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 · Steam voice chat
Steam voice chat
Voice calls with Steam friends and groups, in the Steam client or a browser.
- Platforms
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Web browser
- Suppression
- Noise cancellation
- Echo cancel
- Yes · Echo cancellation
- Noise gate
- Yes · Voice transmission threshold
- Push-to-talk
- Yes
- Last verified
- 2026-10-18
§ 01 — Setting
Where the setting is
| Platform | Path |
|---|---|
| Windows | Friends List → Settings (gear icon) → Voice → Show Advanced Settings → Noise cancellation |
| macOS | Friends List → Settings (gear icon) → Voice → Show Advanced Settings → Noise cancellation |
| Linux | Friends List → Settings (gear icon) → Voice → Show Advanced Settings → Noise cancellation |
| Web browser | Friends List → Settings (gear icon) → Voice → Show Advanced Settings → Noise cancellation (Valve says Steam Chat's features also work on the web) |
One of the advanced voice options, next to echo cancellation and automatic volume/gain control; Valve says most people should leave all of them on. Valve also says open mic got better noise filtering and volume detection.
§ 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 | Steam voice chat cleans the signal before it sends it: Noise cancellation, Echo cancellation, Voice transmission threshold. | Friends List → Settings (gear icon) → Voice → Show Advanced Settings → Noise cancellation |
Echo cancellation. Under Show Advanced Settings in the Voice tab. Valve suggests turning echo or noise cancellation off only if they cause quality problems with your hardware.
Voice transmission threshold. Steam does not send audio below the threshold. If people hear white noise, typing or background sound, raise it to High; if your words get cut off, lower it or turn it off.
§ 03 — Limits
What it cannot fix
- Valve says input volume is the first setting to get right, in a call with a friend. If you are still too quiet at the maximum, raise your mic's own gain or boost, or the Windows recording level.
- A high transmission threshold can cut off parts of your words; Valve suggests lowering it or turning it off if people say you sound choppy.
- Automatic volume/gain control can make you suddenly louder or quieter; Valve suggests turning it off if friends notice that.
- Voice chat needs outbound UDP traffic to ports 27014 to 27020. A strict router, firewall or antivirus can leave you stuck at Connecting.
§ 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 Steam voice chat when your noise floor is at or below −50 dBFS and your voice is at least 20 dB above it. Between −50 and −40 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 Steam voice chat's built-in suppression copes with, not figures from Steam voice chat. The methodology explains them.
Test my mic for Steam voice chat → § 06 — Questions
Steam voice chat questions
Q.01Where are Steam's voice chat settings?
Select the gear icon in the upper-right corner of your Steam Friends List, then the Voice tab. Echo cancellation, noise cancellation and automatic volume/gain control are under Show Advanced Settings.
Q.02How do I stop Steam voice chat picking up my keyboard?
Raise the voice transmission threshold to High, which Valve suggests when people hear white noise, typing or background sound. If that starts cutting off your words, lower it again or switch to push-to-talk.
Q.03Should I turn off noise cancellation in Steam?
Valve says most people should leave the advanced options on. Try echo or noise cancellation off only when nothing else fixes poor quality, in case they clash with your hardware.
Q.04Why is Steam voice chat stuck on Connecting?
Steam voice chat uses WebRTC and needs outbound UDP traffic to ports 27014 to 27020. A router, firewall or antivirus that blocks it leaves the status stuck at Connecting.
§ Sources
Checked against
Steam voice chat's own help pages and announcements, last checked :
- help.steampowered.com · Voice Chat Connection and Quality Issues
- steamcommunity.com · New Friends List, Voice, and Chat Features