Webcam & Mic Test

about this tool

Check everything before the call

Three checks, one at a time, so only one device is ever on:

• camera — a live picture, with the size the camera is sending, its shape and the frames a second actually arriving.
• microphone — a level meter while you talk, a verdict on whether you are too quiet or too loud, and five seconds recorded and played back.
• speakers — a tone on the left, then the right, to check the sides are the right way round and both work.

The browser asks before the page can use the camera or the microphone. Press stop, switch to another check or leave the page, and it is released again — on a laptop, the camera light goes out.

Camera

The line under the picture says what the camera is really sending: 1920 × 1080 is 1080p, or Full HD; 1280 × 720 is 720p. The page asks for the best the camera offers, up to 1080p, so this is roughly what a video call can get from it. Below that is the rate frames are actually arriving. A webcam set to 30 frames a second often drops to 15 or less in a dim room, which is what makes a picture look choppy — more light in front of you usually fixes it.

The picture is mirrored by default, the way a video call shows you to yourself, so moving left moves left; switch it off to see what the others see; a phone's back camera starts unmirrored. With more than one camera, pick it from the list. save a picture downloads the current frame as a PNG, the right way round, and Copy details copies the settings line, handy for anyone helping you over the phone.

Microphone

Talk normally at your usual distance. The bar moves with your voice, the thick mark holds the loudest moment for a second and a half, and two faint marks show the band a voice should reach — about -30 to -10 dB on this meter, which averages the sound over a twentieth of a second. Below that you are hard to hear; above it, or whenever single moments hit the very top, the sound may be distorting, and the page says so. The verdict looks back over the last few seconds, so a pause between sentences does not count as silence. The line beneath lists what the browser applied — echo cancellation, noise suppression, automatic gain — which is what a video call usually does too.

Record 5 seconds and play back is the real test: you hear yourself much as the other side will, room echo and all — a call compresses the sound a little more. The recording stays in the page's memory and is gone when you leave.

Speakers

A short tone plays on the left, then the right, at a moderate volume — turn the volume down a little first, especially in headphones. If both come from the same side, the balance may be set to one side or the headphones may be plugged in wrong; if one is silent, check the cable or that side's speaker. A phone, or a laptop with a single speaker, plays both from the same place, and that is normal. On an iPhone, flip the silent switch off first if you hear nothing. both plays a lower tone on both sides together.

Nothing leaves your device

The camera and microphone are read by your browser and shown on this page; nothing is uploaded, stored or sent anywhere. To record your screen, camera or microphone to a file instead, use the screen recorder.

questions

How do I test my webcam?

Choose camera and press Start camera, then allow it when the browser asks. The live picture appears with the size the camera is sending — 1280 × 720, say, which is 720p — its shape, and the frames a second actually arriving, which can fall well below the setting in poor light. Mirror the picture or not, switch between cameras, and save a still or copy the settings if you like.

How do I test my microphone?

Choose microphone, press Start microphone and allow it, then talk. The meter shows how loud you are, with the loudest moment marked and the band a voice should reach, and a line says whether that is too quiet, about right, or so loud it is distorting — told from single moments hitting the top, not just the average. Record 5 seconds and play back to hear yourself exactly as the microphone hears you.

How do I test my speakers or headphones?

Choose speakers, turn the volume down a little, and press Play left, then right: a tone plays on the left side, then the right. If both come from one side, or one is silent, check the balance setting and the cable — though a phone or a one-speaker laptop playing both from the same place is normal. You can also play either side alone, or both together.

Why does it say permission was refused?

The browser asks before a page can use the camera or microphone, and a No — or one given earlier and remembered — blocks it. Allow it in the padlock or settings menu beside the address bar and try again. On a phone, the camera or microphone may also be switched off for the browser itself in the phone’s settings.

Why does it say the camera could not be opened?

Another app has it. Most computers let only one program use the camera at a time, so a video call or another tab still holding it blocks this one. Close that and press Start camera again.

Is anything recorded or sent?

No. The picture and the sound go straight from the device to this page and nowhere else. The test recording stays in your browser’s memory until you leave the page, and a saved picture goes only to your own downloads. Press stop, change the check or leave the page, and the camera or microphone is released.