About this tool: Mic Test
Check that your microphone works, watch the input level as you speak, then record a short sample and play it back to hear how you actually sound.
The worst moment to discover a microphone problem is thirty seconds into a call. Someone types "we can't hear you" in the chat, you start unplugging things, and the opening minutes of an interview or a client demo are gone. Checking before you join takes about half a minute and removes that whole category of problem.
This page tests two different things, and the difference matters. The level meter answers whether the microphone is picking up anything at all: speak, and the bar moves. Recording a sample and listening back answers the more useful question — what you sound like at the other end. A microphone can show a perfectly healthy signal and still come through thin, distant, or buried under hiss, and the only way to catch that is to hear it.
Testing outside the app you are about to use also splits the problem in half. When Teams or Zoom insists your mic is not working, the fault can sit in the hardware, the operating system, the browser, or the app's own device settings, and a test inside that same app cannot tell you which. If your voice plays back clearly here, the microphone and the system are fine, and you can go straight to the app's audio settings instead of hunting for drivers.
Nothing is uploaded. The audio is captured, measured, and played back by your browser; it never reaches a server and it is gone when you close the tab. Downloading the recording saves it straight to your device.
How to use it
- Press "Start Mic Test" and allow access. The browser asks for permission the first time. If no prompt appears, look for a crossed-out microphone icon in the address bar — the site may have been blocked earlier.
- Speak at your normal call volume and watch the meter. Ordinary speech from about 30 cm away should push the bar well into the middle of its range. A bar that never moves usually means the browser is listening to a different device than the one you are speaking into.
- Record about ten seconds. Press "Start Recording" and say something realistic — a couple of sentences at the pace and distance you would use on the call, not a shouted "test, test". Reading any two lines of text works fine.
- Listen back through headphones. Speakers create a feedback loop and make everything sound worse than it is. Check that the voice is loud enough, that consonants are crisp, and that there is no hum, keyboard clatter, or room echo behind it.
- Save the file if it is useful. "Download Audio" gives you a WebM file — handy for comparing two headsets, keeping a reference before you change settings, or sending to whoever handles IT.
- Press "End Test" when you are done. That releases the microphone and clears the recording indicator from the browser tab.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install anything?
Where is my recording stored? Is anything uploaded?
The meter moves here, but nobody hears me in Zoom or Teams. What now?
Nothing happens when I press Start.
How do I choose which microphone gets tested?
After granting access, use “Microphone” below the microphone indicator if more than one input is available. Changing the device restarts the test. If an input is missing, check your browser and operating system’s audio settings.
The browser uses whatever your system has set as the default input. To test a different one, change the default in Windows sound settings or in macOS System Settings > Sound > Input, then reload this page. In Chrome you can also pick a device per site through the padlock icon in the address bar.