How to See Apps That Accessed Your Microphone in Windows 11

Windows 11 lets you see which apps have recently used your microphone.

This built-in privacy feature shows you a list of applications that have accessed your microphone in the last 7 days. You can check this list to keep track of your audio privacy.

For example, you might see that your web browser or a communication app accessed the microphone. Knowing this helps you manage permissions and ensure only trusted apps use your mic.

When an app uses your microphone, Windows 11 also shows a small mic icon on your taskbar. Checking your microphone activity history gives you more detail about who has been listening.

How to Check Microphone Activity

You can see which apps have recently used your microphone in Windows 11 by checking your privacy settings. This helps you understand which programs have access and when they last used it, giving you more control over your privacy.

1. Open Settings. You can do this by pressing the ⊞ Win+I on your keyboard.

   

2. In Settings, click on Privacy & security in the left-hand menu. Then, on the right side, click on Microphone under the “App permissions” section.  Open Microphone Settings

   

   
   
3. Look for the section that says “Let desktop apps access your microphone.” Here, you will see a list of desktop apps that have recently used your microphone, along with the date and time of their last access.

   

4. Click on Recent activity to expand this section.

   

5. Now, you will see a detailed list showing the date and time for all apps that have accessed and used your microphone in the past 7 days.

Summary

To see which apps have used your microphone in Windows 11, go to Settings › Privacy & security › Microphone Under “App permissions,” you can view the recent activity, showing the date and time of access for both desktop apps and other applications within the last 7 days.