Mic Test – Test Your Microphone Online, Free

Check your microphone in one click. Press Start test, speak normally, and watch the level meter move. You can also record a few seconds and play it back to hear exactly what other people hear.

How to use this mic test

Press Start test.
Your browser will ask to use your microphone — click Allow. The prompt usually appears just under the address bar.
Speak normally, as if you were on a call. The bar should move as you talk.
Press Record 5 seconds to capture a clip, then play it back to hear what others hear.
Press Stop when you are done. Your browser's recording indicator will switch off.

What the results mean

The meter shows your microphone's input level in real time. At a normal speaking volume the bar should move clearly and sit around the middle of its range, with louder moments reaching higher.

The bar moves well as you speak. Your microphone, its drivers and your browser permissions are all working. If an app still cannot hear you, the problem is in that app's settings.
The bar barely moves. The mic is connected but the input level is too low, or you are picking up the wrong device — a laptop's built-in mic instead of your headset, for example.
The bar is pinned near 100% whenever you speak. The input level is too high. Your audio is probably clipping, which sounds harsh and distorted to others. Lower the input level or move further back.
The bar is completely flat. No audio is reaching the browser at all. Work through the fix-it steps below for your system.
The recording sounds muffled or distant. The mic is working but positioned badly, or something is covering it — a laptop case, a palm rest, or a phone case over the bottom mic.

Not working? Fix it

The most common cause by far is a blocked permission prompt. Start with your browser, then your operating system, then the app you were trying to use.

First: unblock the microphone in your browser

Chrome, Edge and Brave (desktop)

Look for the padlock, tune or camera icon at the left of the address bar and click it.
Find Microphone and set it to Allow.
Reload this page and press Start test again.
If Microphone is not listed, open chrome://settings/content/microphone, check this site is not under “Not allowed to use your microphone”, and remove it from that list if it is.

Safari on Mac

With this page open, choose Safari → Settings for This Website from the menu bar.
Set Microphone to Allow.
Reload and press Start test.
For a site-wide check, go to Safari → Settings → Websites → Microphone and review the list there.

Firefox

Click the padlock in the address bar.
If you see “Blocked” beside Use the Microphone, click the × next to it to clear the block.
Reload the page. The permission prompt will appear again.
Firefox remembers a permanent block if you ticked “Remember this decision”. Clearing it as above is the only way to get the prompt back.

Safari on iPhone and iPad

Tap the aA or page-settings icon in the address bar.
Tap Website Settings and set Microphone to Ask or Allow.
Then check Settings → Safari → Microphone is not set to Deny.
In-app browsers — the ones that open inside messaging and social apps — often cannot request microphone access at all. Open this page in Safari directly.

Chrome on Android

Tap the padlock or tune icon in the address bar, then Permissions.
Set Microphone to Allow and reload.
If nothing happens, check Android itself: Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions → Microphone.
Check the global microphone toggle in Quick Settings is not switched off — on recent Android versions this blocks every app at once.

Next: check your operating system

Windows 11 and Windows 10

Open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone.
Turn on Microphone access, then Let apps access your microphone, and make sure Let desktop apps access your microphone is on — browsers count as desktop apps, and this last switch is the one people miss.
Open Settings → System → Sound and confirm the right device is selected under Input. Speak, and watch the test bar there move.
Still flat? Right-click the speaker icon → Sound settings → More sound settings → Recording. Right-click your mic → Properties → Levels and raise the level. Check the Enhancements tab and disable all enhancements.
If the device is missing entirely, open Device Manager and look for a warning triangle under Audio inputs and outputs.

macOS

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and switch on your browser.
macOS requires the browser to be restarted after granting this. Quit it completely with ⌘Q — closing the window is not enough — and reopen.
Open System Settings → Sound → Input, select the correct device and watch the input level as you speak.
Raise Input volume if the level is low.

iPhone and iPad

Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and switch on your browser.
Check Silent mode or Focus is not muting the device.
Remove any case covering the bottom microphone, and clear dust from the mic opening with a soft dry brush.
If Bluetooth earbuds are connected, iOS may be using their microphone instead. Disconnect them and test again.

Android

Open Settings → Apps → [your browser] → Permissions → Microphone and set it to Allow.
Pull down Quick Settings and check the global Microphone access toggle is on.
Disconnect Bluetooth headsets, which take over the mic when paired.
Restart in safe mode to rule out another app holding the microphone.

