CheckMyBits

Webcam Test – Check Your Camera Online

Check your webcam in one click. Press Start test and you will see a live preview, along with the resolution and the frame rate your camera is actually delivering.

Runs in your browser. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.

How to use this webcam test

  1. Press Start test.
  2. Your browser will ask to use your camera — click Allow.
  3. Check the preview. You should see yourself, right way up and in colour.
  4. Read the resolution and frame rate underneath. On a phone, use Switch camera to check the other one.
  5. Press Stop when done — your camera light will go out.

What the results mean

Not working? Fix it

First: unblock the camera in your browser

Chrome, Edge and Brave (desktop)
  1. Click the padlock or camera icon at the left of the address bar.
  2. Set Camera to Allow.
  3. Reload this page and press Start test.
  4. If it is not listed, open chrome://settings/content/camera and remove this site from “Not allowed to use your camera”.
  5. Check the dropdown at the top of that page is set to the camera you expect — Chrome remembers a default that may be a virtual camera left behind by other software.
Safari on Mac
  1. Choose Safari → Settings for This Website.
  2. Set Camera to Allow.
  3. Reload the page.
  4. Then check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and make sure Safari is switched on there too. Both are needed.
Firefox
  1. Click the padlock in the address bar.
  2. Clear any “Blocked” entry beside Use the Camera with the ×.
  3. Reload, and the prompt will return.
  4. Firefox keeps a permanent block if you ticked “Remember this decision”; clearing it as above is the only way back.
Safari on iPhone and iPad
  1. Tap aA in the address bar → Website Settings.
  2. Set Camera to Ask or Allow.
  3. Check Settings → Safari → Camera is not set to Deny.
  4. In-app browsers often cannot request camera access. Open the page in Safari directly.
Chrome on Android
  1. Tap the padlock → Permissions → Camera → Allow.
  2. Check Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions → Camera.
  3. Check the global camera toggle in Quick Settings — on recent Android versions it blocks every app at once.

Next: check your operating system

Windows 11 and Windows 10
  1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Camera.
  2. Turn on Camera access, Let apps access your camera, and Let desktop apps access your camera — browsers count as desktop apps, and that last switch is the one most often missed.
  3. Look for a physical shutter or a function key with a camera icon. Many laptops disable the camera in hardware, and no software setting will override it.
  4. Open Device Manager and check under Cameras for a warning triangle. Right-click → Uninstall device, then restart; Windows reinstalls it cleanly.
macOS
  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and switch on your browser.
  2. Quit the browser completely with ⌘Q and reopen — macOS does not apply the change until then, and closing the window is not enough.
  3. If the camera is still black, check Screen Time: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy → Apps, where Camera can be switched off entirely.
iPhone, iPad and Android
  1. iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera, then switch on your browser. Also check Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Allowed Apps, where Camera can be hidden completely.
  2. Android: Settings → Apps → [browser] → Permissions → Camera.
  3. Remove any case or cover sitting over the lens.
  4. Restart the phone if the camera is held by a crashed app.
Chromebook
  1. Open Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Camera.
  2. Allow this site and pick the right camera from the dropdown.
  3. Check for a physical privacy shutter on the bezel.
  4. Sign out and back in if a USB camera is not detected.

If the test works but an app shows black

Zoom
  1. Click the arrow beside the video icon and choose the right camera.
  2. Open Settings → Video and check the preview there.
  3. Make sure Stop Video is not toggled on.
  4. Virtual-background processing can fail on older hardware and show black. Turn it off to rule it out.
Microsoft Teams
  1. Open Settings → Devices and select the camera.
  2. Check the preview on that screen before joining.
  3. The browser version needs the browser's camera permission as well as Teams' own.
  4. Close the desktop app entirely if you are joining in a browser — the two compete for the camera.
Discord and Google Meet
  1. Discord: User Settings → Voice & Video → set Video Device and press Test Video.
  2. Meet: three dots → Settings → Video and pick the camera.
  3. Both run in or alongside the browser, so the browser permission steps above apply.
  4. Only one app can hold the camera at a time — close the others first.

Still showing black?

Frequently asked questions

Is my video recorded or uploaded?
No. The preview is drawn straight from your camera into this page and discarded frame by frame. There is no upload code here. If you press Take a snapshot, the still is drawn onto a canvas inside the page — it is never encoded to a file, saved or sent anywhere, and it disappears when you close the tab.
Why is my camera preview completely black?
Almost always one of three things: a physical privacy shutter or sliding cover is closed, another app is already holding the camera, or a laptop has a function key that disables it. Check for a sliding cover first — many business laptops have one and it is easy to forget. Then close Zoom, Teams, Discord and any other browser tab completely.
What resolution should I expect?
Most built-in laptop cameras are 720p (1280 × 720). Newer ones and most external webcams reach 1080p (1920 × 1080). This page asks for 1280 × 720 and takes the closest your camera can give, so the figure shown is what it actually delivered, not what it claims to support.
Why is my frame rate lower than the camera claims?
Three common reasons. Poor light is the biggest: cameras lengthen their exposure in dim rooms, and a longer exposure means fewer frames per second. A slow or shared USB hub is the next. And another app holding the camera at the same time will starve it. Try turning a light on first — it usually makes the largest difference.
The test works but Zoom or Teams shows a black screen. Why?
Your camera and drivers are fine, so the problem is inside that app. Usually it has the wrong camera selected, or it lacks its own operating-system permission, which is separate from your browser's. Both are covered in the per-app steps above.
Can I use this on my phone?
Yes, and you can switch between the front and rear cameras if your phone has both. On iPhone, camera access only works in Safari or Chrome opened directly, not inside an in-app browser such as the one in a messaging app.
My picture is grainy or washed out. Is the camera faulty?
Usually not. Grain is the camera amplifying a dark image, and washed-out colour is usually a bright window behind you confusing the exposure. Add light in front of you rather than behind, and the same camera will look markedly better. Persistent blur with good light may just be a smudged lens — they pick up fingerprints easily.
Why does my camera light stay on after I finish?
It should not. Press Stop and the indicator should go out within a second. If it stays lit after that, another tab or app is holding the camera — this page releases it on Stop and again when you navigate away.

Last updated 17 October 2026