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Why Do I Hear Myself In My Headset? (SOLVED)

By Author Norvan Martin

Posted on Last updated:

Categories Headphones and Headsets, Headsets

Why Do I Hear Myself In My Headset? (SOLVED)
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Headsets enable you to communicate effectively with a second party or listen to your favorite content. However, due to various reasons, you might end up hearing yourself in your headset, which can be quite annoying. The good news is that you can troubleshoot and fix this issue quickly. Here are the details you need to troubleshoot and fix this headset issue effectively.

So, why am I hearing myself in my headset? You could be hearing yourself in your headset for a variety of reasons.

If you are hearing yourself in your headset, the likely reason is that there is feedback from the headset of the person you are speaking to over your headset. Other factors that may cause this include an activated recording device like a mic that you are unaware of as well as the bass boost feature or the mic monitor feature.

We go into detail with these reasons as well as the fix for each below:

1. Others Pople’s Speakers: Let us say that the person that you are speaking to through your headset is also using a headset. In this case, there is a high chance that when you speak, your voice may be fed from their speakers through their mic and back to you. The quickest and easiest way to fix this is to ask the person to whom you are speaking to turn off their headset/speaker or reduce the volume of their headphone. Think of it as you hearing your own mic through your headset. If you ask yourself, why can I hear my microphone through my headset? If you think of it this way, you will have a better understanding.

2. Other Recording Devices: Check if you have another recording device activated. As an example, if you are using your headset to record, your computer’s integrated mic may also be active and recording. This can create a weird delayed echo effect. Be sure to disable any other recording devices while using your headset. To disable these devices:

  • Go to “System > Sound
  • Open Sound Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound.
  • Click the “Recording tab“
  • Right-click on any device listed other than your headset and select “Disable”
  • Click Apply and then click OK.

3. Mic Monitor: Mic monitor is a feedback feature that allows the headset to send some of the user’s voice back to the headset in order to help users know how loud they will sound to others. However, if there is any lag in the transfer of this sound signal, you may hear yourself in an unpleasant way. To fix this:

  • Go to “System > Sound
  • Open Sound Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound.
  • Click the “Recording tab“
  • Right-click on your headset and select ‘Properties‘
  • Disable the Listen to this device option.
  • Click Apply and then click OK.

4. Microphone Boost: Some computers have a feature called Microphone Boost which is used to increase your volume in order to recover audio quality. However, it can sometimes cause a strange echo. Disable microphone boost by:

  1. Go to “System > Sound
  2. Open Sound Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound.
  3. Click the “Recording tab“
  4. Right-click on your headset and select ‘Properties‘
  5. Click the “Levels” tab in the Microphone Properties window
  6. Uncheck the “Microphone Boost” tab
  7. Click Apply and then click OK.

Read on to learn more. 

Why Am I Hearing Myself In My Headset?

You could be hearing yourself in your headset due to a variety of reasons. The main reason is that you have accidentally selected “listen to this device” for the microphone in your settings.

In this case, the headset will send some of your voice back to the headset in order to help you know how loud it will sound to others.

There may also be a slight delay in this process depending on your internet connection and the programs you are using.

I Can Hear Myself In My Headset (Using a PC)

Problems with other people’s speakers are the most common cause of the echo. Are you speaking with individuals who have their microphones and receive your voice through their speakers?

If your mic picks up the sound, it’ll send it back to you.

control panel sound settings

To fix this, ensure the speakers have moved away from the mics, reduce the volume, or use headphones.

Many PCs come with integrated microphones. That means if you are using more than a single recording device simultaneously, you can experience the echo effect.

To stop this issue, you should do the following:

  1. Click “Start.”
  2. Search “Control Panel.”
  3. Select “Hardware and Sound.”
  4. Choose “Sound.”

5. In the windows that appear, click on the “Recording tab.”

6. Right-click on the listed devices except for your headset and select “Disable.”

Some headsets deliberately allow you to hear yourself in your headset. This can help you know the quality of the sound.

However, you may need to deactivate it at some point. The programs and internet connection can determine whether there will be a slight delay between the sound being played back and the speaking.

You can fix this sound issue by following the steps below.

  1. Go to the “Microphone Properties,” window.
  2. Click the “Listen” tab.
  3. Ensure the “Listen to this device” is blank (remove the check mark if that’s not the case).
  4. Click “Apply.”
  5. Close the window.

