Microphone Test

Start the test and allow microphone access, then speak or make noise to see your input level respond. You can also record a short clip to hear exactly how you sound.

This test reads your microphone's input level directly in your browser using the Web Audio API; it never uploads or stores your audio on a server. The level shown is relative, not a calibrated decibel (dB SPL) measurement, and can be affected by your OS input volume, automatic gain control or noise suppression settings. The optional 5-second recording is created and played back entirely in your browser, and is discarded when you leave or reload the page.

What the Microphone Test checks

It checks whether your browser can hear the microphone you have selected. After you allow access, a level bar moves with the sound reaching the browser, a marker shows the recent peak, and you can record a 5-second clip and play it back to hear how you actually sound. The dropdown lists the audio inputs the browser can see, so you can compare a headset, a webcam and a built-in microphone.

How it works

The page asks the browser for microphone access and reads the incoming audio with the Web Audio API. The level is worked out from the loudness of the sound wave several times per second and then scaled up so it's easy to read, which means a full bar is not a warning that the audio is clipping. The peak marker holds the highest recent level and falls back slowly.

Nothing is uploaded. The analysis and the recording stay in your browser, and the recording is discarded when you leave or reload the page.

A quick check before a call

Start the test and allow access
Your browser asks for permission for this site. If you refuse, the page says access was denied and nothing else works until you allow it.
Choose the input you will use in the call
The browser's default may not be your headset. Pick the one you mean to use and watch that the bar reacts to your voice, not to another device.
Speak at your normal distance
The bar and the peak marker should move clearly without sitting at the very top. Stay quiet for a moment too: a bar that moves in silence points to background noise.
Record five seconds and listen
The bar shows level, not quality. Only the playback tells you whether your voice sounds clear, too quiet, distorted or full of noise.
Press Stop test when you finish
It releases the microphone so a call app can use it.

Reading the bar

What you might see in the Microphone Test, what it usually means and what to try
What you see	What it usually means	What to try
“Microphone access was denied”	The browser or the operating system is blocking this site from the microphone.	Allow the microphone for this site in the browser, check the system's microphone privacy setting and start the test again.
“Could not access your microphone”	The microphone couldn't be opened. Another app may already be using it, or the device isn't available.	Close call, recording and streaming apps, reconnect the microphone and try again.
The bar doesn't move when you speak	The browser isn't receiving sound from that input.	Check the selected device in the dropdown, the system's microphone privacy switch and any mute switch, and close apps that may be using the microphone. The microphone guide goes through those layers in order.
The bar barely moves	The signal is very quiet: distance, a low input volume or the wrong device.	Speak closer, raise the input volume in your system settings and try another input from the dropdown.
The bar sits near the top	The signal is strong: you're close to the microphone or the gain is high.	Move back a little or lower the input volume, then repeat.
The bar moves while you're silent	There is background noise or interference on that input.	Look for fans or other noise sources and try another microphone or USB port.
The bar looks fine but the recording sounds poor	The bar shows level, not quality.	Listen to the playback and try another microphone or position.

What this test can't tell you

The level is relative, not a calibrated decibel reading, and it can be shaped by your system's input volume and by processing such as automatic gain control, echo cancellation or noise suppression. This page doesn't change those settings, so the browser's defaults apply. It can't measure a microphone's frequency response, self-noise or overall quality, and it can't tell you why another program isn't hearing you: that program has its own device and permission settings.

What to do next

If the bar moves and the recording sounds fine here but another app can't hear you, the problem is in that app's own input selection or permission, not in the microphone. If nothing moves at all, follow the microphone guide. To check the other half of a call setup, the Speaker & Headphone Test covers what you hear and the Webcam Test covers the camera.

[ Audio ]Troubleshooting

Microphone Not Working? How to Find Out Whether It's the Browser, Your System or the App

Microphone not working? Run TryYourGear's Microphone Test, then work through browser permission, system privacy, input device, other apps and the app.

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What a Browser-Based Hardware Test Can and Can't Measure

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