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 · Webex
Webex
Cisco's meetings, calling and messaging app for work.
- Platforms
- Windows · macOS · iOS · Android · Web browser
- Suppression
- Webex smart audio · default Noise removal
- Echo cancel
- No setting listed
- Noise gate
- No setting listed
- Push-to-talk
- Yes
- Last verified
- 2026-10-18
§ 01 — Setting
Where the setting is
| Platform | Path |
|---|---|
| Windows | In a call: Audio options → Webex smart audio; for every call: Settings → Audio → Smart audio |
| macOS | In a call: Audio options → Webex smart audio; for every call: Settings → Audio → Smart audio |
| iOS | In a call: More options → Smart Audio |
| Android | In a call: More options → Advanced → Smart audio |
| Web browser | Webex's help for the web app covers choosing the mic and speaker only |
Levels: Noise removal · Optimize for my voice · Optimize for all voices · Music mode The default is Noise removal.
Noise removal filters noise on your side of the call. Optimize for my voice also removes other people talking near you, Optimize for all voices boosts them for a meeting room, and Music mode leaves music as it is; Webex calls it AI-powered noise removal.
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 | Webex cleans the signal before it sends it: Webex smart audio (default Noise removal). | In a call: Audio options → Webex smart audio; for every call: Settings → Audio → Smart audio |
Echo cancellation. Webex's help lists no echo setting. Its echo guide says echo is a participant's speakers reaching their own mic or another mic in the same room.
Noise gate. Webex lists no gate. Automatically adjust volume, on desktop, sets your mic level for you.
§ 03 — Limits
What it cannot fix
- Smart audio works only when you use computer audio, not when you join by phone.
- On iPhone and iPad the choices are Noise Removal, Optimize for My Voice and Music mode; on Android, Noise removal and Optimize for my voice.
- Optimize for all voices boosts background voices on purpose: Webex suggests it for meeting rooms, not busy offices.
- On macOS Sonoma, Apple's Mic Modes process your audio before Webex gets it and can clash with smart audio. Webex recommends the Standard mic mode.
- Echo from another participant comes from their speakers and mic, so it has to be fixed on their side.
§ 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 Webex 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 Webex's built-in suppression copes with, not figures from Webex. The methodology explains them.
Test my mic for Webex → § 06 — Questions
Webex questions
Q.01What is the difference between Noise removal and Optimize for my voice?
Noise removal filters noise on your side of the call and is the default. Optimize for my voice also removes background voices, which helps in an open office or a coffee shop.
Q.02How do I make a smart audio mode the default in Webex?
Outside a call, open Settings → Audio → Smart audio and pick the mode. During a call you can still change it from Audio options.
Q.03Can I hold a key to talk in Webex?
Yes, on Windows and Mac. Turn on Unmute temporarily by holding Spacebar in your audio settings, then hold the Spacebar while you are muted in a meeting.
Q.04Why do I hear an echo in a Webex meeting?
Someone's speakers are feeding a mic in their room. Mute everyone, then unmute people one at a time to find the source; headphones, lower speaker volume or more distance between mic and speakers on that side help.
§ Sources
Checked against
Webex's own help pages and announcements, last checked :
- help.webex.com · Webex App: Remove Background Noise and Speech in Calls and Meetings
- help.webex.com · Webex App: Change Your Audio Settings
- help.webex.com · Webex App: Webex Smart Audio in Calls, Meetings, and Webinars
- help.webex.com · Troubleshooting Guide for Echo in a Conference
- blog.webex.com · Why Background Noise Removal Is Essential for Better Meetings
- blog.webex.com · 16 Billion Minutes of Noisy Distractions Disappeared!