Why Do I Hear My Own Voice (Echo) in Headphones? How to Fix It?

Introduction

You speak into the microphone and hear your own voice in the headphones? This is called echo or self-monitoring. The problem is annoying, but in most cases easily solved — just disable unnecessary monitoring or adjust sound settings.

Main Causes of Echo

  • Microphone listening is enabled in Windows settings.
  • Your conversation partner doesn't use headphones — their speakers "capture" your voice.
  • Driver or audio mixer error (Realtek, Voicemeeter, etc.).
  • Too high microphone volume causes feedback.

Quick Solution

  1. Disable the Listen to this device option in microphone properties.
  2. Make sure your conversation partner uses headphones.
  3. Reduce microphone and speaker levels to 80-90%.
  4. Test for echo on DoCam.io.

Detailed Guide

1. Disabling Self-Monitoring in Windows

  1. Right-click the speaker icon → Sounds.
  2. Go to the Recording tab → select your microphone → Properties.
  3. Go to the Listen tab → uncheck Listen to this device.
  4. Click "OK".

After this, the microphone sound will stop duplicating in your headphones.

2. Setting up Discord

  1. User Settings → Voice & Video.
  2. Scroll to the Advanced section.
  3. Make sure Echo Cancellation is enabled.

Discord automatically suppresses echo — if the feature is disabled, you may hear yourself.

3. Setting up Zoom

  1. Open Settings → Audio.
  2. Enable the Echo Cancellation option.
  3. Test your microphone by clicking Test Speaker & Microphone.

4. Checking Realtek Drivers

If echo persists after all steps, the cause may be in the audio driver.

  1. Open Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers.
  2. Right-click → Update driver or reinstall Realtek HD Audio.
Error: Loopback Detected
(Audio mixer is replaying your signal)

5. Checking in OBS Studio

If you hear yourself during streaming:

  • Open Audio Mixer.
  • Click the gear icon → Advanced Audio Properties.
  • Make sure "Audio Monitoring" is off (Monitor Off).

Additional Tips

  • Use headphones — don't let the microphone pick up sound from speakers.
  • Reduce speaker volume if working without a headset.
  • Don't run multiple programs with microphone access simultaneously (Discord + Zoom + OBS).

Conclusion

Now you know how to get rid of echo in headphones. Usually, it's enough to disable self-monitoring and enable built-in noise suppression. Check the result to make sure your voice sounds clear and without delay.

Test your microphone without echo right now on DoCam.io.