Plug and Check

Audio

Mic Test: Check Your Microphone Online

Find out in seconds whether your microphone works. See its level live in dBFS, watch the waveform and the spectrum, measure your background noise, and record a short clip to hear how you sound to others.

Runs in your browser. Your voice and your recordings never leave this device. No upload, no sign-up.

Press Start to test your microphone

Your browser asks to use the microphone first. Nothing is recorded unless you press Record.

LevelThe bar is the average level, the line the recent peak.
Level (RMS)–dBFS
Peak–dBFS
Background noise–dBFSMeasured in the first 2 seconds
Waveform
Spectrum, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Browser processing

Changing a setting restarts the microphone with it. The table shows what your browser actually applied.

Sample rate–
Channels–
Echo cancellation–
Noise suppression–
Automatic gain control–

Record and play back

Record up to 30 seconds, then listen to how you sound to others. The clip stays in this page's memory and is gone when you leave.

0:00 / 0:30

Your report

Run the test above. Your results will appear here as plain text you can paste into a support chat, a return request or a forum post.

How to test your microphone

  1. Press Start and allow the microphone when your browser asks.
  2. Stay quiet for 2 seconds while the test measures your background noise.
  3. Speak in your normal voice. The result says Working, Quiet or No sound detected.
  4. Pick another microphone from the list, or switch echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain control off and on to compare.
  5. Record a clip of up to 30 seconds, play it back, and copy the report if you need help.

What the results mean

Levels are in dBFS, decibels relative to full scale. 0 dBFS is the loudest sound a recording can hold, so every real level is a negative number, and the closer it is to 0, the louder it is.

Working, quiet or no sound

Working means your peaks go above -20 dBFS, a comfortable level for calls. Quiet means they stay between -40 and -20 dBFS: people can hear you, but may ask you to speak up, so move closer or raise the input volume. No sound detected means nothing went above -40 dBFS for 3 seconds. That usually points to a mute switch, the wrong microphone, an input volume at zero, or another app holding the microphone. If the signal is completely silent, not just quiet, something is muting the microphone before the browser gets it.

Clipping

Clipping means your loudest sounds hit 0 dBFS, the ceiling. Anything louder is cut off, which sounds harsh and crackly to the people on your call. Lower the input volume or any microphone boost, or move a little further away.

Background noise

The noise floor is the level of the room while you're silent, measured as the median of the first 2 seconds, so a single click doesn't skew it. Below -60 dBFS is very quiet. Between -60 and -45 dBFS is normal for most rooms. Above that, something is adding noise: a fan, an air conditioner, hum from a charger or a USB hub, or an input volume turned up very high. With automatic gain control on, the browser raises quiet input, and the noise rises with it.

Browser processing

Browsers clean up microphone sound for calls. Echo cancellation removes the sound of your own speakers, noise suppression removes steady background noise, and automatic gain control evens out your level. Meeting apps such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet do similar things. Turn the three off to hear the raw microphone, and record a clip each way to compare.

Microphone not working? Try these fixes

Access to the microphone is blocked

Your browser or your computer is stopping this page from using the microphone.

  1. In Chrome, Edge and Firefox, click the icon at the left end of the address bar and allow the microphone for this site.
  2. In Safari, choose Safari → Settings for This Website and set Microphone to Allow.
  3. Reload this page and press Start again.

Windows 11

  1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone.
  2. Turn on Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone and Let desktop apps access your microphone. Desktop browsers count as desktop apps.

macOS

  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
  2. Turn on your browser, then quit it and open it again.

No sound detected

The microphone is muted, a different microphone is selected, or the input volume is at zero.

  1. Check the mute switch on your headset or its cable, and the microphone mute key on your laptop keyboard.
  2. Pick the right microphone in the list on this page.

Windows 11

  1. Open Settings → System → Sound. Under Input, choose your microphone, then check that its Input volume isn't at zero.
  2. Open Settings → System → Sound → More sound settings, select your microphone on the Recording tab, click Properties, and on the Advanced tab clear Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.

macOS

  1. Open System Settings → Sound → Input and select your microphone.
  2. Speak and watch the Input level bars, then raise Input volume if they barely move.

Your voice is too quiet

  1. Move closer to the microphone and speak toward it.
  2. Raise the input volume in your system's sound settings.
  3. Turn on automatic gain control above.

Windows 11

  1. In Settings → System → Sound → More sound settings, open your microphone's Properties on the Recording tab and raise the level on the Levels tab. Some microphones also offer a boost there.

Clipping or distorted sound

  1. Lower the input volume in your system's sound settings.
  2. Turn off any microphone boost, and move back a little.
  3. On a USB microphone or audio interface, turn down its gain knob.

Background noise, hum or hiss

Fans, electrical hum and a high input volume all raise the noise floor.

  1. Turn on noise suppression above and compare a recording with it on and off.
  2. Move the microphone away from fans, chargers and power bricks.
  3. Plug a USB microphone straight into the computer instead of a hub, and try another port.

It works here but not in Zoom, Teams or Discord

The app has another microphone selected, or it isn't allowed to use one.

  1. In Zoom, open Settings → Audio and choose your microphone.
  2. In Teams, open Settings → Devices and choose your microphone.
  3. In Discord, open User Settings → Voice & Video and pick your Input Device.
  4. Close other apps that use the microphone, then restart the app.

Windows 11

  1. Check Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone → Let desktop apps access your microphone; desktop apps such as Zoom and Discord need it.

Common questions

How do I test my microphone online?

Press Start, allow the microphone when your browser asks, stay quiet for 2 seconds, then speak. The test shows your level live and says whether your mic is working, too quiet or silent. Record a short clip to hear exactly how you sound.

Why does the mic test say no sound detected?

The browser received almost nothing for 3 seconds. Check the mute switch on your headset or cable, pick the right microphone in the list, and make sure the input volume in your system's sound settings isn't at zero. If another app is using the microphone, close it and try again.

What is a good microphone level in dBFS?

For calls, aim for peaks above -20 dBFS that stay clear of 0 dBFS. Peaks between -40 and -20 dBFS mean you sound quiet, and peaks that reach 0 dBFS mean the sound clips and distorts.

Is my voice uploaded or saved anywhere?

No. The sound goes from your microphone to this page in your browser and no further. A clip you record stays in your browser's memory and is gone when you leave or reload the page.

Why does my mic sound different in Zoom or Teams?

Meeting apps run your voice through their own noise suppression, echo cancellation and gain control, and they may have a different microphone selected. Switch the browser's processing off and on here to hear what it changes, then check which microphone the app uses in its audio settings.

Should I turn off noise suppression and auto gain?

For calls, leave them on: they remove steady background noise and keep your level even. Turn them off when you want to judge the microphone itself, or when you record music, which they can make sound uneven.

Something not right?

Tell us if your device wasn't found or a result looks wrong. Your browser, system and device model help us check.

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