Official source

Quick answer

[Official] Open Settings > Audio and speak while watching Microphone Activity. If the meter does not bounce, test the microphone in another app, check that it is fully connected and not muted in hardware, lower a boom mic toward your mouth, check Mute Mode, and make sure no player has silenced you. On macOS, also allow Big Walk to use the microphone in System Settings.

Official source

Check whether Big Walk receives input

  1. Open Settings > Audio in Big Walk.
  2. Speak normally and watch the Microphone Activity indicator.
  3. If it does not move, test the same microphone in another app or website.
  4. Reconnect the microphone or headset fully, check its physical mute switch, and move a boom microphone closer to your mouth.
  5. Return to Big Walk and test Microphone Activity again.
Official source

Allow microphone access on macOS

  1. Open System Settings on the Mac.
  2. Open Privacy & Security, then Microphone.
  3. Turn on microphone access for Big Walk.
  4. Return to Big Walk and retest Microphone Activity.
Official source

Check talk mode and moderation

[Official] In Settings > Audio, check Mute Mode. When it is set to hold, you must hold the assigned talk button while speaking. Also check the moderation menu and make sure no player has silenced you.

Official source

Separate no input from quiet voice

[Official] If Microphone Activity moves but you hear other players only faintly, treat that as the separate quiet-voice issue. The current FAQ identifies version 1.4.8 as fixing a known quiet-voice problem for some users. Update to 1.4.8 or later, then check system-level input volume and microphone placement.

Community report

Windows fallback for multiple input devices

[Community-tested, single report] One Windows player reported that Big Walk listed several microphone devices but showed no activity from any of them. Disabling an unused Oculus microphone in Windows allowed the intended headset microphone to work. This is not an official or universal fix: note which devices you disable so you can restore them, leave the microphone you intend to use enabled, and retest the activity meter.

Official source

Use text chat when voice input is unavailable

[Official] Big Walk can be completed with in-game text chat. Text keeps the same intentional distance and obstruction limits as voice and works with communication items such as walkie-talkies.