This free mic test checks your microphone right in your browser. Speak, and you'll see it on the waveform in real time — no download, no sign-up, nothing installed.
RUNS ENTIRELY IN YOUR BROWSER · YOUR AUDIO IS NEVER UPLOADED OR STORED
Last updated: · Reviewed for accuracy against current browser APIs
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Click "Start test" and allow microphone access to begin.
Here's how to test your microphone online in under a minute — no software, no account, just your browser.
Click "Start test."
Your browser will ask for microphone permission — click "Allow." If you don't see a prompt, check the address bar for a blocked-permission icon.
Speak or make some noise.
Watch the waveform above — it should move as soon as it picks up sound. The level bar underneath gives you a quick read on how loud your input is.
Switch microphones if you have more than one.
The device list appears once permission is granted. Pick a different mic from the dropdown to test it without reloading the page.
Hear yourself back.
Click "Hear yourself" to listen to your mic live through your speakers or headphones — headphones are strongly recommended here to avoid feedback.
Record a short clip.
Record five seconds and play it back to hear exactly how you sound on a call or recording, separate from the live monitoring.
How this mic test actually works
This tool uses your browser's built-in getUserMedia API to request temporary access to your microphone, then feeds that live audio stream into the Web Audio API's AnalyserNode, which reads the raw waveform data dozens of times per second and draws it straight onto the canvas you see above. Every part of that pipeline — capture, analysis, and drawing — runs inside your browser's own sandbox.
That's also why the privacy claim on this page isn't just a promise: there's no upload step in the code at all. The audio data goes from your microphone into the browser's audio graph and back out to your screen or speakers, and nowhere else, unless you explicitly click "Record," which saves a clip only to your own device's memory for that session.
Troubleshooting: no waveform at all
Follow these in order — most people are back up and running by step 2 or 3.
Make a genuinely loud sound.
Some mics have a short activation delay or a noise gate. Clap or speak loudly right next to the mic before assuming it's broken.
Check the address bar for a blocked-mic icon.
In Chrome and Edge, a crossed-out camera/mic icon appears on the left side of the address bar if permission was denied. Click it, set microphone to "Allow," and reload.
Reload the page.
This alone fixes a surprising number of cases, especially if you plugged in a mic after the page was already open.
Open the device dropdown and pick your mic explicitly.
Browsers sometimes default to the wrong input device, particularly right after connecting a new one.
Confirm the mic is connected and powered.
Reseat a USB or 3.5mm connection, check a wireless mic is paired and charged, and look for a physical mute switch on the mic or cable.
Check your system's privacy settings.
See the OS-specific steps just below — this is the most common cause after permission and connection issues.
Checking microphone permissions by operating system
Windows 10 & 11
Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. Confirm "Microphone access" is turned on, then scroll down and make sure your specific browser is toggled on in the app list below it. Both switches need to be on — the global one and the per-app one.
macOS
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. Your browser should be listed here with a toggle — if it's off, switch it on. If the browser isn't listed at all, trigger the permission prompt again from this page and click "Allow" when macOS asks.
Linux
Permission handling varies by desktop environment, but the two things worth checking are: your user account has access to the audio group (groups $USER in a terminal should include audio), and that PulseAudio or PipeWire shows your mic as an available input source in your system's sound settings.
ChromeOS
Click the status area in the bottom right, then the gear icon for Settings, and look under Privacy and security → Microphone. Chromebooks handle this at the OS level similarly to how individual sites request permission in any other browser.
Android & iOS
On Android, check Settings → Apps → [your browser] → Permissions → Microphone. On iOS, check Settings → [your browser] → Microphone, or under Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone for a list of every app that has requested access.
Troubleshooting: waveform moves, but something still sounds wrong
Sounds too quiet.
Raise the input volume in your system's sound settings, and move closer to the mic — proximity affects levels more than most people expect.
Sounds distorted or clips at loud moments.
Your input gain is likely set too high. Lower it in your system sound settings until the level bar stops pinning at maximum during normal speech.
Crackling or static.
Try a different USB port, reseat the cable, and check for a pending audio driver update in Device Manager (Windows) or System Information (Mac). Most onboard audio ships as a customized build from your computer's own manufacturer rather than a generic download, so check your PC's support site directly — Dell, HP, and Lenovo all have one.
Works here, but not in Zoom, Teams, or Discord.
Since this test confirms the mic and browser-level permission are fine, the remaining issue is almost always that specific app's own microphone setting — check its audio settings menu for the correct input device.
If everything above checks out but you want to confirm the rest of your audio setup too, our Sound Test checks that your speakers or headphones play back correctly, and Voice Recorder lets you record a quick clip to actually hear how you sound.
Who tests a microphone, and why
Streamers and podcasters run this before every session, since dead air because of a muted or disconnected mic is the kind of mistake you only want to make once. Remote workers reach for a quick mic test before an important call or interview, especially on a new laptop or a headset they haven't used yet — better to catch a problem two minutes early than mid-meeting. Gamers check their mic after a driver update or a Windows update, both of which have a habit of quietly resetting audio settings. Anyone who's just bought a new microphone, headset, or webcam runs it once out of the box to confirm it actually works before the return window closes. And when a mic "stops working" out of nowhere, this is usually the fastest way to tell whether it's the hardware, the app, or a permission setting that's actually at fault.
Microphone problems at a glance
Match what you're seeing to what's probably actually going on.
