In the last week (or so) my microphone won't work on numerous apps. Why?

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In the last week (or so) my microphone won't work on numerous apps. Why?

Warren Bailey 20

Hi there...reaching out because I cannot find a solution to why my Sennheiser SC260 CTRL USB 2 headset / microphone has stopped working on my Windows 11 PC.

What's weird is that I just spent another $250 replacing it (thinking that it being 5 years old, it may have had its day), but I found it STILL worked fine on my wife CBA Windows PC.

It won't work on WhatsApp for voice calls either and most importantly, it won't work with my Nuance Dragon Speaking Professional Individual software (V15.61.200.010).

I'm really frustrated and angry as these issues seem to always occur straight after Microsoft schedules one of its mandatory updates.

I NEED TO FIX THIS URGENTLY - PLEASE.

Moved from: Nuance | Other

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Answer 1

Hi Warren Bailey,

I completely understand your frustration. The fact that the Sennheiser SC260 works perfectly on another machine is a strong sign that the problem is not hardware-related but instead tied to a recent Windows update affecting USB audio class drivers or app microphone permissions. This is something we’ve seen happen after certain cumulative updates in Windows 11.

The first thing I recommend is checking Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone to ensure “Allow apps to access your microphone” is on, and that both WhatsApp and Nuance Dragon are explicitly enabled. Windows updates sometimes reset these permissions silently. Next, open Device Manager and uninstall the headset under “Sound, video and game controllers,” then disconnect and reconnect it so Windows can reinstall the correct USB audio driver. If the device appears under “Other devices,” that’s a clear indicator of a corrupted driver binding, and reinstalling usually resolves it.

Nuance Dragon in particular is sensitive to audio input formats, so once reinstalled, go to Sound settings > Recording > Headset Microphone > Properties and confirm the format is set to 16-bit, 16 kHz or 16-bit, 44.1 kHz, which Dragon requires. If the microphone doesn’t appear at all or shows error symbols in Device Manager, we may need to roll back the last Windows update using Update history > Uninstall updates.

Please give these steps a try and let me know what you find. I’ll continue guiding you until we get the microphone back online. If this helps you move forward, please click “Accept Answer” so others can benefit as well 😊.

Jason.

Warren Bailey 20 Reputation points

2025-11-26T01:11:00.7266667+00:00

Hey Jason....thanks for taking the time to respond so quickly. I did EVERYTHING you suggested and have now re-opened Dragon. Unfortunately I still get the same message "The audio input device is not responding" when I try to engage the headset for dictation. This is SUCH a pain...nothing is working on Dragon or WhatsApp.
Jason Nguyen Tran 4,175 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-11-27T02:54:24.6633333+00:00

Hi Warren,

Thanks for getting back to me. You can try a deeper reset of the Windows audio subsystem. Please do the following:

Open Control Panel > Sound > Recording, right-click your Sennheiser headset and set it as both:

Default Device

Default Communications Device Then go to Properties > Advanced and uncheck both boxes under Exclusive Mode.

Restart the audio services in this exact order:

Windows Audio Endpoint Builder

Windows Audio

Remote Desktop Services (this one can unexpectedly hold audio channels open)

After that, type the following into an elevated Command Prompt to rebuild the entire audio stack:

net stop audiosrv net stop audioendpointbuilder net start audioendpointbuilder net start audiosrv

If the headset still does not respond, the next step is to reset all audio endpoints and drivers. I can walk you through that as well. Please let me know what happens after the steps above. And if this moves you forward, please click “Accept Answer” so others can benefit too 😊.

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In the last week (or so) my microphone won't work on numerous apps. Why?

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