Clear communication is a fundamental requirement when using Microsoft Teams. That’s why reducing background noise is so important when collaborating on the platform. So please continue reading to learn how to remove background noise in a Microsoft Teams meeting.
Microsoft Teams provides a native noise suppression tool accessible via “Manage Account” and “Devices.” The noise suppression tool will detect background noises and remove them so that only your voice is audible.
- Open Microsoft Teams first.
- Click your profile photo now.
- Click “Manage Account” from there.
- Next, select “Devices.”
- Scroll down to locate the “Noise suppression” option.
- For the best background noise removal, use the highest setting.
- Finally, close the settings panel and get on with your conference.
After following the instructions, you will have reduced background sounds in your audio output. However, third-party solutions such as Krisp.ai may work more effectively to minimize background noise.
To ensure the process has worked correctly, test the method by holding a trial meeting with a colleague. You should notice that persistent sounds such as air conditioning and computer fans are reduced in your audio output.
An in-depth guide on how to get rid of background noise in Microsoft Teams
You can use our comprehensive tutorial to help you through the process of enabling Microsoft Teams’ noise suppression tool. To help you with the steps, I have provided screenshots and additional directions.
- Open Microsoft Teams first.
As the process will actively affect the device settings in Microsoft Teams, you can only use the desktop version for this method to work correctly. The browser version does not have the ability for you to manage your device settings directly from the program.
- Click on your circular profile image.
Your profile image is located in the top-right corner of the window. That is where you can find your settings and app management features.
- Click “Manage account.”
A menu will drop down from your profile image, in which you can choose to manage your account settings.
- Next, select “Devices.”
The “Devices” option is located in the menu on the left side of the window under the “Settings” header. The “Devices” option is unavailable in the browser version of Microsoft Teams, so please ensure you have downloaded the desktop version.
- Scroll down to locate the “Noise suppression” header.
There are three noise suppression levels when using this feature within the program. Each option is designed to give you a specific output to reduce background noise picked up by your microphone.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto | By default, your Teams app will automatically adapt based on local levels of noise. This setting manages computer resources by only using high suppression when required. |
| High | Teams will suppress all background noises which are not speech. However, this setting may cause your computer to run slower. |
| Low | Teams will suppress droning noises in the background, such as computer fans. However, music will not be suppressed. |
| Off | Teams will not suppress any noises picked up by your microphone. |
- For the best background noise removal, use the highest setting.
- Finally, close the settings panel and get on with your conference.
After completing the steps above, you can communicate more clearly during a Teams meeting. But you could also consider buying a conference speaker phone with inbuilt noise suppression. The AVerMedia conference speaker will remove background noises such as dogs barking, babies crying, and construction work and leave only a clear voice.
Be sure to select a directional microphone as they have a direct audio channel to the source, and any additional background noise is reduced since they are less sensitive to it.
Conclusion
Background noise can interrupt your ability as a presenter of the Microsoft Teams meeting to refine your audio output. If you are struggling to get a noise output, you can use the settings applied here to remove the background noise completely.
However, if you are not getting sufficient audio from your users, you can refine the background noise suppression in the same settings panel. If you require further assistance with the steps, I have also provided an in-depth guide you can use to help you go through the process. If you are still struggling to complete the steps, drop a comment below, and we will address your issues.