Windows Settings is one of the quickest and least confusing ways to adjust your microphone volume in Windows 10.

To open it, click the “Start” menu, then select the gear icon on the left. This will open “Settings.” You can also press Windows+i to open it.

To speed things up, you can also right-click the speaker icon on the taskbar in the notification area (system tray) and select “Sound Settings.” The Sound Settings window will appear.

In the “Settings” window, click “System.”

Select “Sound” in the sidebar.

Scroll down to the “Input” section in the Sound window. Select the device you’d like to configure using the “Choose your input device” drop-down list. Then click “Device properties.”

In “Device” properties for the microphone, use the “Volume” slider to adjust the input level of the microphone.

The louder the volume, the louder the input signal will be when you use the microphone. Louder isn’t always better, however—if the signal is too loud, your voice will be distorted. Try to find the ideal volume where your voice (or other sound source) is loud enough without having any kind of distortion.

If you need help, click the “Start test” button and speak into the microphone at a normal volume. When you click “Stop test,” you’ll see the highest percentage level registered by the test program.

You can then adjust the volume slider accordingly. If you keep hitting 100% by talking at a normal volume, then the Volume slider is adjusted too high. Reduce the volume and try again.

When you’re satisfied, close “Settings,” and you’ll be ready to go. If you ever need to adjust it again, just open “Settings” and navigate back to Sound > Input > Device properties.

You can also adjust microphone input volume using the classic Control Panel.

You can launch this tool from the speaker icon in your taskbar’s notification area, which is opposite the Start button. First, right-click the speaker icon and select “Sounds” from the menu that appears.

In the “Sound” window that opens, click the “Recording” tab.

You’ll see a list of microphones installed on your system. Select the one you’d like to adjust, then click the “Properties” button.

In the “Properties” window that appears, click the “Levels” tab.

In the “Levels” tab, use the Microphone slider to adjust the input level of the microphone. The higher the level, the louder your microphone signal will be while it’s in use. That means your voice will come through louder. But a signal that is too loud will distort, so try to find the sweet spot where it’s loud enough but not too loud to distort your voice.