# Mic Mode Canonical page: https://flit.fyi/glossary/mic-mode [Glossary](https://flit.fyi/glossary) / [On your Mac](https://flit.fyi/glossary#mac) Also: Mic Modes, Voice Isolation, Wide Spectrum Published October 4, 2026 Definition Mic Mode is a macOS control that changes how your Mac’s microphone treats the sound around you in apps that support it. Voice Isolation filters out background sounds, Wide Spectrum includes the sounds around you, and Standard is the standard mic mode with neither applied. Most people find Mic Mode during a call, when someone says they can hear a dog, a fan or traffic. It is a quick fix because it lives in the menu bar and changes what the other side hears without any new hardware. It is also easy to miss. Apple’s instructions point to the menu bar, not to a pane in System Settings, and they start with going to an app that supports Mic Modes. ## Where is Mic Mode on a Mac? The location depends on your version of macOS. Apple says that in macOS Sonoma 14 or later you click Mic Mode from the Video menu or Audio menu that appears in the menu bar when a video call is in progress. In macOS Ventura 13 or macOS Monterey 12, you click Control Center in the menu bar, then click Mic Mode. In both cases there is a condition. You have to be in an app that supports Mic Modes, such as FaceTime, and Apple notes that the options vary by app. ## How to turn on Voice Isolation on a Mac Voice Isolation is the mode most people want. Apple says it gives priority to your voice and minimizes the sounds of traffic, dogs barking and other background noise around you. These steps are for macOS Sonoma 14 or later. 1. Open an app that supports Mic Modes, such as FaceTime, and start a call. 2. Look in the menu bar for the Video menu, or the Audio menu if it is an audio call. 3. Click it, then click Mic Mode. During a FaceTime video call, click the arrow next to Mic Mode. 4. Select Voice Isolation. 5. Ask the other person whether the background noise has gone, and switch back if your voice sounds worse. ## How to switch back to Standard or use Wide Spectrum Wide Spectrum does the opposite of Voice Isolation. Apple says it captures your voice as well as the sound around you, such as the sound of music or nature. Use it when the room is the point: a music lesson, a group around one laptop, or a sound you want the other side to hear. 1. While the call is in progress, click the Video menu or Audio menu in the menu bar. 2. Click Mic Mode. 3. To include the sounds around you, select Wide Spectrum. 4. To revert to the standard mic mode, select Standard. ## Standard vs Voice Isolation vs Wide Spectrum The three modes are three answers to one question: how much of the room should come through with your voice. None of them is a volume control. They change what the microphone keeps and what it removes. - Standard: the standard mic mode. Choose it to go back to normal after trying the others. - Voice Isolation: filters out background sounds and gives priority to your voice. Choose it for calls from a noisy room. - Wide Spectrum: includes the sounds around you. Choose it when the other side should hear the room, music or several people. ## Which Macs and apps support Mic Mode? Apple’s FaceTime guide says Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum are available on Mac models 2018 and later. Apple’s article on video effects and mic modes describes the mic modes for macOS Monterey 12, macOS Ventura 13, and macOS Sonoma 14 or later. On the app side, Apple describes these as features you can use in FaceTime and other videoconferencing apps, and it tells you to go to an app that supports Mic Modes. Apple does not publish a list of those apps, and it says the options vary by app, so one app may show fewer modes than another. ## Mic Mode not showing or not working If you cannot find Mic Mode, the usual reason is that no app that supports it is in a call at that moment. Work through the basics before you assume the feature is missing. - Start a call first. Apple says the Video menu or Audio menu appears in the menu bar when a video call is in progress. - Check your macOS version. On macOS Ventura 13 or Monterey 12, Mic Mode is under Control Center, not a Video menu. - Check your Mac. Apple lists Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum for Mac models 2018 and later. - Try FaceTime. If Mic Mode appears there but not in another app, that app may not support Mic Modes, or may offer different options. - Check the microphone itself. Open System Settings → Sound, click Input, and make sure the right device is selected and the input volume is not too low. - Check permission. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and make sure the app is allowed to use the microphone. ## Questions people ask. ### Where is Mic Mode on my Mac? In macOS Sonoma 14 or later, click Mic Mode from the Video menu or Audio menu that appears in the menu bar when a video call is in progress. In macOS Ventura 13 or Monterey 12, click Control Center in the menu bar, then click Mic Mode. ### What does Voice Isolation do on a Mac? Voice Isolation gives priority to your voice and minimizes background noise such as traffic or a barking dog. It is one of the Mic Modes, alongside Wide Spectrum and Standard. ### What is Wide Spectrum on a Mac? Wide Spectrum is a Mic Mode that captures your voice as well as the sound around you, such as music or nature. It is the opposite of Voice Isolation. ### Why can I not see Mic Mode in the menu bar? Mic Mode appears when an app that supports Mic Modes is in a call. Start a call in an app such as FaceTime, then look for the Video menu or Audio menu in the menu bar, or open Control Center on macOS Ventura 13 or Monterey 12. ### Which Macs support Voice Isolation? Apple’s FaceTime guide says Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum are available on Mac models 2018 and later. ### How do I turn off Voice Isolation on a Mac? During a call, click the Video menu or Audio menu in the menu bar, click Mic Mode, and select Standard. That reverts to the standard mic mode. ## Guides that use it - [Dictating with AirPods on a Mac](https://flit.fyi/airpods-dictation-mac) ## Related terms - [Voice activity detection](https://flit.fyi/glossary/voice-activity-detection) - [Dictation](https://flit.fyi/glossary/dictation) - [Word error rate](https://flit.fyi/glossary/word-error-rate) ## Your voice was always faster. 7 days free, then $19 USD once. No account, no subscription, nothing uploaded. 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