Plug and Check

Camera

Webcam and Mic Test: Check Before a Call

Check your camera, microphone and speakers before your next Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet call. Each step takes a few seconds and ends with a check mark or a fix, and you get a device check report to copy if something fails.

  1. Press Start camera and allow access when your browser asks.

    Resolution–
    Frame rate–fps

    Can you see yourself clearly?

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 check your camera, mic and speakers

  1. Close Zoom, Teams and any other app or tab that might be using your camera or microphone.
  2. Press Start camera, allow access, and say whether you can see yourself.
  3. Press Start microphone and talk for a few seconds. The step passes as soon as your voice is loud enough.
  4. Turn your volume down a little, press Play test sound and say whether you heard the chord.
  5. Copy the device check report and keep it, or send it to your IT team if something failed.

Before your Zoom, Teams or Google Meet call

This check uses the same camera, microphone and speakers that your meeting app will, but each app picks its devices separately. When everything passes here, make sure your meeting app has the same devices selected. These guides show where:

Google Meet runs in your browser and shows a preview before you join, with menus to pick your microphone, speakers and camera. If this check works in the same browser, your computer already lets that browser use them; the browser will still ask whether Meet may use them the first time you join. Close this page before you join a call: on Windows, a camera often works with only one app at a time.

What the results mean

Camera

The camera step passes when you say you can see yourself. Under the picture you see the resolution and frame rate your browser gets: 1280 × 720 or more and around 30 fps look good on a call. A low frame rate in a dim room usually means you need more light.

Microphone

The bar shows how loud your microphone is in dBFS, decibels below the loudest sound it can record, so 0 is the top and quieter sounds are negative numbers. The step passes as soon as your voice goes above -30 dBFS within 10 seconds, the line on the bar. If the bar reaches the red end, your voice may sound distorted; move the microphone a little farther away. Browsers clean up voice input by default, for example by removing echo, so the level you see is close to what a meeting app in the browser gets.

Speakers

The test sound is a two-second chord at about 20% of full volume. If you didn't hear it, the sound probably went to another output, such as a monitor or a Bluetooth headset, or the volume is muted. Where your browser lets a page choose the output, a Play through list appears so you can try each one.

Camera, mic or speakers not working?

The browser blocked the camera or microphone

Browser

  1. In Chrome, Edge or Firefox, click the icon at the left end of the address bar and allow the camera and microphone, then reload the page.
  2. In Safari, choose Safari → Settings for This Website and set Camera and Microphone to Allow.

Windows 11

  1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Camera and turn on Camera access, Let apps access your camera and Let desktop apps access your camera.
  2. Do the same in Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone.

macOS

  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, then Camera and Microphone, and turn on your browser in both.
  2. Quit the browser and open it again.

The camera or microphone is busy

Another app or tab is holding it. Close Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS and other call or recording apps, including ones still running in the background, then press Check again.

Your voice is too quiet

  1. Check the mute switch on your headset or its cable.
  2. Move closer to the microphone, or pick the right one from the list.
  3. Raise the input volume: on Windows 11 in Settings → System → Sound, select your microphone under Input; on a Mac in System Settings → Sound → Input.

You can't hear the test sound

  1. Turn the volume up and check that nothing is muted, including the browser tab.
  2. Pick the right output: on Windows 11 in Settings → System → Sound, under Output; on a Mac in System Settings → Sound → Output.
  3. If a Bluetooth headset is connected to your phone, disconnect it there or turn it off and on.

Everything works here but not in your meeting app

Desktop apps need their own permission and their own device choice. On Windows 11, turn on Let desktop apps access your camera and the same switch for the microphone. On a Mac, turn on the app (for example zoom.us or Microsoft Teams) under Camera and Microphone in System Settings → Privacy & Security. Then choose the same camera, microphone and speakers in the app's settings.

Common questions

How do I test my camera and mic before a Zoom or Teams meeting?

Go through the three steps on this page: camera, microphone and speakers. Each takes a few seconds, and a step that fails shows what to fix. Then make sure Zoom or Teams has the same devices selected before you join.

Why can I see myself here but not in Zoom or Teams?

Desktop meeting apps need their own permission and their own device choice. On Windows 11, turn on Let desktop apps access your camera in Settings → Privacy & security → Camera; on a Mac, turn on the app in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera. Then pick the right camera in the app's video settings.

How loud should my microphone be on a call?

A normal speaking voice should move the bar well past the line, into its green part. If it barely crosses the line, others may find you quiet; if it reaches the red end, your voice may distort. Move the microphone, or change the input volume in your system's sound settings.

Does this test record me or upload anything?

No. The picture from your camera, your voice and the test sound stay in your browser and are never recorded or sent anywhere. The camera and microphone turn off when a step ends or when you leave the page.

Why didn't I hear the test sound?

Most often the sound went to another output, such as a monitor's speakers or a Bluetooth headset, or the volume is muted. Pick your output in Settings → System → Sound on Windows 11 or System Settings → Sound on a Mac, and play the sound again. If the page shows a Play through list, you can choose the output there too.

Can I check my camera and mic on a phone or tablet?

Yes. The check works in current versions of Safari, Chrome and Firefox on phones and tablets. On a phone, the test sound plays through the speaker or the headphones you have connected.

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

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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