MicMute

LTR — Long-Term Release · one-click self-update built in.

Stuck on v2.1.10? The in-app Update button on that build can't reach the latest release because GitHub silently changed its asset-hosting CDN host and the older allowlist didn't know about it. One-time rescue: run winget upgrade itsnateai.MicMute or download MicMute.exe from the latest release and replace your existing copy. v2.1.11+ self-updates normally.

Global hotkey microphone mute/unmute for Windows.

A lightweight system tray utility that lets you mute and unmute your microphone from anywhere using a hotkey or tray icon click. Works at the Windows audio level — affects all apps at once (Zoom, Discord, Teams, etc.).

Features

• Global hotkey: Win + Shift + Ctrl + A (configurable) toggles mic mute system-wide
• Push-to-Talk mode: Hold key to unmute, release to re-mute. Fullscreen-safe and accepts bare modifier keys (Right-Ctrl alone, etc.) the way Discord does — no keyboard hook, nothing for game anti-cheat to flag.
• Sticky PTT: Left-click the tray in Push-to-Talk mode to hold the mic open without holding the hotkey. A persistent "mic listening" bubble stays on screen so you can't forget. Click again to resume normal PTT.
• Deafen mode: Mute both mic and speakers simultaneously (separate hotkey)
• Tray icon: Green = active, Red = muted. Left-click to toggle.
• On-screen display: Floating dark bubble above the taskbar shows mute state
• Mute Lock: Reverts external mute changes on the next 15-second sync tick. Catches drive-by changes from meeting apps or OS sound settings. Not instant — apps that actively manage mute mid-call (Discord PTT, etc.) will win in the moment.
• Mic source selection: Pick which microphone to control
• Sound feedback: Audible tone on mute/unmute (custom .wav support)
• Custom icons: Replace default tray icons with your own .ico files
• Run at startup: One-click toggle via Settings
• Startup state control: Start muted, unmuted, or remember last session
• Explorer restart recovery: Tray icon survives Explorer crashes
• Auto-detect: Automatically reconnects when you plug in a new mic

Screenshots

Active (Unmuted)	Muted	Tray Menu	Settings

Requirements

• Windows 10/11

Installation

Option 1: Download

Grab MicMute.exe from the latest release — single file, self-contained, no .NET runtime needed.

Option 2: WinGet (recommended)

winget install itsnateai.MicMute
winget upgrade itsnateai.MicMute   # later, to update

WinGet installs stay current automatically. The in-app Update button detects WinGet installs and points you back at winget upgrade instead of trying to overwrite the managed binary.

Option 3: Build from source

git clone https://github.com/itsnateai/MicMute.git
cd MicMute

# Framework-dependent (~280KB, requires .NET 8 runtime)
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64

# Self-contained single-file (~147MB, no runtime needed) — matches the release exe
dotnet publish -c Release --self-contained true -r win-x64 -p:PublishSingleFile=true

Output: bin/Release/net8.0-windows/win-x64/publish/MicMute.exe

Self-update integrity

Releases publish a SHA256SUMS file alongside the exe. The in-app Update button downloads it, verifies the hash, and fails closed if anything is missing or doesn't match. Unverified updates never land on disk.

Usage

Modes

Toggle (default): Press the hotkey to mute, press again to unmute. Left-click the tray for the same effect.

Push-to-Talk: Hold the hotkey to unmute. Release to re-mute. Switch via tray menu or middle-click the icon. Push-to-Talk always starts muted at launch.

Sticky PTT: In Push-to-Talk mode, left-click the tray icon to unmute and pause the hotkey. A persistent indicator stays on screen until you left-click again to re-mute. Useful for holding the mic open during a long conversation without holding a key.

Deafen: Assign a separate hotkey in Settings. Mutes both mic and speakers. Press again to restore both.

Tray Menu

Right-click the tray icon for the full menu:

• Toggle mute
• Current hotkey combo (click to change — combo shorthand: # Win, ^ Ctrl, ! Alt, + Shift)
• Switch between Toggle and Push-to-Talk modes
• Select mic source
• Open Settings, Help, Sound Settings
• Reinitialise mic (if device changed)

Customization

Settings are stored in MicMute.ini (auto-created next to the exe):

[General]
Hotkey=#^+a
SoundFeedback=0
Mode=toggle
OSD_Enabled=0
OSD_Duration=800
MuteLock=0
MiddleClickToggle=1
StartMuted=no
DeafenHotkey=

Key	Default	Description
Hotkey	#^+a	Main mute hotkey (#=Win, ^=Ctrl, !=Alt, +=Shift)
SoundFeedback	0	Play tone on mute/unmute
Mode	toggle	toggle or push-to-talk
OSD_Enabled	0	Show on-screen mute indicator
OSD_Duration	800	OSD display time in ms
MuteLock	0	Revert external mute changes on the 15s sync tick
MiddleClickToggle	1	Middle-click tray to switch modes
StartMuted	no	no, yes, unmuted, or last
DeafenHotkey	(empty)	Hotkey for deafen mode
DeviceId	(empty)	Specific mic device (empty = system default)
IconMuted / IconActive	(empty)	Custom .ico file paths
MuteSound / UnmuteSound	(empty)	Custom .wav file paths

How It Works

MicMute uses the Windows Core Audio COM APIs (IAudioEndpointVolume) to control microphone mute state directly — no dependencies on any specific app. Global hotkeys are registered via RegisterHotKey and the tray icon is built using WinForms NotifyIcon.

A 15-second periodic sync timer detects external mute changes, device hot-plug events, and enforces Mute Lock when enabled.

Project Structure

Path	Description
MicMute.csproj	.NET 8 project file
Program.cs	Entry point — single-instance enforcement
TrayApp.cs	Main app — tray icon, hotkeys, mute logic, menus
AudioManager.cs	Core Audio COM interop — mute, enumerate, speaker control
Config.cs	INI config reader/writer with hotkey parsing
OsdForm.cs	On-screen display overlay (click-through, auto-dismiss)
SettingsDialog.cs	Settings GUI — includes inline hotkey capture
HelpWindow.cs	Help text window
NativeMethods.cs	Win32 P/Invoke declarations
ShortcutHelper.cs	Windows .lnk shortcut creation for startup
mic_on.ico / mic_off.ico	Tray icons (embedded as resources)

License

MIT