Microphone Test

Check that your microphone works and see its live level.

Everything runs in your browser. No audio is ever uploaded.

Test your microphone

Your browser will ask for permission to use the microphone. Nothing is uploaded - the audio stays on your device.

Capture stops as soon as you leave or close this page.

A mic test answers one question quickly: is the microphone your computer is actually using picking up your voice. This online microphone test, also called a mic check or a webcam mic test, shows a live waveform and input level, lists the settings of the device in use, and records a short clip you can play back.

How to use it

Press Allow microphone and accept the browser permission prompt. Nothing starts until you agree, and capture stops the moment you leave or close the page.
Speak at your normal distance and watch the waveform and the input level meter. The bar should move with your voice, and the thin marker holds the loudest peak so you can see it after the fact.
Aim for peaks around three quarters of the meter. If the Clipping badge lights up you are too loud for the input; if the bar barely leaves the left you are too quiet or too far away.
Pick a different input from the device list if the wrong microphone is in use. Switching restarts capture on the new device, and the device details below update to match.
Record a test clip of up to 30 seconds and play it back. Hearing yourself is the only way to catch room echo, a fan, a keyboard or a codec artefact that the meter alone will not show.

What you can use it for

Before a call or an interview. Two minutes here is cheaper than the first five minutes of a meeting spent asking whether people can hear you.

Choosing between microphones. Laptops often expose an internal microphone, a headset and a webcam at once. Record the same sentence on each and pick by ear rather than by name.

Setting your level for streaming or recording. Get the peaks into the upper part of the meter without the clipping badge, and every application downstream has an easier job.

Checking what the browser is doing to your voice. The device details show whether echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain control are on, which explains a lot of thin or pumping sound.

Proving a fault. If the meter stays flat on every device with the permission granted, the problem is hardware or operating system level, not the app you were blaming.

Quick troubleshooting

Symptom	What to check
No permission prompt	The site may already be blocked. Open the permission control in the address bar, set the microphone to allow, and reload the page. Microphone access also needs a secure connection.
Permission given, no signal	Try another entry in the device list. Then check the operating system sound settings for a muted input or a hardware mute switch on the headset, the microphone or the keyboard.
Signal far too quiet	Move closer, then raise the input level for that device in the system sound settings. A meter that barely moves at speaking distance usually means the input gain is near zero, not a broken capsule.
Distorted or clipping	Lower the input level in the system settings, back off a few centimetres and speak across the microphone rather than into it. Clipping is cut off in the signal itself, so no later processing can undo it.
Echo or feedback	Use headphones. Any microphone that can hear your speakers will loop, and echo cancellation only reduces that, never removes it.
Device list is empty	Another application may be holding the microphone exclusively. Close conferencing and recording apps, then reload. On a fresh browser profile the list often fills in only after permission is granted once.

Accuracy and limits

The meter reads dBFS, which is level relative to digital full scale, not loudness in the room. It tells you whether the signal is healthy for recording; it does not tell you how many decibels the room is at. The decibel meter is the tool for that, and it is an estimate too.

Browsers process microphone input by default. Echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain control can raise quiet passages, duck loud ones and cut the extremes of the spectrum before this page ever sees the signal. The device details list what is switched on.

The reported specifications come from the browser, not the hardware. A sample rate of 48 kHz means the audio pipeline is running at 48 kHz, not that the capsule is that good, and some browsers report nothing at all for latency or channel count.

Frequently asked questions

How do I test my microphone online?

Press Allow microphone, accept the browser prompt, and speak. If the waveform moves and the input level bar follows your voice, the microphone works. Record a short clip and play it back to judge how it actually sounds.

Is my recording uploaded anywhere?

No. Everything happens in your browser. The live analysis never leaves the page, and a test clip lives in browser memory until you record again or close the tab. There is no server involved and nothing is stored.

Why is my microphone not detected?

Either permission was refused, another application is holding the device, or the operating system has it muted or disabled. Check the permission control in the address bar first, then the system sound settings, then close any conferencing app and reload.

What input level should I aim for?

Peaks in the upper part of the meter with the clipping badge staying dark. That leaves room for a sudden laugh or a raised voice. Chasing the very top of the meter buys nothing and costs you the moment anything unexpected happens.

Why do I sound thin or muffled in the playback?

Usually browser processing plus distance. Noise suppression thins out a voice, automatic gain control makes it pump, and sitting far from the microphone gives the room more say than you. Move closer and check what is switched on in the device details.

Can I test a headset or a USB microphone?

Yes. Anything the operating system exposes as an input appears in the device list, including headsets, USB microphones, interfaces and webcam microphones. Plug it in before opening the page, or reload once it is connected.