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 · Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams
Meetings and calls for work and school, part of Microsoft 365.
- Platforms
- Windows · macOS · iOS · Android · Web browser
- Suppression
- Noise suppression
- Echo cancel
- Yes
- Noise gate
- No setting listed
- Push-to-talk
- Yes
- Last verified
- 2026-10-18
§ 01 — Setting
Where the setting is
| Platform | Path |
|---|---|
| Windows | Settings and more (…) → Settings → Devices → Noise suppression; in a meeting: arrow next to Mic → Background noise only or Voice isolation |
| macOS | Settings and more (…) → Settings → Devices → Noise suppression; in a meeting: arrow next to Mic → Background noise only or Voice isolation |
| iOS | Profile picture → Settings → Calling → Noise suppression → Auto, Low or High |
| Android | Microsoft lists noise suppression for the Teams Android app, but its help page gives no menu path |
| Web browser | Not listed: Microsoft names the Teams desktop and mobile apps as supported, not Teams on the web |
On by default, and Microsoft says it uses machine learning. On desktop you pick Background noise only, or Voice isolation, which also filters out other people's voices; on iPhone you pick Auto, Low or High.
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 | Microsoft Teams cleans the signal before it sends it: Noise suppression, echo cancellation. | Settings and more (…) → Settings → Devices → Noise suppression; in a meeting: arrow next to Mic → Background noise only or Voice isolation |
Echo cancellation. There is no switch. Microsoft says Teams uses AI to tell the sound from your speakers apart from your voice and removes the echo, but without a headset, speakers close to your mic can still leak through.
Noise gate. Teams lists no gate. Automatically adjust mic sensitivity keeps your level steady so everyone hears you at about the same volume.
§ 03 — Limits
What it cannot fix
- Background noise only filters noise, not voices. To keep another person talking near you out of the call, you need Voice isolation.
- Voice isolation needs a voice profile, which you record once under Settings → Recognition. If you do not see Recognition, ask your IT admin.
- Microsoft lists noise suppression for the desktop and mobile apps; Teams on the web is not on that list.
- Without a headset, echo is hard to remove completely when your speakers sit close to your mic.
- The hold-to-unmute shortcut works only in the desktop app, and not while you type in the chat box or while PowerPoint Live or Whiteboard is shared.
§ 04 — Symptoms
Fixes for what you hear
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
Laptop mic picks up typing
A laptop's built-in mic sits in the same case as its keyboard, so a headset or external mic helps more than any setting can.
- Mic · headset
- Mic · external keyboard
- System · system filter
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
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
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
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
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
Bluetooth mic sounds bad
Classic Bluetooth drops to a narrow, mono call mode whenever its mic is on. A separate mic, or LE Audio, avoids the switch.
- Mic · separate mic
- Mic · one device
- Mic · AirPods mic
Delay and lag
Most call delay comes from the network: a distant server, busy Wi-Fi or a VPN. Some apps add a little delay of their own.
- App · push to talk
- App · video off
- Network · VPN off
§ 05 — Test
Test it
The noise test rates your mic fine for Microsoft Teams 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 Microsoft Teams's built-in suppression copes with, not figures from Microsoft Teams. The methodology explains them.
Test my mic for Microsoft Teams → § 06 — Questions
Microsoft Teams questions
Q.01How do I turn on noise suppression in Teams?
On desktop, go to Settings and more (…) → Settings → Devices and set Noise suppression. During a meeting, select the arrow next to Mic and pick Background noise only or Voice isolation. It is on by default, and your choice carries over to your next call.
Q.02What is voice isolation in Teams?
Voice isolation uses AI and a profile of your voice to block background noise and other people's voices, so only you come through. You record the profile once under Settings → Recognition, which takes about 30 seconds, and you can delete it at any time.
Q.03Can I use push to talk in Teams?
Yes, in the desktop app. Turn on Keyboard shortcut to unmute under Settings → Privacy, mute yourself, then hold Ctrl + Spacebar on Windows or Option + Spacebar on a Mac to talk. Release the keys and you are muted again.
Q.04When should I turn noise suppression off in Teams?
Microsoft suggests turning it off when you use a high-fidelity mic in a quiet room, such as a studio. For music, desktop Teams has a separate High fidelity music mode under Settings → Devices, and on iPhone Microsoft suggests the Low level.
§ Sources
Checked against
Microsoft Teams's own help pages and announcements, last checked :
- support.microsoft.com · Reduce Background Noise in Microsoft Teams Meetings
- support.microsoft.com · Voice Isolation in Microsoft Teams Calls and Meetings
- support.microsoft.com · Manage Audio Settings in Microsoft Teams Meetings
- support.microsoft.com · Manage Your Device Settings in Microsoft Teams
- support.microsoft.com · Mute and Unmute Your Mic in Microsoft Teams
- microsoft.com · How Microsoft Teams Uses AI and Machine Learning to Improve Calls and Meetings