How to use the Mic Test
- Click Start mic test and allow microphone access when your browser asks.
- Speak normally: the level bar and waveform should move. Pick another microphone from the list if needed.
- Click Record 5 s sample and play it back to hear how you sound to others.
How to read the results
The level shows how loud your voice reaches the computer in dBFS (decibels relative to full scale): 0 dBFS is the loudest possible signal and quieter sounds are negative. For calls and recordings, normal speech should land roughly between −30 and −12 dBFS. If it rarely rises above −40 dBFS, raise the input volume or move closer; if the peak keeps touching 0 dBFS, the signal clips and sounds distorted.
The upper half of the graph is the waveform — the raw sound pressure over time — and the lower half is the frequency spectrum. A flat line means silence; a constant band of energy with no speech usually means a hum or fan noise.
Microphone not working? Check these
- Permission — if you clicked Block, use the camera/microphone icon in the address bar to allow access, then start again.
- Wrong device — headsets, webcams and monitors often add their own microphones. Choose the right one in the list.
- Muted in the system — on Windows open Settings → System → Sound → Input; on macOS System Settings → Sound → Input, and check the input volume.
- Another app owns it — close Zoom, Teams or OBS if the device is busy.
Echo cancellation, noise suppression and auto gain
Browsers clean up microphone audio for calls. Turn the three options off to hear the raw signal from your microphone — useful when you set up a podcast or streaming mic and want to judge it without processing.
Private: nothing leaves your device
The test runs entirely in your browser. Your audio is processed locally and is never uploaded, recorded on a server or shared. When you leave the page or press Stop, access ends — your browser shows when the microphone is in use.
Tools that pair well with the Mic Test
- Webcam Test — Check that your camera works and looks good before a video call — see the live picture, the real resolution and frame rate, and save a snapshot.
- Keyboard Tester — Press every key and watch it light up on the on-screen keyboard — find dead, stuck or repeating keys, see the key and code for each press, and check how many keys register at once.
- Click Speed Test (CPS) — How fast can you click?
- Dead Pixel Test — Fill your screen with solid colors, gradients and test patterns to spot dead or stuck pixels, backlight bleed and banding — on a new monitor, laptop, TV or phone.