Camera & setup
How to Reduce Background Noise on Video Calls
Here's how to reduce background noise on video calls, in order of impact: get the microphone closer to your mouth, move away from or switch off the noise source, turn on the noise suppression your device already has, and mute yourself while you're listening. The first two do most of the work and cost nothing.
This guide covers noise from your surroundings: fans, traffic, keyboards, housemates, the TV in the next room. If the other person hears their own voice coming back, that's echo, which has different causes and fixes in how to stop echo on video calls.
First, hear what the other person hears
Your brain filters out sounds you live with every day, like a humming fridge or a laptop fan. Your microphone doesn't. A quick recording shows you what your chat partner is actually getting.
- Open a voice recorder: Voice Memos on iPhone and Mac, Sound Recorder on Windows, or the recorder app that came with your Android phone.
- Put the device where it sits during calls and record 10 seconds of silence, then 10 seconds of normal talking.
- Play it back on headphones. Listen to the silent part first: anything you hear there, your partner hears all the time.
| Type of noise | Examples | What works best |
|---|---|---|
| Steady hum or hiss | Fans, air conditioning, fridge, computer fan | Turn it off for the call or move away; software suppression handles this well |
| Sudden or changing sounds | Traffic, dogs, doors, a TV, other voices | Distance, closed doors and a closer mic; software helps less |
| Noise you make | Typing, chair creaks, tapping the desk, breathing on the mic | Mic placement, mute while typing, a steadier setup |
Room fixes for a noisy room
The cheapest noise to deal with is the noise that never reaches the mic. Before touching any settings, try these:
- Close windows and doors, including the one to the hallway. A closed door blocks more than you'd expect.
- Switch off fans, heaters and air purifiers for the length of the call, or point them away from you.
- Move the computer tower to the floor on the far side of the desk, away from the mic.
- Sit away from the shared wall with a neighbor, the street side of the building, or the kitchen.
- Pick a room with soft things in it: a bedroom with a bed, curtains and clothes keeps sound from bouncing around.
- Silence your phone and put it face down off the desk; vibration on a hard surface carries into a laptop mic.
Laptop microphones sit right next to the keyboard and fan, so they pick up both clearly. Any headset or earbuds with a mic will usually be a big improvement over the built-in one.
Mic placement: the free fix that beats software
Noise suppression works by telling your voice apart from everything else. The louder your voice is compared to the room, the easier that job gets, and the closer the mic, the louder your voice. Halving the distance between your mouth and the mic makes a clear difference.
- Headset boom mic: about two finger-widths from the corner of your mouth, slightly to the side so your breath doesn't hit it.
- Earbuds with an inline mic: let the mic hang near your chin, and keep the cable from rubbing on your collar.
- Laptop built-in mic: sit a little closer and face the screen squarely; don't type while you talk.
- Phone: most phone mics are on the bottom edge. Keep it uncovered by your hand or case and pointed toward you.
Raising your laptop for a better camera angle can also move its mic farther away. If your voice sounds thinner after you change the setup, a headset solves both problems at once.
Noise cancelling for video calls: browser, system and headset
Most browsers have built-in noise suppression for video calls. Omlet asks your browser to turn on its noise suppression, echo cancellation and automatic volume control, so there's no extra switch to find on the site. Browser suppression is good at steady hums and hiss and weaker against voices, music and barking.
Windows
Go to Settings → System → Sound, then select your microphone under Input to open its properties. Depending on your PC, you may see options such as Audio enhancements or Voice clarity; turn them on if available. Names vary by Windows version and hardware, and some PCs don't offer them at all.
Mac, iPhone and iPad
While a call is using the microphone, open Control Center and look for Mic Mode. If Voice Isolation is offered for the app or browser you're using, choose it; it strongly reduces sounds that aren't your voice. Not every app shows this option.
Headsets and laptop audio apps
Many headsets and laptops come with their own audio software that includes mic noise reduction. Check what's already installed on your device before downloading anything new.
Use one noise suppressor, not three. Stacking browser, system and headset processing can make your voice sound robotic or cut out between words.
Use mute like push-to-talk
When the noise is out of your control, like construction outside or someone vacuuming, the simplest fix is to only open the mic when you speak.
- In Omlet, the microphone button on your own camera view mutes and unmutes you. Mute while you listen, unmute to answer.
- Mute before typing a long message in the text chat, since keyboard clicks carry easily.
- Tell your partner what's going on so silence doesn't look like rudeness: a quick "Sorry, there's drilling next door, I'm muting between turns" in the chat works.
- If you can't hear them over their own noise, Omlet also lets you mute your partner and keep talking by text.
Text chat works alongside the video, so a noisy moment doesn't have to end the conversation. You can start a random video chat and switch between voice and typing as needed.
When it's not background noise at all
Some sounds come from the equipment, not the room. If you hear any of these on your recording, settings won't fully fix them:
- Crackling or popping: often a loose or damaged cable or a worn headphone jack. Try another port or cable.
- Buzzing that changes when you touch the laptop: can be electrical interference from a charger; test on battery power.
- Choppy, dropping audio on wireless earbuds: see Bluetooth headset mic not working.
- No sound reaching the call at all: that's a permissions or device issue, covered in microphone not working in the browser.
Once the noise is under control, the next step is making your voice itself clearer. Our guide on how to sound better on video calls covers mic types, levels and speaking pace.