Fix a BeyondATC microphone not working in Microsoft Flight Simulator by checking Windows permissions, input selection, push-to-talk and audio conflicts.
If your microphone is not working in BeyondATC for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the usual cause is Windows microphone privacy blocking the app, the wrong input device being selected, a push-to-talk binding conflict, or the device being held by another application. Select the mic explicitly, verify Windows access, then test speech outside the simulator.
BeyondATC is a separate Windows application, so Microsoft Flight Simulator’s ATC volume and audio settings do not control its microphone input. A mistake we see constantly is changing MSFS sound sliders when Windows or BeyondATC is listening to a webcam, controller or unused headset microphone instead.
How to fix a BeyondATC microphone that is not detected
The quickest fix is to prove that Windows receives the microphone first, then work forwards into BeyondATC.
- Test the microphone in Windows. Open Windows Sound settings, select the intended device under Input and speak while watching its level meter. If the meter does not move, check the headset’s physical mute switch, cable, USB connection, Bluetooth connection and input volume before changing anything in BeyondATC.
- Allow microphone access. In Windows 11, open
Privacy & securityand thenMicrophone; Windows 10 places the equivalent options underPrivacy. Enable microphone access and the option allowing desktop applications to use it. BeyondATC may appear only under the collective desktop-app permission rather than as an individual switch. - Select the actual input device. If your BeyondATC build provides a microphone selector, choose the named device instead of
Default. If it follows the Windows default, set the correct default input before launching BeyondATC. Connect USB or Bluetooth headsets before opening the application because reconnecting them can create a different Windows audio endpoint. - Check push-to-talk. Assign an uncomplicated keyboard key temporarily and confirm that BeyondATC registers it. Hold the control while speaking and release it only after finishing the transmission. If a keyboard key works but a yoke or joystick button does not, the problem is the controller binding rather than the microphone.
- Remove binding and privilege conflicts. Do not use the same push-to-talk control for BeyondATC, built-in MSFS ATC, voice-chat software and controller utilities. Run MSFS and BeyondATC at the same Windows privilege level, preferably with neither elevated as administrator, because an elevated application can block another application from receiving some shortcuts.
- Close applications using the microphone. Exit meeting software, voice chat, recording tools, browser tabs and noise-processing utilities, then test again. If the fault occurs only while another application is open, disable exclusive access under the microphone’s legacy Advanced properties by clearing
Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device. - Restart after changing devices. Fully close and reopen BeyondATC after changing permissions, defaults or USB ports. Restart Windows if the device meter remains stuck, and install any available BeyondATC update through its normal update mechanism.
If Windows cannot hear the device at all, our broader microphone troubleshooting checklist for online flight sims covers Bluetooth profiles, physical mute controls, permissions and competing voice applications.
What does each microphone symptom mean?
The point at which the audio path fails usually identifies the cause.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Windows input meter does not move | Muted, disconnected or incorrect device | Fix the hardware, Windows input selection or driver first |
| Windows hears the mic, but BeyondATC does not | Privacy permission, wrong app input or stale device selection | Enable desktop-app access, select the mic explicitly and restart BeyondATC |
| Push-to-talk never activates | Missing or conflicting binding | Test a keyboard key and remove duplicate controller assignments |
| Push-to-talk activates, but speech is not recognised | Low or clipped audio, noise gating, connection trouble or speech timing | Adjust gain, pause briefly before speaking and check BeyondATC’s connection |
| Words are recognised, but ATC does not reply | Flight state, radio frequency, session or clearance issue | Check the active frequency and BeyondATC session rather than the microphone |
| A reply appears but has no sound | Playback-device or volume problem | Check BeyondATC’s output device and the Windows volume mixer |
Does Microsoft Flight Simulator control the BeyondATC microphone?
No. BeyondATC receives microphone audio directly from Windows; MSFS supplies aircraft and simulator data through a separate connection. The simulator’s ATC, voices and communications volume sliders affect playback inside MSFS, not BeyondATC speech input.
MSFS controller assignments can still interfere if the same button operates built-in ATC or another cockpit command. Clear the duplicate assignment or give BeyondATC a dedicated push-to-talk control. Our explanation of voice-recognition ATC input and controller setup covers this separation in more detail.
Why does BeyondATC detect push-to-talk but not my speech?
If push-to-talk activates, the binding works; the remaining fault lies in the audio level, selected input or speech-recognition path. Watch the Windows and BeyondATC input indicators, where available, while speaking at a normal level.
- Press push-to-talk, wait a fraction of a second, speak clearly, pause again and then release it. Noise suppression can cut off the first syllable, while releasing early can remove the end of the call.
- Raise a very low microphone level, but avoid maximum gain if the meter clips or stays pinned. Distorted speech can be harder to recognise than quiet speech.
- Select the headset’s microphone endpoint rather than its stereo playback device, a virtual audio cable, webcam mic or game-controller mic.
- Temporarily disable aggressive noise gates and voice-processing software. These often mistake short aviation calls for background noise.
- If audio reaches BeyondATC but recognition never completes, check the application’s online connection and test without a VPN or unusually restrictive firewall rule.
If the spoken words are recognised correctly but no clearance or reply follows, stop troubleshooting the microphone. Confirm the tuned frequency, active BeyondATC session, flight-plan state and expected stage of the flight instead.
What if BeyondATC responds in text but I hear nothing?
A visible response with no voice is an output problem, not a microphone failure. Select the intended speakers or headset in BeyondATC and Windows, then check the application-specific volume in the Windows mixer; changing the MSFS ATC slider may have no effect on external BeyondATC audio.
For muted voices, wrong playback devices and text-to-speech faults, use our focused guide to diagnosing missing ATC voice audio.
Can BeyondATC voice input work on Xbox or PlayStation?
BeyondATC does not run as a native Xbox or PlayStation add-on. These microphone fixes apply to the Windows companion application, so changing console headset permissions inside Microsoft Flight Simulator will not make BeyondATC receive that microphone.