unmuting

Unmuting is the act of removing a mute status from a microphone, speaker, or audio channel, allowing sound to pass through and be heard. In general usage, mute is a state of silence applied to an individual, device, or group, and unmuting reverses that state. Unmuting can be intentional, such as when a person begins speaking, or automatic, as in devices that become unmuted after a period of activity or when a host grants permission to speak.

In digital communication platforms, muting is common during meetings, broadcasts, or group chats. An unmute action typically restores the participant's ability to transmit audio. Many platforms offer a manual unmute button on the user interface, a push-to-talk control, or automatic voice activation. Settings may also let a host unmute another participant or require participants to request permission before speaking. Indicators such as a microphone icon changing color or a visible "speaking" indicator help others gauge who is audible.

Unmuting also has accessibility and etiquette implications. For speakers with speech impediments or in noisy environments, rapid toggling between mute and unmute can be disruptive; some participants rely on captions or visual signals. Protocols in meetings often distinguish between muting for background noise and muting to respect privacy during private discussions.

Beyond software, unmuting appears in live sound engineering, where a channel on a mixer is muted during setup and then unmuted for performance. In broadcasting, a talent may remain muted until a cue to talk. The term unmute is commonly used as both a verb and an adjective (unmuted).