Camera test — is my webcam working?

How to use the camera test

1. Press Allow camera when your browser asks. The prompt appears in the address bar or as a pop-up — nothing starts until you agree.
2. Press Start camera to open the live preview. You should see yourself within a second or two.
3. If you have more than one camera, pick it from the dropdown — built-in, USB webcam, or a phone used as a webcam each show up separately.
4. Read the verdict below the preview: whether the camera works, the resolution and frame rate it is delivering, and whether the image is too dark or over-exposed.

What you should see

A working camera shows a clear, moving image of you within a second or two of pressing Start. The preview is mirrored by default — the same convention every selfie camera uses, so it feels natural. Text behind you will look back-to-front; that is the mirror, not a fault, and the snapshot you save is not mirrored. Use the Mirror toggle on the preview to switch it off.

Below the preview the test reports the resolution and frame rate your camera is actually delivering — not what it claims on the box, but what the browser receives right now. That is the number that matters on a video call.

My camera shows a black screen

A black preview almost always has one of a few causes, and this test helps tell them apart:

• A privacy shutter or cover. Many laptops and webcams have a sliding shutter or a physical kill-switch. If the test says the camera is on but every frame is black, check for one — or a sticker over the lens.
• Another app has the camera. Only one app can use a camera at a time. If Zoom, Teams, Meet, or OBS is open, this test shows “in use by another application”. Close the other app and the test recovers on its own.
• Permission is blocked. If you previously denied access, the browser will not even prompt. Allow the camera for this site in the address-bar icon or site settings.
• The wrong device is selected. A virtual camera (OBS, Snap Camera) or a disconnected webcam may be chosen. Pick your real camera from the dropdown.

My image is too dark or washed out

The test measures the brightness of the image your camera is sending and flags it when it is too dark or over-exposed. A dark image is the most common video-call complaint after “not working”. The fix is almost always the light, not the camera: face a window or a lamp rather than sitting with a bright window behind you. If you are washed out, you have too much light behind the camera — move the lamp or close the blind.

My video is choppy or laggy

The test counts the frames your camera actually delivers each second and compares it to the rate it claims. Cameras quietly drop their frame rate in low light — a longer exposure means fewer frames — and a busy computer does the same. If the measured rate is low, add light and close heavy applications, then run the test again. (The measured rate is also limited by your monitor’s refresh rate, so a very high-frame-rate camera may read lower here than its maximum.)

Does this webcam have a microphone?

Most webcams include a built-in microphone. When the test detects one, it links straight to the full microphone diagnostic so you can confirm your audio is clear and at the right level before a call — the two checks together tell you your whole setup is ready.

How this test works

The test uses your browser’s camera API to open a live video stream, then reads the actual settings the camera reports — resolution, frame rate, aspect ratio — and analyses the picture frame by frame to measure brightness and detect a covered lens. Everything runs locally in your browser. No video, image, or snapshot is ever recorded, uploaded, or stored; the snapshot button creates the file on your own device and nowhere else. When you stop the test or leave the tab, the camera is released and its indicator light turns off.

Why can’t it show my camera’s megapixels?

Browsers cannot read a camera’s true sensor specs — there is no megapixel, sensor-size, or lens information available to a web page. What this test reports is the resolution and frame rate of the stream the browser negotiated with your camera, which is what actually reaches a video call. Any tool that claims to “test your megapixels” is inferring it from the stream size, not measuring the sensor. We show only what the browser can honestly tell us.