Mic Test — Microphone Test Online
Press Start, stay quiet for a second, then talk. The page shows your live input level in dBFS with a peak hold and a clipping light, a scrolling waveform and a frequency spectrum, then tells you in plain words whether your microphone is working, too quiet, too loud or muted. Record 5, 10, 30 seconds and play it back to hear yourself, check which echo-cancellation, noise-suppression and auto-gain settings the browser really applied, and use the Windows 11 and macOS fixes below if nothing moves. It works for a laptop mic, a headset, a USB or Bluetooth microphone, and runs entirely in your browser.
Microphone audio is analysed in this tab only. Nothing is uploaded or stored on a server; recordings live in memory until you download or discard them. The page only logs that a test was started or finished, never any audio.
How to test your microphone online
- Pick the microphone and press Start. Choose the input from the list (device names appear after you allow access) and press Start mic test. Allow the microphone when your browser asks.
- Stay silent for one second. The first second is used to measure your noise floor, the idle hiss and room noise your mic picks up when nobody is talking.
- Say a sentence at normal volume. Watch the meter and waveform move. After about 4 seconds the verdict panel tells you whether a signal was detected, whether the level is healthy, and whether anything clipped.
- Record and play it back. Record 5, 10, 30 seconds and press play on the clip to hear yourself exactly as others would. Use headphones if you also switch on live monitoring.
Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I test my microphone online?
Press Start mic test, allow microphone access, stay silent for one second, then speak. If the level bar and waveform move and the verdict says "Signal detected", the microphone works. Record a clip and play it back to hear the actual quality, including hiss, echo and distance.
Why does the mic test say there is no signal?
It means the input never rose above -60 dBFS in the first 4 seconds. The usual causes are a hardware or keyboard mute, the wrong input device selected, the input volume at zero, or an operating-system privacy switch blocking the browser. Exact digital silence almost always means a mute or a privacy block, not a broken microphone. The troubleshooting section on this page lists the Windows 11, macOS and Chrome steps.
How do I do a microphone test on Windows 11 or a laptop?
The test is the same on any laptop: press Start and speak. If it stays silent on Windows 11, open Settings, Privacy & security, Microphone, and make sure Microphone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone are on; then check Settings, System, Sound, Input for the right device and a non-zero volume. On a Mac, use System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone and enable your browser.
Can I hear myself, and is my recording uploaded?
Yes to the first, no to the second. Record 5, 10, 30 seconds and play the clip back in the page. It is held in memory in this tab, can be downloaded in the browser's recording format or as WAV, and disappears when you discard it or close the tab. For live monitoring (microphone straight to speakers) there is an explicit switch, off by default, capped at 50% volume and run through a limiter. Wear headphones, because speakers will feed back into the mic. For longer or saved recordings, use the Voice Recorder tool.
Why are echo cancellation, noise suppression and auto gain off?
They are off by default so you hear the raw microphone, which is what shows a real hardware or room problem. Browsers normally switch them on for calls, and they hide things: auto gain covers a mic that is too quiet, noise suppression flatters the noise floor. Turn any of them on to hear the difference. The panel shows the values the browser actually applied, which can differ from what was requested because some browsers and devices ignore the request.
Is the dB number accurate? What do the checks mean?
The numbers are dBFS, the level of the digital signal the browser receives: 0 dBFS is the maximum, and speech usually peaks well below it. It is not a sound-pressure reading of how loud your room is (use the Decibel Meter tool for an approximate dB SPL estimate). "Too quiet" means the peak stayed below -30 dBFS while you spoke, and clipping means a sample reached 0.99 or more of full scale. The noise floor assumes you stayed silent for the first second, and the thresholds are practical rules of thumb, not an industry standard. Results vary by browser, operating system and driver.
What your mic test level means
The meter shows dBFS, decibels relative to digital full scale: 0 is the loudest value a digital signal can hold and every halving of amplitude is about 6 dB lower. The table is what the verdict uses for your loudest moment (peak) while you speak.
| Peak level | Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| -0.09 dBFS and above | Clipping | Samples hit digital full scale, so the waveform is flattened and sounds distorted. Lower the input volume or move back from the mic. |
| -3 to -0.09 dBFS | Very hot | Right at the edge. One louder syllable will clip. Back the input gain off a little. |
| -18 to -3 dBFS | Healthy | A good recording level for speech: loud enough to sit well above the noise floor with headroom to spare. |
| -30 to -18 dBFS | Low but usable | Works, but you are using little of the range, so background noise will be relatively louder. Raise the input volume or move closer. |
| -60 to -30 dBFS | Too quiet | A signal is arriving but it is very weak. Check the input volume, the mic distance, and that you picked the right device. |
| below -60 dBFS | No signal | Practically nothing is coming through. Usually muted, the wrong input device, or an OS privacy block. |
- Noise floor, measured while you are silent, is graded the same way: very noisy (-40 dBFS and above); noisy (-50 to -40 dBFS); moderate (-60 to -50 dBFS); quiet (-90 to -60 dBFS); digital silence (below -90 dBFS). These bands are rules of thumb and vary by microphone type.
- A clipping event is logged when any sample reaches 0.99 of full scale. Clipped audio cannot be repaired afterwards, so lower the input volume rather than the recording.
- No signal is declared only if the peak never exceeds -60 dBFS after 4 seconds of the test running.
Related tools
More free, in-browser tools from the Device Tests set — every one runs locally, with no sign-up and no upload.