Mic Test

Common questions

How do I test whether my microphone is working?

Press Start, allow microphone access and select the input you want to check. Speak normally and watch the digital level meter. The Device row identifies the input this browser opened. Press Record 5 s and listen to the sample for a practical check. This establishes what this page receives; it does not certify hardware health or what another application uses. No signal observation is shown until enough samples arrive, and very low or steady readings give possible checks without identifying a cause.

Can I test a headset, headphones, earbuds, AirPods or a USB microphone?

Yes, when your browser exposes the connected microphone as an audio input. Connect the device, allow access and choose it from Input. A headset or AirPods microphone may differ from the system default, and a webcam mic may be listed separately from the camera. This is a check of your selected local input, not a product review, manufacturer diagnostic or a Bluetooth profile measurement. Playing the recorded sample checks your current output audibly, but there is no separate left/right speaker-channel or headphone calibration test.

How do I hear myself in a microphone playback test?

Open the playback workflow, start the microphone, record a short phrase and press Play in the audio player. The page does not send the live microphone to your speakers, so it does not create a live feedback loop. Playback is the captured recording, which may be compressed by the browser's codec. Check system output selection and volume if the meter moves but playback is silent. There is no hardware loopback, calibrated latency or live-monitoring mode.

What should I say for a mic test?

Try an ordinary phrase such as Testing, one, two, three, followed by Please check the sound of this microphone. Please pass the paper can help you listen for plosive consonants; Six soft sounds provides sibilants. Keep normal voice and distance for comparisons. These original example phrases are not a standardized intelligibility, frequency-response or quality score. Avoid tapping or blowing into the microphone just to move the meter.

Why does the browser ask permission, and how do I allow my microphone?

Microphone access requires site permission and system access for the browser. Check the microphone or site-settings panel in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. On Windows 10 or 11, use Settings, Privacy or Privacy & security, Microphone, including access for desktop apps. On macOS, use System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone for the browser. A refusal does not establish whether the microphone itself is faulty. Restricted policies or extensions can also prevent access. Cancel invalidates a pending request; a late grant is closed.

Can I use this mic test on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, iPhone or Android?

Use a current browser on a secure connection with microphone capture and Web Audio support. The same input selection and meter can work on Windows, macOS, Linux or Ubuntu, ChromeOS, and supported iPhone, iPad or Android browsers. System permission is separate from permission for this site. Device lists and recording codecs vary; if recording is unsupported, the meter can still be tested. This page is a browser tool, with no native app download, Samsung service code or console headset setup.

Why is the microphone meter silent, low or steady?

First check which input the browser opened, mute switches, connection and system input gain. A reading at or below -60 dBFS is a very low digital level; it does not mean no samples exist. Digital zero and values below the display floor show -100 dBFS. A level varying by less than 6 dB is described as steady, but it could be a tone, speech, noise or a stuck input. This page cannot identify which. Listen to a recording before changing gain or judging sound quality.

What are RMS, peak, dBFS and the low-level estimate?

RMS describes the energy of the sampled digital buffer, and peak is its highest absolute sample. They use digital full scale as the reference, not acoustic sound-pressure level. The held peak covers the capture run. The low-level estimate averages the quietest tenth of the valid level readings retained over up to the last twenty seconds. It is a reference derived from captured audio, not guaranteed room noise, signal-to-noise ratio or a calibrated loudness measurement. The bars show time-domain sample slices, not frequency or pitch.

Should echo cancellation be on or off?

The page requests echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain off for a new unsaved visit. Echo cancellation follows the switch or your saved preference, and changing it while live reopens the input. The readout separates the requested echo switch from the value reported by the track. Hardware, drivers or browser policies may still process audio. Comparing recordings can help you hear a difference, but this does not reproduce the processing in Zoom, Teams or another app.

Why does a Bluetooth headset sound different when I enable its mic?

Some Bluetooth devices and systems switch to a bidirectional voice profile when the microphone opens, changing output bandwidth or audio quality. Behavior depends on the headset, operating system, codec and connection, so the page cannot identify that profile. Compare the selected mic and recorded playback, or try another input/output combination. This is not a radio, codec or latency test.

Why does this test work but my mic fails in Discord, Zoom, Teams or a game?

Each app can have different input selection, permission, processing, mute and routing settings. Use that app's own mic test or call preview after checking this page. Discord test-versus-call behavior, Teams or Google Meet calls, OBS capture, Fortnite, Roblox and console voice chat require checks inside those environments. Stop this page's capture if another app cannot open the input. A working browser preview cannot certify app configuration or remote call quality.

What sample rate and channel count does the page show?

The readout distinguishes the input track's reported sample rate from the audio engine's analysis rate. Missing input settings remain not reported. Track channel count describes the opened input, and the player keeps a snapshot of that input when you recorded. These observations do not prove the sample rate or channel encoding of a compressed audio file. The timer requests about five seconds; scheduling can change the elapsed capture window.

Is my microphone audio uploaded or saved?

No audio is uploaded by this tool. Media capture, analysis and recorded playback stay local; the short recording is held in memory and there is no file-export button. Stop cancels an in-progress recording and closes this page's input while retaining a completed clip for playback. Starting another recording, Discard or leaving the page releases that clip. Only echo preference is saved locally after you change it; device identifiers and permission are not stored. Ordinary site requests are separate from microphone media.

Can this page measure mic latency, pitch, feedback or hardware loopback?

It does not provide calibrated input or round-trip latency, pitch/frequency detection, acoustic feedback identification or a hardware loopback test. You can inspect local signal levels and listen to a short captured sample. Simultaneous camera preview and microphone levels are available on the Camera and microphone page. For a hardware or app-specific test, use the appropriate system, manufacturer or app workflow.