Symptom
Likely cause
Quick fix
Waveform's completely flat
Permission's blocked, or the wrong mic is picked
Check the site's mic permission first, then check the device dropdown
Browser never even asks for permission
You already said no once, and it remembered
Reset the site's permission from the address bar and reload
"Mic already in use" error
Something else has it open — Zoom, Teams, Discord
Close whatever else might be using it and try again
Sound's barely audible
Gain's too low, or you're too far from the mic
Bump up input volume in system settings and lean in a bit
Crackly or distorted at loud moments
Gain's cranked too high
Pull the input level down until it stops clipping
Random crackling or static
Loose cable or an outdated driver
Reseat the cable, try another port, check for driver updates
Works in the browser, not in some other app
That app's own mic permission is off, separate from your browser's
Dig into that specific app's audio settings and check its input device
Understanding your microphone's settings
The mic info panel above shows a few settings that are worth understanding, since they quietly shape how you sound on every call.
Echo cancellation stops the sound coming out of your speakers from being picked back up by your microphone and looping into an echo. It matters most if you're on speakers rather than headphones — with headphones, there's nothing for the mic to pick back up in the first place.
Noise suppression filters out steady background sound — a fan, an air conditioner, traffic outside — without touching your voice. It's genuinely useful in a noisy room, but can occasionally make a voice sound slightly processed or "underwater" if it's being too aggressive.
Automatic gain control (AGC) continuously adjusts your input volume so you don't sound too quiet or too loud as you move or change your speaking volume. Most of the time this is helpful, but some people — musicians and podcasters especially — prefer to turn it off for more consistent, predictable audio levels.
You can use this page to test microphone echo cancellation, noise suppression, and AGC by toggling them in your system or app settings and refreshing the mic info panel to confirm the change actually took effect.
Microphone types compared
Not every microphone is built for the same job, and knowing which type you're testing helps explain what "normal" sounds like for it.
Mic type
How it connects
Typical sound
Best for
Built-in laptop mic
Internal, no setup needed
Thin, picks up room noise easily
Quick calls, casual use
USB condenser
Plug-and-play USB
Detailed, sensitive to background noise
Podcasting, streaming, voiceover
XLR dynamic
Via an audio interface or mixer
Warm, naturally rejects room noise
Broadcast-quality streaming, studios
Wireless / Bluetooth
Paired over Bluetooth or RF
Convenient, sometimes compressed
Calls on the move, casual gaming
Headset mic
Wired or wireless, attached to headphones
Consistent distance from your mouth
Gaming, long call sessions
Testing a headset mic vs. a standalone microphone
This mic tester works the same way for either one, but what a "good" result looks like differs a bit.
A headset mic sits at a fixed distance from your mouth, so its levels tend to be consistent test after test — if it suddenly sounds quieter or more distant than usual, that's a real change worth investigating rather than just you sitting differently. A standalone microphone is more sensitive to positioning, so it's worth testing from roughly the same distance and angle you'd actually use while talking or recording, since a "quiet" result up close can just mean the mic was further away than usual during the test.
If you're deciding between the two for calls or streaming, run this test with each and compare the waveform and recorded playback side by side — the level meter alone won't tell you about tone or background pickup, but listening to a recorded clip will.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my mic is actually working?
Hit "Start test" above and let the browser grab mic permission. If the mic is picking up sound, you'll see the waveform jump around as you talk — the fastest way to check without opening any other app.
Why won't my browser detect my mic at all?
Nine times out of ten it's a permissions thing, not a dead mic. Check your browser's site settings and make sure mic access is switched on for this page, and that nothing else has it locked up in the background.
Does this site record or upload my voice anywhere?
No. The waveform and level bar are drawn straight from your browser's own audio engine. Even if you record a clip, it stays local — there's no upload step anywhere in the code.
Can I test a Bluetooth or USB mic here too?
Yep. Doesn't matter if it's USB, Bluetooth, or something plugged into an XLR interface — as long as your OS sees it, it'll show up in the dropdown once you approve the permission.
Why do I sound delayed when I hear myself back?
That little lag is normal — it's just your system processing audio before it plays back. If it's bad enough to be distracting, close other audio apps running in the background or switch to wired headphones instead of Bluetooth.
What do echo cancellation, noise suppression, and AGC actually do?
Quick version: echo cancellation stops your speaker sound from looping back into the mic, noise suppression scrubs out constant background stuff, and AGC automatically rides your volume up or down. See the settings section above for the full breakdown of each.
My mic works on Zoom but not here (or the other way round) — why?
Each app handles mic permissions on its own, so it's pretty common for one to work and another not to. Check that specific app's own audio settings — there's a good chance it's just pointed at the wrong input device.
Will this work on my phone?
Should work fine as long as you're on a reasonably current mobile browser and tap allow when it asks for mic access. Built-in mic, wired earbuds, Bluetooth — all fair game.
There's zero sound, not even background hiss — what does that mean?
Usually means the browser isn't getting any signal at all from whatever device is selected. Worth checking you've picked the right mic in the dropdown, that it isn't muted at the hardware level, and that your input volume isn't sitting at zero.
More tools on ProDeviceTest
Troubleshooting a whole setup rather than just the mic? These run the same way — instant, no download, right in your browser.
Keyboard Test — check every key for stuck or unresponsive presses
Mouse Test — check clicks, scroll, and cursor tracking
Sound Test — confirm your speakers or headphones play correctly on both channels
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