How to Enable Background Noise Removal in Webex

QC By the Call Tonic Team Published: July 28, 2026 Last updated: July 28, 2026

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In the Webex App, open Settings → Audio and find Webex smart audio: Noise removal (the default) strips all detected background noise, Optimize for all voices removes noise while keeping everyone in the room audible, and Music mode preserves original sound for performances. Most people should confirm Noise removal is selected — the most common Webex audio complaint is simply being in the wrong mode.

Menu paths checked against Cisco's official Webex documentation — July 2026.

1. Set Smart Audio to Noise removal

Three modes, one right answer for ordinary meetings:

Open the Webex App and go to Settings → Audio.
Find the Webex smart audio section.
Select Noise removal.
You can change the mode before or during any meeting — it applies immediately.

Why this works: Webex separates speech from noise with deep-learning models and drops what isn't speech — typing, barking, street noise — in any language. When it doesn't: it filters your end of the call; noise arriving from other participants needs fixing at their end (or see the box below).

2. Pick the right mode for the situation

The other two modes exist for real reasons — used deliberately, they're features; left on accidentally, they're bug reports:

Optimize for all voices — a conference-room mode: removes noise but enhances every voice around the mic, so colleagues at the table aren't filtered out as background speech.
Music mode — disables the aggressive filtering to keep vocal and instrumental fidelity. Essential for lessons and performances; the source of \"why is my fan suddenly audible\" the rest of the time.

Why this works: noise removal's core question is "which sounds are wanted?" — and the answer differs between a solo desk, a shared room and a piano recital. Matching mode to situation is the whole game in Webex.

Still hearing it?

The system-level option

In-app suppression is one layer. The other is a virtual-microphone tool such as Krisp, which sits between your mic and your meeting apps and removes noise in both directions before the call ever hears it. A 7-day free trial (no card needed) makes it easy to check whether it solves what the settings above couldn't.

See how Krisp works Read our full Krisp overview →

3. Know the browser and platform limits

Where you join from changes what's available:

Joining from a browser? Noise removal runs by default in Chrome, Edge and Firefox; Safari support has historically required enablement.
The desktop app always carries the full Smart Audio options — prefer it for important calls.
On phones, Webex offers noise removal in the mobile apps, with some limits on older or 32-bit devices.

Why this works: the filtering is compute-heavy, and each platform hosts it differently. When a colleague "doesn't have the option", the join method is usually why.

4. Clean up what you hear, not just what you send

Webex can also protect your ears from noisy callers on phone calls:

In Settings → Audio, look for the option to remove background noise from the other end of phone calls.
Enable it when you regularly take calls from callers in loud environments.

Why this works: it applies the same separation models to incoming call audio — useful leverage, because the noisiest participant is rarely you.

Still not fixed?

Mode set but noise persists? Check mic placement first — a boosted laptop mic across the desk defeats any filter.
Colleagues' voices being filtered out in a shared room? That's Noise removal treating them as background — switch to Optimize for all voices.
Music sounding destroyed? The filter is doing its job on the wrong content — switch to Music mode for the session.

Frequently asked questions

Does Webex noise removal work in both directions?

Your Smart Audio mode filters what you send. Separately, Webex can remove background noise arriving from the other end of phone calls — a setting worth enabling if you take calls from noisy environments.

Why don't I see Smart Audio options in my browser?

Browser joins carry noise removal by default in Chrome, Edge and Firefox, but the full mode picker lives in the desktop app. Safari and older browser versions have historically needed special enablement.