Mic test
Check that your microphone works, how loud you are, and how much background noise it picks up. Audio stays in your browser.
Your browser will ask for microphone access. Choose Allow.
Reading the results
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Meter stays at −∞ or below −80 | No signal. The mic is muted (check headset buttons), the wrong device is selected, or the OS is blocking it. |
| Speech around −30 to −18 dBFS | A healthy level for calls and voice recording. |
| Peaks at 0 dBFS, "Clipping: Yes" | Too loud; the waveform is being cut off. Lower the input gain. |
| Noise floor above −45 dBFS | Audible hiss or room noise. Move closer to the mic, away from fans, or reduce gain and speak up. |
| Spectrum has little above 4 kHz | A narrowband or heavily compressed input, typical of Bluetooth headset mics in call mode. Voices will sound muffled. |
Fixing a mic that is not detected
Windows
Open Settings › System › Sound › Input and pick your microphone, then speak and watch the input bar. If it is missing, check Settings › Privacy & security › Microphone and make sure "Let desktop apps access your microphone" is on.
macOS
Open System Settings › Sound › Input and choose the device. Then allow your browser under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone, and restart the browser.
iPhone and Android
Allow microphone access for your browser in the system settings (Settings › Safari › Microphone on iOS, or App info › Permissions on Android). Only one app can usually use the mic at a time, so close call apps first.
This page turns off the browser's echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain so you hear the raw signal. Call apps usually switch those on, so you may sound a little cleaner in them than in the recording here.
Still not working? Describe it
An AI assistant turns your description into step-by-step fixes for your device and system. It only answers audio-equipment questions, and it can be wrong, so check steps against your device's manual.
Questions people ask
Is my microphone audio uploaded anywhere?
No. The mic test processes audio inside your browser. The optional recording is kept in memory for playback and discarded when you leave the page. Only if you use the AI troubleshooter are the numeric readings (not audio) sent with your description.
What is a good microphone level?
For speech, aim for peaks between about −18 and −6 dBFS with an average around −30 to −20 dBFS. Peaks at 0 dBFS mean clipping (harsh distortion); an average below about −45 dBFS will sound faint to others.
The meter moves here but my app cannot hear me. Why?
Your microphone works, so the issue is the app. Check the input device chosen inside the app (Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS), the operating system's microphone privacy permission for that app, and that it is not muted by a headset button.
The browser never asks for microphone permission. What now?
Look for a camera/mic icon in the address bar and set it to Allow, then reload. On macOS also check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone; on Windows, Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Pages must be served over HTTPS for the prompt to appear.
What is the noise floor?
The level your mic picks up when nobody is speaking: fans, traffic, electrical hiss. Lower is better. Around −60 dBFS or below is quiet; above −45 dBFS background noise will be noticeable on calls and recordings.
Keep testing
- Spectrum analyzerReal-time FFT of your microphone with peak hold and note readout.
- Speaker testChannel, range and polarity checks for stereo speakers.
- Headphone testChannels, phase, bass extension and treble in one pass.