The built-in mic on any Mac is one of the most useful and important components for anyone. It doesn’t matter what you use it for, be it for making video calls, playing video games or even audio recording. You simply need to just plug in your anc true wireless earbuds and speak into the mic to start your audio or video session. In fact, if you are a musical artist, then the microphone is possibly the most important component of your Mac. However, in most cases, most professional artists utilize an external microphone for better quality and in this respect, using a usb c cable 10 ft from Lention is recommended. These cables are universally compatible with most devices and provide you with an extensive array of features and accessibility options. You can connect any external device be it keyboard, mouse, speakers or a microphone! Moreover, they are very useful if you need to transfer files across multiple external storage devices or other Macs.

However, putting external mics aside, with technology continuously progressing, Apple’s internal mics keep getting smaller. As a result, it can sometime be difficult to figure out where the internal mic is located.

Benefits of a Built-In Mic

Now, when you think of a microphone, it’s easy to imagine the usual physical ones, that you see singers and performers holding while on stage. And while these mics are very functional, those built-in to your Mac are extremely small, making them difficult to locate! This makes it convenient especially if you would rather not handle the extra cables. Or the space that connecting an external mic would require. Moreover, you may also need to utilise a usb c docking station with power delivery, if your Mac doesn’t have enough open connection ports. However, if you must utilise external equipment, then you can always purchase a cable organizer from Lention. These accessories will allow you to be able to safely carry around multiple cables, microphones, external disk drives or any other accessories. All while keeping them well-organized and protected from external damage. For most people though, the in-built microphone is enough, as it helps accomplish simple day-to-day tasks.

Where Is My Internal Mic Located?

Since internal mics are designed to be very small, that makes them extremely difficult components to find. This is especially true, for those who may be unfamiliar with the inner workings of their computers. If you don’t consider yourself to be an expert, then chances are, you probably don’t know where to look. They are usually built to fit within your Mac’s surface, but, with every new model, they’ve changed places. As such, it depends on what model and year of Mac you own.

Most people tend to think that it is near the top camera within their Mac’s display screen. This wouldn’t be a completely outlandish thought, after all it would suit all video conferencing needs. However, it is actually set on your Mac’s bottom casing. As a result, they are actually near your speakers or at the top of your Mac’s keyboard. In fact, the new Mac models usually have about three pre-installed microphones. All of which are situated in the upper right area of your keyboard. You can check the image below for reference. But keep in mind that this is for a Mac that is 2018 or newer. The yellow parts indicate the mics, whilst the red areas indicate your MacBook’s speakers.

You should also remember that depending on the year of Mac that you own, you may have fewer microphones installed. Moreover, most 2017 models or below do not have any speaker grids, so the built-in microphone tends to be even more difficult to locate. So, if you are thinking about opening up your Mac to do some DIY repairs, think twice. There is always the chance that you could end up damaging your mics by accident, so be careful. As you may end up damaging one of them by accident. But, for future reference, most of these models have their mics on the left side of the keyboard, just above the escape key. If you look closer, you may even notice the tiny holes in that area that house the built-in microphone.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that your Mac built-in microphones tend to be very small and hard to locate, they are highly advanced components of your Mac that can be useful in a number of different ways. And while they may not be as good as external microphones in terms of quality input, they have improved over the years and they do a great job of handling daily tasks. After all, whether it be FaceTime calls or simple audio and memo recording, these microphones were meant for simple speech, not professional audio recording and mixing.