I Can Hear Myself in My Headset fix windows

I Can Hear My Mic through My Headphones: Windows 10 and Windows 11

Microphone Boost is a specialized Windows 10 and Windows 11 setting that can boost the volume to recover audio quality. So, you can use it to increase the microphone volume.

If your PC comes with a sound card that employs a Microphone Boost, you might hear yourself in your headset.

How to Stop Hearing Myself on My Headset: Windows 10/Windows 11

It would help if you disabled Microphone Boost. To do this, you should do this:

  1. Click the “Recording’ tab.
  2. Right-click the headset.
  3. Select “Properties.”
  4. Click the Levels tab.
  5. Uncheck the “Microphone Boost.”
  6. Click “Apply.”
  7. Close the window.

If that doesn’t work, you might have enabled your mic playback. Here are the steps you should follow to enable this feature:

  1. Navigate to the “Listen” tab.
  2. Check the “Listen to this device.”
  3. Select your speakers from the Playback through this device drop-down.
  4. Press “OK” to save the change.

You’ll now hear your mic through your speakers, not headphones.

I Can Hear Myself on My Console’s Headset

Why Can I Hear Myself in My Headset: PS4 or PS5

Microphones often echo in PS4 and PS5 since the mics’ sensitivity is too high. The microphone picks up the sound from the headphones and replays it.

Headsets with efficient noise-canceling features rarely experience this problem. They are excellent at stopping the audio from bleeding from the device into the mic.

If your headset has an inefficient noise-canceling feature, do the following to fix the audio issue:

  • Position the headset far away from the microphone.
  • Lower the audio output levels.

Or

  • Alter the chat-game audio balance.

If you’ve followed all the steps above without success, you are likely a victim of mic monitoring. of course, microphone monitoring can help you to get the right feedback on the sound quality others are receiving.

However, you might need to disable this feature when it begins to interfere with your experience.

Here, do the following to fix the problem with great ease:

  1. Go to “Settings.”
  2. Select “Devices.”
  3. Choose “Audio Devices.”
  4. Navigate to “Side-tone Volume.”
  5. Slide the bar all the way left. 

Since the exact steps may differ depending on the model and make of your PS4/PS5, consult the user manual if this standard procedure doesn’t help you.

I Can Hear Myself in My Headset Xbox One

You can hear yourself in your Xbox One if mic monitoring has been activated. There is a 3.5mm jack on your Xbox One.

You are free to pair it with the 3.5mm Xbox One Chat Headset. You should also confirm that your headphones have a functional mic monitoring feature.

You can fix this sound issue by lowering the volume to zero.

I Can Hear Myself in My Headset Discord

Your headset Discord can pick up your game sound if the playback device or the recording device is incorrectly configured. You should go to the Sound Control Panel and disable the Stereo Mix device to solve the issue.

You can have the same experience because of a bug or glitch in the Discord app. If you suspect that this is the underlying cause of the problem, update your audio drivers. You can also power cycle the device to fix bugs and other minor software issues.

I Want To Hear Myself in My Headset: Windows 10 and Windows 11

You have two options if you want to hear yourself in your Windows 10 and Windows 11. You can deactivate the Microphone Boost or enable your mic to playback.

Here are the specific steps that you should follow to do this:

1. Deactivate Microphone Boost.

  1. Click the “Recording” tab.
  2. Right-click your headset.
  3. Select “Properties.”
  4. Click the “Levels” tab.
  5. Check the “Microphone Boost.”
  6. Click “Apply.”
  7. Close the window.

2. Enable Your Mic Playback.

  1. Go to the “Listen” tab.
  2. Check the “Listen to this device.”
  3. Select your headset from the Playback through this device drop-down.
  4. Press “OK” to save the change.

Conclusion

Now you know the reasons you can hear yourself in your headset. Hearing your own voice in your headset can be annoying but it is also easy to fix. You can also see that identifying and fixing these issues is essentially a trial-and-error process.

You can see that with the tips we’ve seen above, you can fix the echo with little effort and continue to communicate effectively with others or enjoy your music, movies, and shows.

If you have found that the issue is your headset, you can check out our guide on the best-wired headsets available.