Mic Test
Is my mic working? Test your microphone in the browser: see a live waveform and level meter, catch clipping, measure the noise floor and signal-to-noise ratio, switch inputs and processing, and record a clip to hear yourself. Audio stays on your device.
The list of microphones appears after you allow access.
On is how most call apps hear you. Turn all three off to hear the raw mic. Changing one restarts the stream; the readout on the left shows what the device actually applied.
Stay silent for 3 seconds while we measure the background, then talk normally for 5 seconds.
Record a short clip and listen with headphones to hear what others hear.
Private by design: the audio is analysed and recorded in your browser and never uploaded. The microphone is released as soon as you press Stop or leave the page.
Is your mic working? How to read and fix it
Mic not working? Check these first
If the meter stays flat, start with permissions. Windows has a master switch in Settings, Privacy & security, Microphone, and macOS lists each app under System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone. Next, make sure the right input is picked above: laptops often default to the built-in mic or a webcam mic instead of your headset. Many headsets have a mute switch on the cable or a flip-to-mute boom, and the "pure silence" warning above usually means one of those is on.
Bluetooth headsets sound worse on calls
Classic Bluetooth cannot send high-quality stereo and use the mic at the same time. When an app opens the mic, the headset drops from A2DP (music quality) to the HFP headset profile, often 16 kHz or even 8 kHz mono, so your voice and your audio both sound thin. The sample rate shown above gives it away. A wired or USB mic avoids it.
How to read the SNR
SNR is your speech level minus the background level. Under 15 dB is poor, 15 to 25 dB is fine for calls, 25 to 40 dB is good, and over 40 dB is studio clean. With noise suppression on, the noise floor can read unrealistically low, so turn it off for an honest number. Normal speech should sit around -30 to -12 dBFS with peaks below -6. Any red CLIP means the signal hit the ceiling and is distorted.
Tips for a better sound
Distance matters most: a mic 10 to 20 cm from your mouth gives far better SNR than one on the desk, since halving the distance adds about 6 dB of voice. Set the system input gain so you never clip, then cut the noise at the source: fans, open windows, keyboard taps. Soft furnishings tame echo. A cheap mic close up usually beats an expensive one across the room.
Why calls sound different
Call apps switch on echo cancellation, noise suppression and auto gain, which is what the toggles above control. They help on calls but can make a voice sound muffled or pumping. Record a clip with them on and off to hear the difference yourself.
Related tools
Measure how loud a room is with the decibel meter, make longer recordings with the voice recorder, check left and right output with the headphone test, and test your camera before a call with the webcam test.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I block microphone permission?
The page asks with getUserMedia when you press Test my microphone. If you block it, or the system blocks the browser, the status is denied and a message titled Microphone access was blocked appears. The meter does not keep running. Allow the microphone for this site in the address bar, then press the button again. A missing mic, or one another app has locked, gets its own message instead of a flat meter with no explanation.
Is the meter a calibrated decibel meter?
No. The readout is dBFS, decibels relative to digital full scale, not dB SPL. The page reads float samples from an AnalyserNode, about -1 to 1, and shows 20 log10 of their RMS. There is no calibration to sound pressure. System input gain, plus echo cancellation, noise suppression and auto gain (all on by default), change the number. Clipping lights up when a sample reaches 0.99 in either direction, just under digital full scale. Use the number to see whether the mic is live, quiet, loud or clipping, not as a room sound-pressure reading.
Does the recording leave my browser?
No. Analysis stays in this tab. Record uses MediaRecorder on the local stream, builds a blob, and plays that blob in the audio player. Download saves the same clip to your computer as WebM, M4A or OGG, depending on the browser. The audio is not uploaded. The only thing saved in this browser is the processing switches and the 5 or 10 second choice, not the audio.
How do I turn the microphone off?
Press Stop beside the level readout. That stops every track on the stream and closes the audio context, which turns the browser mic indicator off. Leaving the page does the same. Stop under Record and play back only ends the clip. The mic stays on until you press the main Stop button or leave.
How do I hear the clip I just recorded?
The mic test has to be running. Press Record for 5 or 10 seconds, or press Stop under Record and play back to finish early. When the recorder stops, a player shows that clip. Use its play control. If this browser has no MediaRecorder, the page says it cannot record, and no player appears.
What does the SNR number mean?
It is speech level minus the noise floor, both in dBFS, so the gap is in dB. It is not a calibrated loudness. Stay quiet for 3 seconds (the first 0.3 seconds are skipped), then talk for 5 seconds. Speech uses the loudest 30 percent of those frames. Below 6 dB the verdict is no speech heard, below 15 is poor, below 25 is fair, below 40 is good, and 40 or above is excellent. Noise suppression can push the noise floor down, so turn it off for a floor closer to the raw mic.