How Do I Know if My Mac Microphone Is in Use?
In macOS, you can tell if your microphone is currently in use by glancing at the menu bar. The menu bar has a Control Center icon, and you’ll see a yellow dot right next to that icon if your mic is currently in use. This is a useful security feature, because apps aren’t able to take active control of your mic without this dot showing up.
How Do I Know What App Is Accessing My Mac’s Microphone?
If you see a yellow dot on your menu bar, that means an app is currently accessing audio from your mic. To find out exactly what app is accessing your Mac’s microphone, you need to open the Control Center.
Here’s how to see what app is accessing the microphone on your Mac:
Click the Control Center icon on your menu bar. Look for a yellow microphone icon in the Control Center. The name of the app that’s accessing your microphone should be listed right next to the yellow microphone icon.
How Do I Control Microphone Access On My Mac?
The Security and Privacy options in macOS allow you to control what apps are allowed to access your microphone, and you can also see a list of apps that have requested permission in the past.
Here’s how to control microphone access on a Mac:
Open the Apple menu > System Preferences. Click Security & Privacy. Click Privacy. Click Microphone. This list shows the apps that have access to your microphone. To remove microphone access from an app, click the check mark next to that app. To grant access, click the empty box next to an app.
