Echo and audio feedback during Microsoft Teams calls is one of the most disruptive call quality issues. It is almost always caused by a microphone picking up audio from a speaker — either your own or another participant’s. The fix depends on where the echo is originating.
Understanding Where Echo Comes From
Echo in Teams calls has two sources. Either you are causing echo for others — your microphone is picking up the Teams audio from your speakers and re-broadcasting it back into the call — or someone else is causing echo for you, because another participant’s microphone is picking up their own speaker audio.
The quickest way to diagnose this: if others on the call are telling you there is echo, you are the source. If you are hearing echo yourself, someone else is the source. Ask participants to mute one by one until the echo stops — whoever stops it when they mute is causing it.
Fix 1: Use Headphones or a Headset
This is the most reliable fix and the one that resolves the problem permanently in most cases. When using laptop speakers alongside a built-in laptop microphone, the microphone picks up the audio coming from the speakers and sends it back into the call, creating a feedback loop. Headphones keep audio contained within the ear cups and completely away from the microphone.
Any headphones with a 3.5mm jack or Bluetooth connection will work. A wired headset with an integrated microphone is the most consistent option because it keeps the microphone close to your mouth and away from any ambient speaker audio. If you are working from home regularly, a basic USB headset costing under £20 will eliminate the majority of echo issues entirely.
Fix 2: Lower Your Speaker Volume
If headphones are not available, reduce your speaker volume as much as practical. The lower the volume, the less audio the microphone picks up from the speakers. This will not eliminate echo completely but it significantly reduces its severity. In a quiet room, lowering volume to around 30–40% is often enough to stop the feedback loop.
Fix 3: Check Microphone Selection in Teams
Teams can sometimes select the wrong audio input device, particularly after connecting or disconnecting peripherals. Go to Settings → Devices and check which microphone is currently selected. If Teams is using a webcam microphone, a monitor’s built-in microphone, or an unexpected input rather than your headset, switch it to the correct device.
Also check the speaker output setting on the same screen. If your speakers are set to laptop speakers rather than your headphones, audio will play from the wrong device even if your microphone is correct — and that combination will still cause echo.
[Screenshot: Teams Settings > Devices screen showing microphone and speaker dropdowns]
Fix 4: Enable Noise Suppression
Teams includes built-in noise suppression that can reduce echo picked up by your microphone. Go to Settings → Devices → Noise suppression and set it to High. This applies audio processing to your microphone input before it is sent to other participants, filtering out background noise and echo caused by speaker bleed.
This setting is available in the Teams desktop app on Windows and Mac. It is not available in the browser version of Teams, which is another reason to use the desktop app for calls where audio quality matters.
[Screenshot: Teams noise suppression dropdown set to High]
Fix 5: Ask Other Participants to Check Their Setup
If you are hearing echo and you already have headphones on, the source is almost certainly someone else on the call. Politely ask all participants to check whether they are using speakers rather than headphones, and whether their speaker volume is high. Ask participants to mute one at a time while you listen — when the echo disappears, the person who just muted is the source.
Once identified, ask that person to switch to headphones, lower their volume, or enable noise suppression. On larger calls with many participants, it can help to ask everyone to mute unless speaking until the source is identified.
Fix 6: Check for Multiple Active Devices in the Same Room
A common cause of severe echo that is often overlooked: Teams is running on more than one device in the same physical space. If you have Teams open on both a laptop and a mobile phone, and both are in the same room, both microphones are active simultaneously. The phone picks up the laptop speaker, the laptop picks up the phone speaker, and the result is a significant echo loop.
Make sure Teams is only active on one device per person per call. If you join a call on your phone to check something, leave the call on your laptop first. This situation is also common in small offices where a shared screen is running Teams alongside individual laptops.
Fix 7: Address Room Acoustics for Meeting Rooms
Hard-surfaced meeting rooms — glass walls, wooden tables, no soft furnishings — reflect sound back towards the microphone. A laptop microphone in this environment will pick up significant room echo even when speaker volume is moderate. This is a particular problem in open-plan offices and small conference rooms.
For shared meeting rooms, a dedicated conference device such as a Jabra Speak or Poly Sync speakerphone is worth the investment. These devices use directional microphones and acoustic echo cancellation hardware specifically designed for room use. They perform significantly better than any laptop microphone in a hard-walled environment and are certified for use with Microsoft Teams.
Reporting Audio Issues During a Call
If audio problems persist, you can report the issue to Microsoft with diagnostic data attached to that specific call session. During a Teams call, select the three dots (More) menu, then select Report a problem. Teams captures the call diagnostics and submits them to Microsoft, which can help identify persistent audio issues on your account or network.
Your IT administrator can also review call quality data through the Teams admin centre under Analytics and reports → Call quality dashboard. This is available on Microsoft 365 Business Basic and above, and shows per-call audio metrics including jitter, packet loss, and echo detection — useful for tracking down recurring problems across a team.
Quick Reference: Echo Troubleshooting Steps
- Identify the source — ask participants to mute one by one
- Switch to headphones or a wired headset
- Verify the correct microphone and speaker are selected in Teams Settings → Devices
- Set noise suppression to High in Teams Settings → Devices
- Lower speaker volume if headphones are not available
- Ensure Teams is only running on one device per person in the room
- Use a dedicated conference speakerphone for shared meeting rooms
- Use Report a Problem during the call to send diagnostic data to Microsoft
In the vast majority of cases, switching to headphones resolves echo immediately. If the problem recurs or affects multiple users across your organisation, the Teams admin centre call quality dashboard is the right place to investigate further.
Related articles: Microsoft Teams Running Slow or Not Loading: How to Fix It, How to Use Multiple Microsoft Teams Accounts on One Device, How to Clear the Microsoft Teams Cache: Windows and Mac