Chromebook

Open Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Microphone.
Confirm the correct input device is chosen in the dropdown there.
Click the clock, then the arrow beside the volume slider, to pick the input device quickly.
If a USB mic is not listed, try another port and sign out and back in.

If the test works but an app cannot hear you

This is the most reassuring outcome: your microphone and drivers are fine and the problem is confined to that one app.

Zoom

In a meeting, click the arrow beside the microphone icon and choose the right device.
Open Settings → Audio and press Test Mic. Watch the Input Level bar.
Turn off Automatically adjust microphone volume if your level keeps dropping mid-call, then set it manually.
Check you are not muted by the host — the icon shows this.

Microsoft Teams

Open Settings → Devices and choose the right microphone.
Run Make a test call and listen back.
In the browser version, Teams needs the browser's microphone permission as well as its own — check both.
Clearing the Teams cache resolves device lists that are stuck or empty.

Discord

Open User Settings → Voice & Video.
Set Input Device, then use Let's Check to hear yourself.
If your voice cuts in and out, switch Input Mode to Push to Talk, or lower the input sensitivity threshold — automatic sensitivity often cuts off quieter speakers.
Disable Noise Suppression temporarily to rule it out.

Google Meet

Click the three dots → Settings → Audio and pick the microphone.
Speak and watch the level indicator beside the device name.
Meet runs in the browser, so the browser permission steps above apply directly.
Close other tabs using the mic — only one can hold it at a time.

Still no sound at all?

If you have worked through the steps and the bar is still flat, these are the remaining culprits, in the order worth checking:

Another app is holding the microphone. On Windows and macOS only one app can use it at a time in many configurations. Quit Zoom, Teams, Discord and any other browser window completely, then retry.
A physical mute switch. Many headsets have one on the cable or earcup, and some laptops have a mute key with an indicator light.
The wrong device is the default. Plugging in a monitor or a pair of earbuds can silently switch the default input.
A faulty cable or port. Try another USB port, and another cable if you can. A 3.5 mm headset plugged into a headphone-only port will play audio but never record.
Driver trouble. On Windows, uninstalling the device in Device Manager and restarting lets Windows reinstall it cleanly.

Frequently asked questions

Is my audio recorded or uploaded anywhere?

No. The test runs entirely in your browser using the Web Audio API. The level meter reads the signal locally, and if you press Record, the clip is held in your browser's memory and played back from there. Nothing is sent to this site or anywhere else — there is no upload code on the page. Closing the tab discards it.

Why does my browser ask for permission?

Browsers block microphone access until you explicitly allow it, on every site, every time a new site asks. That prompt is the browser protecting you, not this site requesting anything unusual. If you dismiss it or click Block, the test cannot read your mic and you will need to clear the block in your browser settings — see the fix-it steps above.

The bar moves but my mic is still too quiet on calls. Why?

Apps apply their own input level, separate from the system one. A mic that registers here but sounds faint in Zoom or Teams usually has its level turned down inside that app, or is being automatically adjusted by it. Check the app's own audio settings first, then the system input level. Speaking 10–15 cm from the mic rather than across a desk also makes a large difference.

What level should the bar reach?

When speaking at a normal conversational volume, the bar should move clearly and sit roughly in the middle of its range, with louder moments pushing higher without pinning at 100% constantly. A bar that barely twitches means the input level is too low. A bar that sits at 100% whenever you speak means the level is too high and your audio is likely distorting.

It works here but not in Zoom, Teams or Discord. What now?

That is good news: the microphone and its drivers are fine, so the problem is inside that app. Almost always it is the wrong input device selected, or the app lacks its own operating-system permission. Both are covered in the per-app steps above.

Does this work on an iPhone or Android phone?

Yes. The test works in Safari on iPhone and iPad, and in Chrome and Samsung Internet on Android. On iPhone, microphone access only works over HTTPS and only in a browser tab you opened yourself, not inside an in-app browser such as the one in a messaging app. If the prompt never appears on a phone, open the page directly in Safari or Chrome.

Why is there no sound coming out of my speakers during the test?

That is deliberate. Playing your microphone back through your speakers in real time causes an immediate feedback howl. Use the Record button to capture a few seconds and play it back instead — and use headphones if you want to listen while the mic is live.

My microphone picks up a constant hiss or buzz. How do I fix it?

A steady hiss usually means the input gain is too high for the mic — lower it and move closer. A buzz or hum, particularly at mains frequency, usually means interference: try a different USB port, move the cable away from power adapters and monitors, and if you are using a laptop, test on battery to see whether the charger is the source.

Mic Test – Check Your Microphone Online

Microphone test