Greenlight › Echo on Calls
How to Stop Echo on Calls
Echo is almost always caused by one person’s speakers feeding into their own mic. Here’s how to find out whose, and fix it.
🎤 Microphone Test
Speak normally and watch the meter move.
Your audio is processed locally and is never recorded or sent anywhere.
🔊 Speaker Test
Hear a short tone through each channel — no permission needed.
Turn your volume up. The 10-second tone plays left, then right, then both channels.
Who is causing the echo?
The rule of thumb: the person who hears the echo usually isn’t causing it. If you hear your own voice repeated back, someone else’s speakers are playing your voice into their mic. If others hear themselves echo, the problem is likely on your end.
1. Use headphones
This is the fix that always works. With headphones, your speakers can’t leak into your mic. Even cheap earbuds solve it.
2. Lower your speaker volume
Without headphones, turn speakers down and move the mic further from them. Laptop speakers and mics sit close together, which makes echo more likely at high volume.
3. Turn on echo cancellation
Most call apps have it. Look in the audio settings for echo cancellation (Discord), or leave Zoom and Teams on their default noise and echo settings rather than “original sound” modes, which turn processing off.
4. Check “Listen to this device” (Windows)
If you hear yourself live in your own headphones even outside of calls, Windows may be playing your mic back to you. Open Settings → System → Sound → More sound settings, go to the Recording tab, double-click your mic, open the Listen tab, and untick Listen to this device.
5. Only one device per room
Two people on the same call in the same room, each with their own laptop, will echo. Use one device, or mute one mic and turn its speakers off.
Echo FAQ
Why do I hear an echo of my own voice on calls?
Another person on the call is most likely using speakers that play your voice into their microphone. Ask them to use headphones or lower their speaker volume.
How do I stop people hearing an echo from me?
Wear headphones so your speakers can't leak into your mic. Without headphones, lower your speaker volume, move the mic away from the speakers, and keep your call app's echo cancellation on.
Why do I hear myself in my headphones on Windows?
The Listen to this device option may be turned on. Open More sound settings, go to Recording, open your mic's properties, and on the Listen tab untick Listen to this device.
Does this test record or upload anything?
No. The mic and speaker tests run entirely in your browser, and nothing is recorded or uploaded.