Fix: Corsair HS35 Mic Not Working

If the mic on your Corsair HS35 is not working, we are here to help you. Keep reading this guide to know the potential reasons and workarounds to resolve the problem quickly.

Corsair makes high-quality gaming peripherals, and the Corsair HS35 is no different. The gaming headset delivers rich audio and has a comfortable design for long gaming sessions. Although the Corsair HS35 is a quality headset, they are still a piece of tech at the end of the day. It can also run into problems, just like any other headset. One of the common issues Corsair HS35 users have reported is a non-working microphone.

Before we jump to the troubleshooting methods, let’s take a quick look at what could be causing the problem. When you know what could be triggering the problem, troubleshooting it becomes much easier.

Reasons Why Your Corsair HS35 Mic Not Working

• Loose connection: The microphone on your gaming headset may not work if it is loosely connected to the headset or the headset might not be properly connected to your PC or the gaming console. You should therefore double check all the physical connections before starting a new gaming session.
• Incorrect microphone settings: If the mic is not working, it could be because of incorrect microphone settings on your PC or the gaming console. You may not have allowed the game to use the microphone or the microphone access might be worked systemwide. The issue may also occur if you have not set the  Corsair headset as the default microphone.
• System glitches: Your computer or the gaming console might have system glitches, causing issues with the headset. You can easily fix them just by restarting your device.
• Faulty audio driver: If your device has an outdated or corrupted audio driver, you will likely face many audio-related issues. Although an older driver should work just fine, having a corrupted driver is a big NO. You should therefore update the drivers to fix mic issues.
• Hardware defects: If not the software, the source of the problems boils down to defective hardware. The detachable microphone might be defective or the audio jack of the headset or the port on your computer might have issues.

Now that we understand what could be causing problems with the Corsair HS35 mic let’s begin our troubleshooting.

Here’s How to Fix if Corsair HS35 Mic Is Not Working

Here you will find a curated list of effective solutions that will help you tackle the mic problems on your Corsair HS35 gaming headset. We strongly believe one of these solutions will do the job for you. Hence, keep trying the solutions until the problem is fixed.

1. Connect Your Headset Again

First things first, you should check all the physical connections. Make sure none of the connections are loose. Remove the audio jack from your computer or the console and insert it again. Now, do the same for the detachable mic. Launch “Sound Recorder” and record your audio to check if the problem is fixed.

If you still can’t use the mic, clean the connector and the port before you insert it again.

2. Check if the Microphone Is Disabled

If the microphone access is disabled, you can’t use it with any games or applications. This could be why the mic is not working on your Corsair HS35 gaming headset.

Here’s how to check if the mic access is disabled:

1. Press Windows + X shortcut keys and select “Settings”.
2. Tap on “Privacy & Security” from the left pane on your Windows 11 PC from the left pane.
3. If you are a Windows 10 user, tap on “Privacy”.
4. Now, tap on “Microphone” under “App permissions”.
5. Enable the “Microphone access”.

Once you have enabled microphone access, check if the problem is sorted.

3. Make Sure the App Is Allowed to Access the Mic

Despite enabling the microphone access, if you still can’t access the mic, it’s likely because the game may not have permission to use it. You should therefore check if the game is allowed to access the mic using the steps below:

1. Open “Settings” and tap on “Privacy & Security”. Windows 10 users need to click “Privacy”.
2. Under “App permissions”, tap on “Microphone”.
3. Find the game where you want to use the mic and ensure the toggle next to it is turned on.

4. Check if the Microphone Is Muted

If your Corsair HS35 gaming headset is still not listening to your voice, you need to check if the microphone is muted. Unfortunately, Windows 11 and 10 do not tell you if the microphone is muted while recording. So, follow these steps to unmute the microphone:

1. Press Windows + X shortcut keys and select “Settings”.
2. Tap on “System” from the left-side menu on your PC.
3. Click “Sound”
4. Under “Input”, check if the microphone is muted. If yes, unmute it by tapping on the recording icon.
5. Make sure the microphone volume is not too low. Set it above 40.

5. Set Your Headset as the Default Recording Device

You can’t the use mic of your Corsair HS35 headset because this device might not be the default recording device on your PC. The device may be using the built-in microphone to record. Here’s how to change it on your Windows PC:

1. Press Windows + X shortcut keys and select “Settings”.
2. Tap on “System” from the left-side menu on your PC.
3. Tap on “More sound settings” under the “Advanced” section.
4. On the popup window, go to the “Recording” tab.
5. Right-click on the space in that window to ensure “Show Disabled Devices” is checked. If it isn’t, tap the option to see all disabled devices.
6. Right-click on Corsair HS35 and select “Enable”. If you don’t see this option, the device is already enabled.
7. Now, tap on Corsair HS35 and click “Set default”.
8. Click “OK” to save changes.

Once you have set your Corsair headset as the default recording device, reboot your PC once and check if the problem is fixed.

6. Update Audio Drivers

As we mentioned in the earlier part of this troubleshooting guide, a corrupted driver can bring a series of problems to your computer. You should therefore make sure that no drivers on your device are corrupted. Another thing to check is if the drivers are outdated. Although an older driver should work just fine, they can lead to many issues. So, having the latest drivers is always recommended.

Here’s how to update the audio driver on your PC:

1. Type “Device Manager” in the search box and hit “Enter”.
2. Expand “Audio inputs and outputs”.
3. Right-click on your headset name and select “Update driver”.
4. Click “Search automatically for drivers”. Your PC will now look for the latest driver.
5. Follow on-screen instructions to update the driver.

Alternatively, you can download the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website and install it manually on your computer. If you find this process to be difficult or time-consuming, go for software like Driver Easy or Driver Pack to update all drivers in a single click.

7. Run Windows Troubleshooter

Windows computers come with a built-in troubleshooter which does a good at removing common issues. You can use this troubleshooter to fix issues with the microphone.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Press Windows + X shortcut keys and select “Settings”.
2. Tap on “System” from the left pane.
3. Scroll down to “Troubleshoot” and tap on it.
4. Click “Other troubleshooters”.
5. Find “Recording Audio” and click the “Run” button next to it.

Your computer will now check for audio recording issues. Either it will automatically apply the fixes or you’ll have to the on-screen instructions to get the problems fixed.

8. Contact Corsair Support

If none of the above solutions worked out for you, it appears as if your Corsair HS35 has some physical damage. To get it fixed, contact Corsair support or take your device to an authorized service center.

So, that’s how you can fix microphone issues with the Corsair HS35 gaming headset. We hope you were able to fix the Corsair HS35 mic not working issue using one of the solutions from this article. Want to drop a message or ask a query? Feel free to write them in the comments below.