How to use the mic test
To test your microphone, press Start mic test, allow access and speak normally. If the meter moves and the verdict says Good level, your mic works and the level is right. If not, the verdict and the fixes below tell you what to change.
- Pick a mode. Raw shows your mic as it is. Call-style turns on the processing that video calls use.
- Press Start mic test and choose Allow in your browser’s prompt.
- Pick your mic from the list if you have more than one.
- Speak at your normal volume, about 15 cm (6 inches) from the mic.
- Read the verdict and the background note under the meter.
- Listen back: turn on Hear yourself with headphones, or press Record for a clip that plays back by itself.
With the tool focused, S starts and stops, R records, P plays the clip, H turns Hear yourself on and off, M switches the mode, and Esc stops all sound.
How the microphone test works
This online microphone test asks your browser for the mic with getUserMedia, the same permission video-call sites use. It reads the signal about 60 times a second and measures two numbers: RMS, the average level, and peak, the loudest sample. Both are in dBFS, decibels relative to full scale. 0 dBFS is the loudest value your system can record, so every reading is negative.
A browser can’t measure how loud you are in the room (dB SPL). The same voice reads differently on every mic and at every input-volume setting, so the numbers describe your recording level, not your voice.
Raw mode turns off echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain, so you see what the mic really picks up. Call-style turns them on, the way Zoom, Teams and Google Meet do. The line under the mode switch shows what your browser actually applied; some browsers don’t let a page change it.
If every sample is exactly zero, the test reports No signal. That’s digital silence: the mic is muted or blocked somewhere, which is different from a quiet mic.
This online mic test runs on your device. Nothing is uploaded, and recordings disappear when you close the page.
Understanding your results
| Verdict | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Good level | Speech peaks between −20 and −3 dBFS | Nothing; you’re set |
| A bit quiet | Peaks between −40 and −20 dBFS | Fine for calls with auto gain; for recording, raise the input volume |
| Very quiet | Peaks below −40 dBFS | Move to 5–15 cm and raise the input volume |
| Very loud | Peaks above −3 dBFS | Lower the input volume a little |
| Clip | The signal hit the maximum and distorts | Lower the input volume or move back |
| No signal | Every sample is zero | Check mute switches, privacy settings and the selected mic |
| Listening | No speech heard yet | Say something at your normal volume |
For recordings, aim for speech peaks between −20 and −6 dBFS. That leaves room for a laugh or a louder word without clipping. Calls can run quieter, because call apps add their own automatic gain.
The background note compares the quietest moments, the noise floor, with −50 dBFS. A noise floor above that usually means a fan, traffic, a computer close to the mic or electrical hum. In Call-style, noise suppression may hide the noise from the meter, but the other person may still hear some of it.
Hear yourself: monitoring and playback
Hear yourself sends your mic straight to your headphones so you can listen live. Use headphones: with speakers, the mic picks up its own sound and can howl, which is called feedback. The tool asks you to confirm headphones the first time, starts at 25% volume and turns monitoring off by itself if it hears a howl building.
There’s always a short delay. Sound passes through buffers in the mic driver, the browser and the output device, and Bluetooth headphones add more on top. It’s normal, and it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with your mic.
If the delay bothers you, record a clip instead. Press Record, speak, press Record again to stop, and the clip plays back at a low volume. You can download it or delete it. Clips last up to 30 seconds and stay in your browser’s memory.
How to fix a microphone that isn’t working
Work through the layers in order; most problems sit in the first three:
- Hardware: a mute button on the mic, headset cable or keyboard, or a loose cable. Headsets with a single 4-pole plug need a combo jack or a splitter on PCs with separate mic and headphone jacks.
- System privacy: Windows, macOS, iOS and Android can block the mic for every app, or just for your browser.
- System input: the right mic selected, and its input volume above zero.
- Browser permission: allowed for this site.
- The app: Zoom, Discord or Teams set to a different mic.
Windows 11 and Windows 10
- Open Settings › Privacy & security › Microphone (Windows 10: Settings › Privacy › Microphone). Turn on microphone access, app access and Let desktop apps access your microphone.
- Open Settings › System › Sound › Input, choose your mic and use Test your microphone. Raise the input volume if the bar barely moves.
- In Control Panel › Sound › Recording, open your mic’s Properties. Check Levels, and on the Advanced tab untick exclusive control if one app keeps the mic to itself.
Mac
- Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone and turn on your browser, then restart the browser.
- Open System Settings › Sound › Input, pick your mic and raise Input volume.
iPhone and iPad
- Open Settings › Apps › Safari › Microphone (older iOS: Settings › Safari › Microphone) and choose Ask or Allow.
- For Chrome or another browser, open Settings › Apps › that app and turn on Microphone.
Android
- On Android 12 and later, pull down Quick Settings and check that the Microphone access tile is on.
- In Chrome, tap ⋮ › Settings › Site settings › Microphone and allow this site.
Chrome and Edge
- Click the icon at the left of the address bar, set Microphone to Allow and reload the page. Every site’s setting is listed at chrome://settings/content/microphone (Edge: edge://settings/content/microphone).
Firefox
- Click the crossed-out mic icon in the address bar, clear the block, then reload and choose Allow.
Safari on Mac
- Open Safari › Settings › Websites › Microphone and set this site to Ask or Allow.
Zoom
- Open Settings › Audio, choose the same mic you tested here and use Test Mic. If your level jumps up and down, turn off automatic microphone volume adjustment.
Discord
- Open User Settings › Voice & Video. Pick your Input Device, raise Input Volume and run the Mic Test. With Push to Talk on, you’re silent until you hold the key; with Voice Activity, lower Input Sensitivity if your words get cut off.
Teams and Google Meet
- In Teams, open Settings › Devices and choose the microphone; a test call checks it end to end.
- Google Meet runs in the browser, so it uses the same permission as this page. Allow the mic for meet.google.com, then pick it under Settings › Audio.
Headsets, AirPods and USB mics
Bluetooth headsets, AirPods included, switch to a lower-quality call mode while their mic is in use, so music sounds thin until you stop. On Windows they appear twice; pick the Headset or Hands-Free input for the mic.
AirPods work as the mic on an iPhone or Mac. On a Mac, choose them in System Settings › Sound › Input.
USB mics often have their own gain knob and mute button. Check both before you change any settings. Laptop mics usually sit next to the camera or along the keyboard edge, so don’t cover them with a hand or a sticker.
To check the earcups or speakers of the same headset, use the headphone test or the sound test.