How to Fix Google Voice Search Not Working on PC

Your privacy settings are usually the cause of Google voice search not working on your computer. This happens when the website does not have permission to use your microphone, or your desktop is preventing microphone access to the browser.

All of this lies under your privacy configuration which you will need to change in order to resolve the problem in question. We will be using this article to show you how to fix the voice search feature in Google on your PC, so follow through.

With that said, it is important to note that the voice search feature is not available in all of the countries. Similarly, you cannot use the voice search feature in every language as well. 

Therefore, keep these things in mind before you get into troubleshooting the issue. If you see the voice search option in the Google search bar and it still does not work, follow through with the article. Otherwise, change your language and region in your Google search settings. 

1. Change Microphone’s Privacy Settings

The first thing that you should check when starting to troubleshoot the problem is your microphone’s privacy settings. Windows comes with a number of privacy features that allow you to block apps on your computer from accessing your peripherals, such as your microphone, camera and more. 

If Windows is preventing background apps on your PC microphone access, any voice activation features will not work. In such a circumstance, you will need to change the privacy settings to resolve the issue. To do this, follow the instructions below:

1. Open the Settings app on your PC with the Windows key + I shorthand.
2. Then, navigate to the Privacy & security > Microphone section.

   

3. After that, make sure both Let desktop apps access your microphone and Let apps access your microphone options are enabled.

   

4. Restart the browser and see if the problem persists. 

2. Check Google Site Permissions

In some scenarios, the issue can also arise due to the Google website permissions in your browser. This happens when the website does not have the required permissions to access your microphone because of your browser settings. 

Every website you visit has individual permissions when you visit it in your browser. Therefore, if your Google website lacks the permissions to access the microphone, the voice search feature will fail to work. To resolve this, you will have to give the website access to your microphone. Follow the instructions below:

1. First, open the Google website.
2. Then, click on the lock icon in the address bar and select Site permissions. This can be called Site settings in some browsers.

   

3. From the list of permissions, locate Microphone and select Allow from the menu.

   

4. Refresh the website and see if the problem is still there.

3. Check Browser Input

If your browser is using the wrong input source as your microphone, the voice feature will fail to work. This happens when the wrong input device is selected in your browser settings. 

As such, when you try to use the voice search feature, the browser tries to access the provided input device which does not exist or does not function. This results in the voice search feature failing as well. 

To fix this, you will need to ensure the correct microphone device is selected as the input. Follow the instructions below to do this:

1. First, open the Settings menu in your browser. Do this by clicking the More menu in the top-right corner and selecting Settings from the menu that appears.

   

2. In the Settings menu, search for Microphone.
3. After that, click on the Microphone option under All permissions. This text can vary slightly, such as Site settings, depending on your browser.

   

4. In the Microphone settings, use the drop-down menu to select your correct input device.

   

5. Then, refresh the Google website and see if the voice search feature is still not working.

4. Update Browser

An inconsistency with the browser can also cause the voice search feature to not work. This is especially true for Microsoft Edge when a bug caused the issue in question. 

In such a situation, updating the browser on your PC should fix the issue. This can potentially help when you have not updated your browser for quite a while. To update your browser, follow the instructions below:

1. First, open the Settings menu by clicking on the More button in the top-right corner.

   

2. After that, switch to the About section.  
3. There, update the browser to see.

   

4. Then, restart the browser and check if the problem persists. 

5. Reset Browser Settings

Another potential cause for the issue can be your overall browser configuration. This can include any third-party extensions that you have installed on your browser which interfere with the site permissions and ability to use your microphone.

This can usually happen when you have security extensions installed. In this case, you will have to reset your browser settings. This will reset the browser to its default values along with uninstalling your extensions. 

Follow the instructions below to do this:

1. Go to the Settings screen via the More menu in the top-right corner.

   

2. After that, switch to the Reset settings tab. 
3. Then, click the Restore settings to their original defaults option to reset your browser.

   

4. Once you do that, see if the voice search feature works now. 

6. Reinstall Browser

Finally, if none of the above methods circumvent the voice search feature issue, you will have to reinstall your web browser. In some instances, the issue can also originate due to a faulty browser installation which prevents specific components from functioning.

If this case is applicable, you will be able to mitigate the problem by reinstalling the web browser on your PC. To do this, follow the instructions below:

1. Open the Control Panel via a search in the Start Menu.

   

2. After that, go to the Uninstall a program section.

   

3. Then, locate your web browser and double-click on it.

   

4. Go through the on-screen prompts to finish the uninstallation.
5. Once you do that, download the setup file for your browser and install it on your PC. 

These solutions should help you overcome the voice search feature not working issue on your computer. The problem is mostly caused due to privacy settings on your PC which prevent the Google website from accessing your microphone. Checking the privacy settings should help in resolving such an issue in future.