Test the microphone in Windows first, then open Black Ops Cold War Settings > Audio, enable Voice Chat, select Game Chat or Party Chat, and choose Open Mic or Push to Talk. Adjust Open Microphone Sensitivity only after basic input works, then verify the in-game voice indicator and ask a trusted player to confirm they can hear you.
Open Start > Settings > System > Sound. Under Input, select the intended microphone, open its properties, choose Start test, speak normally, then choose Stop test and Play. Fix the connection or Windows input if no recording is heard.
2
Open the game voice settings
In Black Ops Cold War, open Settings > Audio and set Voice Chat to Enabled. Choose Voice & Text Chat Channel: Game Chat for the match or Party Chat for your current party.
3
Choose how the microphone activates
For keyboard and mouse, set Microphone Activation Mode to Open Mic or Push to Talk. If you choose Push to Talk, confirm the Push to Talk (Voice Chat) key and make sure it is not shared with another action.
4
Set useful voice levels
Raise Microphone Volume and Voice Chat Volume from zero. For Open Mic, adjust Open Microphone Sensitivity only enough for normal speech to trigger without constant room noise.
5
Verify voice chat in a permitted session
Join the intended party or game channel and speak or hold the push-to-talk key. The task is complete when the in-game voice indicator responds and a trusted participant confirms that your voice is audible.
If it does not work
If Windows records the wrong device, select the correct microphone under Sound > Input before reopening the game.
If the mic works in Windows but not in game, recheck Game Chat versus Party Chat and the Push to Talk binding before changing drivers or game files.
If other players are inaudible too, raise Voice Chat Volume and confirm neither the channel nor the individual player is muted.
ⓘ Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Windows PC.
Activision documents the game's Audio and voice-chat controls; Microsoft documents the Windows input test used to separate device failures from game settings.
