An online mic test that shows what your call app hears
Before a job interview on Zoom, a Teams meeting or a stream, you want to know three things: does the right microphone pick you up, is the level right, and does it sound clear. This page answers all three. The meter and the moving waveform show the input level as you speak, the list shows every microphone your browser can use, and a five-second test recording lets you hear yourself the way others will.
- Nothing moves: the wrong input device is selected, the mic is muted, or another app holds it. The status line tells you when the browser only receives silence.
- Always in the red: you are too close or the input volume is too high, and loud words will distort.
- Very quiet: move closer, raise the input volume in your system settings, or switch from the laptop microphone to a headset.
Reading the level meter
The meter shows the input in decibels below full scale, where 0 dB is the loudest a recording can get. Room noise in a quiet room usually stays below -50 dB. Normal speech at arm's length from a laptop lands somewhere around -30 to -20 dB, closer with a headset. The thin line marks the recent peak, so you can see your loudest moments even after the bar falls back.
Try the processing switches while you watch the meter. With automatic gain on, quiet speech is lifted and loud speech is held back. With noise suppression off, you hear fans and traffic that call apps normally remove. If the test sounds fine here but not in a call, the call app probably uses a different input device: check its audio settings.
Want to keep a recording? The voice recorder saves as long a take as you like as MP3, M4A or WAV. Checking your camera too? Use the webcam test, and for a full video message the webcam recorder.
How to test your microphone
- 1Press Start mic test and allow the microphone when your browser asks.
- 2Talk, count to ten or clap. Watch the meter, and pick another microphone from the list if nothing moves.
- 3Press Record test, speak for five seconds, and listen to the playback with headphones.
Frequently asked questions
Is my voice recorded or sent anywhere?
No. The level meter reads the sound in your browser and throws it away right after. Only when you press Record test does the browser keep five seconds in this tab so you can hear them, and that clip is gone when you leave the page. Nothing is uploaded.
The bar does not move. What can I do?
Check the selected microphone in the list first, then any mute switch on the headset or a mute key on the laptop. On Windows, open Sound settings and look at the input device and its volume; on a Mac, open System Settings, Sound, Input. If another app such as Zoom or Teams is open, close it and try again.
Why does the browser ask for permission?
A website can only hear your microphone after you allow it. The permission is for this site only. If you blocked it by accident, click the lock or microphone icon in the address bar, allow the microphone, and reload the page.
What level is good?
When you speak normally at your usual distance, the bar should reach the green middle area, roughly -30 to -12 dB, with louder moments now and then. If it sits at the left end, the input is too quiet. If it often hits the red end, the sound will distort; move back or turn the input volume down.
What do the processing switches do?
Noise suppression, echo cancellation and automatic gain are what call apps usually turn on. Turn them off to hear your microphone as it really is, for example when you record music. The test recording uses the same settings, so you can compare both.