Face the light
Put your main light source in front of you, not behind. A window facing you beats any camera upgrade.
Free webcam test
See what your camera is really showing
Press the button for a live preview, plus the resolution and frame rate your browser is actually getting. No account, no install, and nothing is recorded.
Start recording for freeNo sign inNo installNothing recorded
Your camera preview appears here
What the numbers under the preview mean
Resolution is how many pixels wide and tall your camera is sending. 1280 by 720 is fine for a call or a recording, and 1920 by 1080 is better if your lighting is good. Frame rate is how many pictures a second arrive. Thirty is normal and anything at or below fifteen will look stuttery when you move.
A camera can be working and still look poor. Most of the time the problem is light rather than hardware: a window behind you turns you into a silhouette, and a dim room forces the camera to brighten the picture, which adds grain and drops the frame rate.
The check runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is recorded, nothing is uploaded, and the camera and microphone are released the moment you stop or leave the page.
Fix a black or frozen preview
Three checks that cover almost every failed camera.
- 1
Allow the browser
Click the padlock or camera icon beside the address bar, set the camera to Allow, then reload. A blocked permission and a broken camera look identical.
- 2
Check the privacy shutter
Many laptops and monitors have a physical slider or a function key that cuts the camera. If the preview is black but the light is on, start here.
- 3
Release it from other apps
Video call apps often hold the camera even in the background. Quit them, then start the test again and pick the right camera from the selector.
Small things that make a big difference
Raise the camera
Lift the laptop so the lens is near eye level. Looking slightly up at people reads as more attentive than looking down at them.
Clean the lens
A smudged lens is the most common cause of a soft, hazy picture, and it takes one wipe to fix.
FAQ
Camera questions, answered plainly
Is my video saved anywhere?
No. The preview is drawn in your browser from a live stream and is never captured, stored or uploaded. Stopping the test releases the camera immediately.
Why is my preview mirrored?
We flip it on purpose, because people expect to see themselves as they look in a mirror. What you send to others is not flipped.
My preview is black but the camera light is on.
Something is covering or intercepting the lens. Check a physical privacy shutter, a function key camera toggle, and any camera effects app running in the background.
Why is my resolution lower than my camera supports?
Browsers hand out a stream that fits the request and the available bandwidth and processing. A camera capable of 1080p often delivers 720p, which is perfectly good for recording.
Can I test my microphone at the same time?
Yes. The combined webcam and mic check runs both together, which is exactly the check worth doing before a call.
Which browsers are supported?
Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, Brave and Arc all work. Camera access needs an https page, which this one is.
Do I need to install anything?
No. There is nothing to download and no extension. The page uses the camera support built into your browser.
Next, once your camera looks right
Ready to record something?
It runs in your browser. Nothing to install, no card, and the link works for anyone you send it to.
Start recording for free