Webcam Test

Check that your camera is found, allowed and sending a clear picture, and see its real resolution and frame rate. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

Test your webcam

Press the button and allow camera access. You’ll see yourself, and we’ll check the picture, resolution and frame rate.

The camera stays on your device. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.

Check your webcam before the call starts

Press Test my webcam and allow the camera when your browser asks. Within a second you see yourself next to a plain verdict: working, black picture or frozen. Beside it are the camera’s name, the size of picture it’s sending, the frame rate measured from the frames that actually arrive, and how many cameras your browser can see.

It’s the quickest way to answer “can they see me?” before a job interview, a doctor’s video appointment or a team meeting. If the camera is blocked, missing or busy, the test says why and gives fix steps for your browser and operating system. To see yourself bigger, open the online mirror; to check your sound, run the microphone test.

How to test your webcam

Start the test
Press Test my webcam and choose Allow when your browser asks to use the camera. Nothing is switched on until you press the button.
Read the verdict and numbers
A green “Your webcam is working” means the camera is allowed and sending a live picture; a black or frozen picture gets its own warning. Beside it are the resolution, such as 1280 × 720, and the measured frame rate.
Try other sizes and cameras
Use Ask for to try 720p, 1080p or 4K, and pick another camera from the Camera list if you have one. Press Turn camera off when you’ve finished; leaving the tab switches it off too.

What the results mean

Webcam test results and what they tell you
Result	What it means
Your webcam is working	Permission is granted and fresh frames with a visible picture are arriving. You’re ready for a call.
The picture is black	The camera is on but sees nothing: a closed privacy shutter, a camera key switched off, tape over the lens or a very dark room.
The picture has stopped moving	No new frames for a few seconds. The driver may have stalled, a USB cable may be loose, or another app may have taken the camera.
Frame rate measured	Frames per second your screen actually received. Smooth video needs about 24 or more; 30 is normal for webcams.

The measured frame rate counts frames as your screen shows them, so it can’t go above your display’s refresh rate. In dim light many webcams slow down to 15 fps on their own to let in more light, so switching on a lamp often brings back a smooth 30 fps.

Webcam not working? Fixes by problem

The browser says the camera is blocked

At some point this site was blocked, perhaps by a quick click on a pop-up. In Chrome and Edge, click the icon at the left of the address bar and set Camera to Allow. In Firefox, click the crossed-out camera in the address bar and clear the block. In Safari on a Mac, choose Safari > Settings for this website. The test shows the exact steps for the browser you’re using.

Windows or macOS is blocking the camera

On Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Camera and turn on both Camera access and Let desktop apps access your camera. On a Mac, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera, switch your browser on, then quit and reopen it.

No camera found

Check for a privacy shutter or camera key on a laptop, and plug a USB webcam straight into the computer rather than through a hub. On Windows, look in Device Manager > Cameras: if the camera isn’t listed there, the system can’t see it, so no website can either.

The camera is in use by another app

Windows usually lets one app at a time have the camera. Quit Zoom, Teams, OBS or the Camera app, including any copy still running in the system tray, then press Try again. Macs let apps share a camera, so there a busy error is more often a driver hiccup that unplugging or restarting clears.

Webcam test in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari

The test works in all four. Chrome and Edge remember an Allow for the site, Firefox does if you tick Remember this decision, and Safari asks again on later visits unless you set the site to Allow. Camera names appear only once you’ve allowed access, because browsers keep device names from sites until then.

On a phone the test opens the front camera first; choose the back camera from the Camera list to test that too. Most iPhone browsers run on Safari’s engine, so the Safari fixes usually apply to Chrome on an iPhone as well.

What is a good webcam resolution and frame rate?

Suggested webcam settings by use
Use	Resolution	Frame rate
Video calls	720p (1280 × 720)	30 fps
Recording yourself or streaming	1080p (1920 × 1080)	30 fps
Fast movement, such as fitness or gaming	1080p	60 fps

Call apps decide how much video to send based on your connection, and often send 720p or less whatever the camera can do, so good lighting makes a bigger difference on calls than extra pixels. To see every size your camera supports, run the webcam resolution and frame rate test.

Webcam test questions

How do I test my webcam?

Open the webcam test, press Test my webcam and allow access. If you see yourself and a green “Your webcam is working” message, the camera is fine. The panel beside the preview lists its resolution and frame rate.

Is this webcam test private?

Yes. The picture is shown on your screen and nowhere else. Nothing is recorded, saved or uploaded. The black-picture check looks at a tiny copy of one frame in memory and throws it away.

Why is my webcam showing a black screen?

Usually something is covering the lens: a sliding privacy shutter, a camera key turned off, or a very dark room. If the picture stays black, another app may have hold of the camera, or its driver needs a reconnect or a restart.

Why does it say my camera is in use?

Another app has the camera, which is common on Windows where a camera usually works in one app at a time. Quit video call, streaming and camera apps, close other tabs on a call, and press Try again.

Why is my webcam’s frame rate low?

Low light is the most common reason: webcams lengthen their exposure in dim rooms and drop to 15 fps or lower. Better lighting, a direct USB port instead of a hub, and closing other apps that use the camera usually help.

Can I test my webcam on my phone?

Yes. Open this page in your phone’s browser and allow the camera. The front camera opens first; choose the back camera from the Camera list to check it as well.

Why does the preview look mirrored?

The preview is flipped like a mirror by default because that feels natural. People on a call see the unflipped picture. Untick Mirror preview to see what they see; it doesn’t change the camera itself.

How do I test my microphone as well?

Use the microphone test on recorder.video. It shows a live level, checks background noise and plays back a five-second clip of your voice.