|
| Windows | User Settings (cog next to your avatar) → Voice & Video → Noise Suppression → Krisp |
| macOS | User Settings (cog next to your avatar) → Voice & Video → Noise Suppression → Krisp |
| Linux | User Settings (cog next to your avatar) → Voice & Video → Noise Suppression → Krisp |
| iOS | Your avatar (bottom right) → cog (top right) → App Settings → Voice → Noise Suppression → Krisp |
| Android | Your avatar (bottom right) → cog (top right) → App Settings → Voice → Noise Suppression → Krisp |
| Web browser | User Settings (cog next to your avatar) → Voice & Video → Noise Suppression → Krisp (Chrome and Firefox on desktop) |
Discord's noise suppression is Krisp, machine-learning noise filtering that runs on your device. It is free inside Discord, and once you turn it on it stays on for new voice chats until you turn it off.
Type: AI suppression.
§ 02 — Layers
The three layers
Noise can be fixed at three points before it leaves you. Start at the top: a fix at the device beats any amount of software.
| Layer | What it does | What to set |
|---|---|---|
| L1 · Device | The mic and where it sits. Distance to your mouth sets how loud your voice is against the room. | Pick the right mic in the app. A headset or a mic close to your mouth beats a laptop mic across the desk. |
| L2 · System | Your operating system passes the mic to the app at the input volume you set, sometimes with its own processing. | In your system sound settings, choose the same input device and set its volume so speech stays in the green on the noise test. |
| L3 · App | Discord cleans the signal before it sends it: Noise Suppression, Echo Cancellation, Input Sensitivity. | User Settings (cog next to your avatar) → Voice & Video → Noise Suppression → Krisp |
Echo cancellation. A switch in Discord's voice settings on desktop and in User Settings → Voice on mobile.
Input Sensitivity. With Voice Activity, Discord can set the threshold for you (Automatically determine input sensitivity), or you can turn that off and set it with a slider. Turning automatic off helps when your volume swings or the ends of sentences get cut.
§ 03 — Limits
What it cannot fix
- Krisp removes noise that is not a human voice, such as dogs, vacuums and doors. A second person talking in your room still gets through.
- Krisp filters only your side of the call. Friends who do not have it on still send you their background noise.
- Krisp turns itself off when your device's CPU use is very high, and Discord tells you when it does.
- On a Mac, Krisp needs an Apple silicon CPU and macOS 12 or later.
- In a browser, Krisp works on desktop Chrome and Firefox, and push to talk works only while the Discord window is in focus. Discord does not support mobile browsers.
- In a quiet room with a good mic, Krisp can make your voice sound slightly worse, so it may be better off.
§ 04 — Symptoms
Fixes for what you hear
Keyboard noise
Keyboard noise is the mic hearing your desk. Distance and a mic aimed at your mouth do most of the work, then suppression or push to talk.
- Room · distance
- Mic · aim the mic
- App · threshold
Game audio in the mic
Game audio in the mic is usually speakers being picked up, or your system or app sending what you hear as well as your voice.
- Room · headphones
- Mic · volume down
- System · driver mixer
Echo
Echo is almost always someone's speakers playing the call into their own mic, and the person causing it usually cannot hear it.
- Room · headphones
- Room · one device per room
- Room · TV down
Voice cutting out
Clipped first words almost always mean a voice activation threshold set too high. Dropouts mid-sentence point to the connection or Bluetooth.
- Mic · closer
- Mic · USB headset
- App · threshold
One-sided audio
One-sided audio is almost always a mute, a blocked mic permission or the wrong device, in that order. Firewalls come last.
- Mic · unmute
- Mic · one device
- System · mic permission
Robotic voice
A robotic voice is usually late or lost packets on the network, or a headset sending audio at a rate the app does not expect.
- Mic · USB headset
- System · separate devices
- System · close apps
Mic too quiet
A quiet mic is usually distance, the wrong input device or a low input volume in the system, not a broken mic.
- Mic · closer
- Mic · right input
- System · input volume
Fan noise
Fan noise is steady, so suppression handles it well, but moving the mic away from the fan still does the most.
- Room · fan off
- Room · distance
- Mic · headset
Others hear themselves
If others hear themselves when you unmute, the echo is on your side: your speakers, a second device or your sound driver sends their voices back.
- Room · headphones
- Room · one device
- Room · one audio source
§ 05 — Test
Test it
The noise test rates your mic fine for Discord when your noise floor is at or below −40 dBFS and your voice is at least 20 dB above it. Between −40 and −30 dBFS it is usable with suppression on; above that, the noise needs fixing at the room or the mic.
These bars are our rule of thumb for how much steady noise Discord's built-in suppression copes with, not figures from Discord. The methodology explains them.
Test my mic for Discord → § 06 — Questions
Discord questions
Q.01Does Krisp remove my friends' background noise?
No. Krisp only filters noise from your side of the call, so if a friend does not have it on, you may still hear their background noise.
Q.02Why does Krisp keep turning itself off?
When your device's CPU use is very high, Discord turns Krisp off and tells you. Close heavy programs before you turn it back on.
Q.03Can I use push to talk in the browser?
Yes, but only while the Discord window is in focus. For push to talk that works while you are in a game or another program, use the desktop app.
§ Sources
Checked against
Discord's own help pages and announcements, last checked :
- support.discord.com · Krisp FAQ
- support.discord.com · Discord Voice and Video Troubleshooting Guide
- support.discord.com · Voice Input Modes 101 (Push-to-Talk & Voice Activated)
- support.discord.com · What Are the OS/System Requirements for Discord?
- discord.com · 9 Tips for Hanging Out on Discord
- discord.com · Discord Patch Notes: August 1, 2024