Discord’s Push to talk (PTT) is a unique feature that suppresses background noises by automatically muting the mic. So, you can have interruption-free communication with your friends. However, many gamers have complained that the feature sometimes fails to function properly.
If the Discord Push to Talk is not working on Windows, you may have an outdated audio driver or Discord doesn’t have the administrator permission to run. Find out how to fix the problem in the following guide.
Solution 1: Run Discord as Administrator
The Push to Talk (PTT) keys will only work if you’ve set Discord to the administrator mode along with its games. It’s because if you’re running a game or application in the admin mode and Discord in the normal mode, Windows doesn’t give Discord access to the keyboard.
So, to run Discord as administrator, right-click on the Discord launcher and select Run as administrator.
Now, check if you can talk to a friend in Discord with Push to Talk enabled.
Solution 2: Modify Discord Voice & Video Panel
A simple solution like resetting Discord’s Voice Settings can quickly fix the Push to Talk not working error. Additionally, you can check the audio connections, such as plug out and plug back in the microphone or headset into the USB port or turn off and on Bluetooth.
To reset the audio device settings in Discord, open Discord, click the User Settings icon at the bottom left and select Voice & Video. Under Input Device, reselect the microphone and under Output Device, increase volume by using the Output Volume slide bar.
You can also do a mic test to verify whether the microphone is picking up your voice. Click Let’s Check, say something and the indicator will light up if it picks up the sound.
To solve further mic issues, scroll down to enable the Showing a warning when Discord is not detecting audio from your mic option.
Solution 3: Check Keybinds Settings
Keybinds is the combination of hotkeys to use keyboard shortcuts during Discord gaming. Discord Push to Talk might stop working if there’s something wrong or changes in the Keybinds settings. So, to resolve the issue, check and reset Discord’s Keybinds settings.
To do that, select User Settings from the lower-left corner on Discord, navigate to Voice & Video and click on Keybinds Settings if Push to Talk is enabled. Now, check the keys for Push to Talk and Push to Mute are not the same.
Next, select Push to Talk (Normal) from the Action drop-down and choose a keybind to set. You can also select Push to Talk (Priority) if you’re a Discord server admin. This option gives the admins a privilege to talk over other speakers in the same voice channel.
Solution 4: Update Audio Driver
If the Windows audio driver is faulty or incompatible, you won’t be able to hear or be heard while using the PTT keys. In order to fix the issue, you need to update your audio driver.
To update manually, visit the driver manufacturer’s website, search for the updated version and follow the instructions to install it.
If you want to update the audio driver automatically, try some free driver updater tools, such as Driver Easy, DriverFix, Driver Booster, DriverHub, Driver Talent etc.
Solution 5: Reset Discord’s Voice and Video Settings
Resetting the voice and video settings of Discord often can be a quick fix.
So, to reset, go to the Voice & Video tab, scroll down to the bottom and select Reset Voice Settings. After that, again, go back to the Voice & Video tab and choose a keybind for Push to Talk.
Now make an audio call to friends and see if Push to Talk is working properly. If not, you may need to contact Discord Support and submit a request to fix the problem.