How to use the webcam test
A webcam test opens your camera in the browser so you can see the live picture and check that it works before a call. This one also measures the real resolution and frame rate, and nothing leaves your device.
- Press Start camera to test your webcam, then choose Allow when your browser asks.
- Check the preview. You should see yourself within a second or two.
- Read the results under the preview: resolution, frame rate, lighting and a verdict.
- Switch the camera or the quality if you have more than one camera or want a sharper picture.
- Take a snapshot or copy the report when you need to show someone the result.
- Press Stop camera when you’re done. The camera light turns off.
A quick webcam check like this before every important call saves you from fixing settings while people wait. For calls, 720p at 30 frames per second is plenty, and 1080p looks sharper on big screens.
How the camera test works
This camera test opens your camera through the browser’s own camera feature, the same one video-call sites use. The picture goes straight to the preview on this page. It’s never recorded or uploaded.
The resolution comes from the frames that actually arrive, not from what the camera claims. The frame rate is counted frame by frame, so it shows what reaches your screen. It can’t be higher than your display’s refresh rate.
Values marked “reported” come from the camera driver. Chrome and Edge can scale video to the size a page asks for. That’s why Check supported resolutions asks the camera for each size with scaling turned off where possible, so you see its native modes.
Maximum is the largest size the camera says it can deliver. Some cameras reach it only at a lower frame rate, so the scan also lists the frame rate for each size.
Understanding your results
| Result | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Working | Frames arrive and the picture isn’t black. | Nothing: you’re ready for your call. |
| Low frame rate | Fewer than 20 frames per second reach the page. | Add light, and close other apps that use the camera. |
| Below request | The camera sent a smaller picture than you asked for. | Pick another quality. For 4K, use a fast USB port. |
| Black image | The picture has stayed black for 3 seconds. | Check the shutter, lens cover or camera key. |
| Too dark or too bright | The lighting check of the picture. | Face a window or a lamp, not a bright window behind you. |
Low light is the most common cause of a choppy webcam. The camera keeps each exposure open longer, so it can take fewer frames per second. 4K webcams also need a fast USB port, and on a slow one they may drop to a lower resolution or frame rate.
Virtual cameras, such as OBS Virtual Camera, appear in the camera list like real ones. They show whatever their app sends, so a black or frozen picture there usually means the app isn’t running its virtual camera.
Webcam not working? Fixes by system
First, close every other app that might use the camera. Then follow the steps for your system and press Try again. If the page says the camera is busy, another app still has it open, even in the background.
Windows 10 and 11
To test a webcam on Windows 10 or Windows 11, open Settings › Privacy & security › Camera. Turn on camera access, app access and desktop app access.
Many laptops have a camera key, often F8 or F10, or a sliding shutter over the lens. If the camera still doesn’t appear, open Device Manager › Cameras and update or reinstall the driver.
Mac
Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera and turn on your browser. Quit and reopen the browser after the change, then run the camera test on the Mac again.
Plug a USB webcam straight into the Mac rather than into a hub or dock. Newer MacBooks have 1080p cameras and older ones 720p, so a 720p result on an older Mac is normal.
iPhone, iPad and Android
On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings › Apps › Safari › Camera and choose Ask or Allow. On Android, tap the icon to the left of the address in Chrome, then Permissions › Camera.
Phones have a front and a back camera. Use the Back camera button above the preview to test my camera on the other side.
Chromebook
Select the camera icon in Chrome’s address bar and allow the camera. Some Chromebooks also have a privacy switch next to the camera. If the Camera app works but this page doesn’t, the browser permission is the problem.
Mirrored preview
Camera previews are mirrored, like a bathroom mirror, because that feels natural when you move. Other people in a call see you unmirrored, so text behind you reads correctly for them. The Mirror switch on this webcam test only changes your own view.
Webcam not working in Zoom, Teams or Google Meet
If the camera works on this page but not in a call, the problem is the app’s settings, not the camera. Stop the camera here first, because some webcams work in only one app at a time. Then check the app’s camera choice:
- Zoom: open Settings › Video & Effects and pick your camera.
- Microsoft Teams: open Settings › Devices and pick the camera under Camera.
- Google Meet: on the preview screen before you join, open the camera menu and pick your camera.
A Zoom camera test or a camera test in Teams uses the same camera as this page. If both fail, go back to the fixes for your system above. Teams and Meet also show your picture on their preview screens before anyone else sees it.
Use your phone as a webcam
Windows 11 can use a phone running Android 10 or later as a connected camera. Open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Mobile devices, link the phone, then turn on Use as connected camera.
A Mac can use an iPhone as a webcam with Continuity Camera. You need an iPhone XR or later on iOS 16 or later, and a Mac on macOS Ventura or later, signed in to the same Apple Account. Phone webcam apps work on both systems, too.
Once connected, the phone shows up in this page’s camera list. You can then test it like any other camera and compare it with your laptop’s own. Put the phone on a stand at eye level, and plug it in, because video drains the battery fast.
Is this webcam test safe?
Yes. The camera starts only when you press Start camera, and your browser asks for permission first. The video is shown and measured inside this tab: nothing is recorded, saved or uploaded, and we never see it.
Stop camera, closing the tab or switching to another tab turns the camera off. Snapshots save only to your device. If you leave the page open, the camera stops after 15 minutes without activity.
The camera light gives you a second check: it turns on while the preview runs and goes off as soon as you stop.
More device tests
Your webcam is one of several devices you can check in the browser. Pick a test by what you notice.
Other device tests
Monitor Test
All-in-one full-screen monitor test: solid colors, gradients, grids, text sharpness and more.
Keyboard Tester
Visual keyboard (ANSI/ISO/Mac layouts, full/TKL/75%/60%) that lights up every key pressed, with key history, codes and stuck/chatter hints.
Mouse Test
Tests every mouse button (left, right, middle, back, forward), the scroll wheel in both axes and shows events live.
Gamepad Tester
Live view of every connected controller: buttons, analog triggers, stick positions with circularity and deadzone plot, vibration test.
| What you notice | Test to use |
|---|---|
| Camera black, missing or "in use" in a call | Webcam test (this page) |
| Video choppy, blurry or low resolution | Webcam test (this page: check FPS and resolution) |
| A key doesn't type or repeats | Keyboard Tester |
| Mouse double-clicks or the wheel jumps | Mouse Test |
| Controller drifts or a button doesn't respond | Gamepad Tester |
| Dead pixels, bleed or flicker on the screen | Monitor Test |
Recording yourself? Put your script in the online teleprompter right next to the camera, and use a white screen as a soft light on your face.