How to Remove Background Noise from Mac Meetings and Calls

Start with the noise controls in your calling app or macOS. If you switch between calling apps, a separate noise filter can give you the same microphone setup in each.

Quick answer

Situation	Start here
One Zoom, Teams, or Meet call	Turn on that app’s built-in noise control
A supported Mac app and mild room noise	Try macOS Voice Isolation
Calls across several apps	Use a microphone filter that works across apps
Keyboard, fan, or desk vibration	Move the mic closer and reduce vibration before adding software
Audio that is already recorded	Use a tool that cleans recorded audio files

Help your microphone pick up your voice

Noise suppression works best when your voice is already louder than the room. Before installing anything:

Move the microphone closer to your mouth.
Use wired earbuds, a headset, or a close microphone instead of the MacBook microphone when practical.
Turn the microphone away from the noise source.
Put the laptop or keyboard on a desk mat if typing vibrates the desk.
Use headphones to prevent speaker audio from leaking back into the microphone.
Lower the input level if the microphone is capturing too much of the room.

To adjust the Mac input level, open System Settings → Sound → Input, select the microphone, and move the input volume slider. Speak at your normal call volume while you adjust it.

Remove background noise in Zoom on Mac

Zoom’s current desktop app uses Noise removal as the default microphone mode.

Open Zoom and sign in.
Select your profile picture, then Settings.
Select Audio.
Under Microphone modes, choose Noise removal.
Open Background noise suppression.
Start with Auto. Try Medium or High only if noise still reaches the call.

Zoom warns that more aggressive suppression can increase CPU use and may affect wanted sounds such as music. Use Original sound for musicians when preserving music matters more than removing background noise.

You can also change the mode during a meeting: select the arrow beside Mute or Unmute, then choose a mode under Microphone modes.

Read Zoom’s current microphone-mode instructions.

Reduce background noise in Microsoft Teams on Mac

Noise suppression is enabled by default in Teams, but you can confirm or change it.

Before a meeting

In Teams, select Settings and more.
Select Settings.
Select Devices.
Turn on Noise suppression.

During a meeting

Select More actions in the meeting controls.
Select Audio settings.
Turn on Noise suppression.

If voices from other people in the same room are the main problem, check whether your version of Teams offers Voice isolation in its audio settings.

Read Microsoft’s current noise-suppression instructions.

Turn on noise cancellation in Google Meet

Google Meet’s Noise cancellation setting depends on the account, device, and administrator configuration. If the switch does not appear, it may not be available for that account.

Before joining

Open the meeting in Google Meet.
Select More options, then Settings.
Select Audio.
Turn on Noise cancellation.
Join the meeting.

During a meeting

Select More options.
Select Settings.
Select Audio.
Turn on Noise cancellation.

Meet is designed to remove non-speech sounds such as typing, doors, room echo, and construction noise. Google notes that it may not remove voices from a television or another person, and recommends turning it off when you need to share music.

Read Google Meet’s current noise-cancellation instructions.

Use macOS Voice Isolation

Voice Isolation is part of Apple’s Mic Modes. The available controls vary by app.

Open or join a call in an app that supports Mic Modes, such as FaceTime.
Select the Video or Audio menu that appears in the menu bar.
Select Mic Mode.
Choose Voice Isolation.

Your selection applies to the current app. If the control does not appear, use that app’s own noise setting or a separate noise filter, as described below.

Use one noise filter across calling apps

A noise suppression app creates a virtual microphone: a software input you select in your calling app’s microphone settings.

Your physical microphone sends audio to the noise suppression app.
The app removes background noise.
Zoom, Teams, Meet, FaceTime, Slack, or Discord receives the filtered audio.

Select that virtual microphone in each calling app to use the same filter across platforms.

SoundVeil is our product. It filters microphone audio on your Mac and does not add meeting bots, recordings, transcription, or cloud summaries. Try SoundVeil free.

For alternatives and tradeoffs, read our Mac noise cancellation comparison.

Avoid stacking strong noise filters

Running two aggressive noise filters at the same time can make speech sound thin, clipped, or unstable.

If you select a dedicated noise-filtered microphone in Zoom, Teams, or Meet:

Start with the meeting app’s additional suppression set to Auto, Low, or off.
Record a short test or ask another participant how your voice sounds.
Increase only one filter at a time.

Also confirm that the meeting app is using the intended microphone after reconnecting AirPods, a USB microphone, or a dock.

Test the result before an important call

Use a private test meeting or a recording app and create three short samples:

Voice with no intentional background noise.
Voice while typing normally.
Voice with a fan or nearby speech.

Listen for missing words or distorted speech as well as background noise. If words become hard to understand, reduce the filtering. To check resource use, compare Activity Monitor’s CPU and Energy readings during a longer call.

FAQ

How do I reduce keyboard noise on Mac calls?

Move the microphone closer to your mouth and away from the keyboard. Reduce desk vibration and lower the input volume if it is too high. Then add Voice Isolation or software noise suppression if clicks still reach the call.

Why do I not see Noise cancellation in Google Meet?

Availability depends on the Google account, device, country, and administrator settings. If it is missing, try macOS Voice Isolation or a separate noise-filtered microphone.

Does macOS Voice Isolation work in every app?

No. Apple says Mic Mode options vary by app. Check the menu-bar Video or Audio controls while the call is active.

Does SoundVeil record or upload my audio?

No. SoundVeil processes microphone audio locally on your Mac.