Webcam test online. See yourself, and the numbers.
Check that your camera works before a call, an interview or an exam. The picture stays on this page and is never recorded or uploaded.
One check
- Webcam
Runs like the stress test: one check after another, with the progress along the top. Nothing you show the camera or say into the microphone leaves this page.
What it measures
Measured here, not assumed.
The live picture
The camera opens on the page so you can see framing and focus for yourself.
Resolution and frame rate
Read from the camera itself, not from its box. Most exam vendors want at least 640 by 480; most webcams manage 1280 by 720 at 30 frames per second.
Light level
The middle of one frame is sampled for brightness. A dark picture fails identity checks and makes calls look worse than the camera deserves.
Which camera
The name of the camera in use, which matters when a laptop has a built-in camera and a USB one and the browser picked the wrong one.
If it fails
The usual failures, and what fixes each.
- Access was refused
- Click the camera icon in the address bar and choose Allow. On Windows, check Settings, Privacy, Camera. On a Mac, System Settings, Privacy and Security, Camera. Then reload and run again.
- No camera was found
- Check for a privacy slider or a keyboard key that disables the camera, plug a USB camera in fully, and restart the browser. In Windows Device Manager, a camera with a warning icon needs its driver reinstalled.
- The camera is in use
- Close Zoom, Teams, Skype, OBS and any browser tab that could hold the camera, then run again.
- The picture is dark or grainy
- Face a window or a lamp rather than sitting with light behind you. More light also lets the camera run at a higher frame rate.
Where a browser stops
What it cannot tell you.
- Whether the picture is in focus or the lens is dirty. You can see that; the page cannot judge it.
- The camera's quality in a specific app. Zoom, Teams and exam software each open the camera their own way and may pick a different one.
- Anything when the camera is used by another program. The browser cannot take it over; close the other app first.
Privacy
Nothing leaves this page.
The camera and microphone are read on this page and stopped as soon as they have been measured. The clip you can play back lives in the browser's memory and is discarded when you leave. The location check discards the position. The internet test sends random bytes to this site and nothing else. The result is stored nowhere unless you ask for it by email, and then only the fact that an email was sent is kept.
Questions
Webcam test, answered
- How do I test if my webcam is working?
- Run the test above. If the browser asks, allow the camera. A live picture with a resolution and frame rate means it works. If nothing appears, the fixes above cover refused access, a missing camera and a camera in use by another app.
- Is this webcam test private?
- Yes. The picture is shown on this page and stopped when you finish. It is never recorded, stored or sent anywhere.
- Why is my webcam blurry or dark?
- Usually light. Webcams need more light than eyes do, and light behind you makes the camera expose for the background. A lamp in front of you fixes most of it. A dirty lens is the other common cause.
- What webcam resolution do I need for an online exam?
- Vendors usually list 640 by 480 as the minimum. Any laptop camera or USB webcam made in the last decade meets that. The frame rate and the light matter more for a clear picture.
Read next