Microphone Test
Speak and watch a live level meter to check that your microphone works and the right one is used.
Mic Test with Playback
Press Record, speak for a few seconds, press Stop, then press Play to hear how your microphone makes you sound. Recording stops by itself at 30 seconds. The clip stays in your browser’s memory and is never uploaded; Download saves it to your device.
The recording is kept in memory in your browser only. It is never uploaded, and it is discarded when you delete it or close the tab.
Other microphones appear here once you allow access.
Ready
Runs entirely in your browser. Test results, audio and video never leave your device.
Record and play back
- Choose the microphone from the Microphone list, or leave Default microphone. Other microphones appear once you allow access.
- Press Record and allow microphone access if the browser asks. The timer counts up while you record.
- Speak as you would on a call, at your usual distance, then press Stop. Recording stops by itself at 0:30.
- Press Play to listen, ideally on headphones, and Pause to stop partway. Next to the buttons you see the clip’s length, size and format.
- Press Download to save the clip as a file on your device, for example to compare two microphones. It is saved straight from your browser’s memory, not through a server.
- Press Delete to discard the clip. Recording again replaces it, and closing the tab discards it too.
How can I hear what my microphone sounds like?
Record a few seconds of speech and play it back: hearing the recording is the most direct way to judge a microphone, because a level meter shows how loud the signal is, not whether it sounds muffled, echoey or buzzing. Speak at the distance and volume you use on calls, and listen on headphones you know, so your speakers do not color the result.
What good sound sounds like
A clear recording sounds close and steady: your voice at an even level from the first word to the last, loud words without crackle or distortion, little echo from the room, and quiet pauses with no hum, hiss or fan noise. On headphones it should sound much like you do in a call.
Your own voice will still sound a little thinner than you expect; the next section explains why. Compare the shape of the sound, not how much you like your voice.
Why do I sound different on a recording?
When you speak, you hear your own voice partly through the bones of your head, which adds low tones. A recording carries only the sound in the air, so it usually sounds thinner and higher than you expect. That is normal and not a microphone fault.
The browser also processes the sound before it is recorded. Chrome, Edge and Firefox apply echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain control by default, and the page keeps those defaults, so the clip is closer to what people hear in a browser call than to the raw microphone.
Fix echo, noise and low volume
| What you hear | Likely cause | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Muffled or dull | The mic is covered or pointing away, or a Bluetooth headset is in its hands-free call mode. | Uncover the mic and point it at your mouth, or try a wired mic. |
| Distorted on loud words | The input level is too high, so the loudest sounds clip. | Lower the input volume or move back, and watch for Clipping in the Microphone Test. |
| Distant or echoey | The mic is far from you, or the room has hard, bare surfaces. | Move closer. Curtains and soft furnishings reduce echo. |
| Hum or buzz | Electrical interference, for example from a charger, a USB hub or a damaged cable. | Try another cable or port, and unplug nearby chargers. |
| Robotic or warbling voice | Strong noise suppression, or a weak Bluetooth connection. | Record in a quieter room, try a wired mic, or move the headset closer to the computer. |
| Too quiet | The input volume is low, or the mic is far from your mouth. | Move closer, then raise the input volume: in Windows 11 under Settings > System > Sound > Input, on a Mac under System Settings > Sound > Input. |
| Silence | The mic is muted, or it is not the one you spoke into. | Check its mute switch and the Microphone list, then record again. |
Sources: Microsoft Support: Fix microphone problems; Apple Support: Change the sound input settings on Mac. Checked October 6, 2026.
What this test can detect
- How your voice sounds through the microphone: clear, muffled, distant or distorted.
- Hum, hiss, echo and background noise recorded along with your voice.
- Whether you recorded the microphone you meant: a laptop or webcam mic across the desk sounds distant next to a headset.
- A microphone that records only silence because it is muted or not the one you spoke into.
- The clip’s length, file size and format, for example 0:07 · 112 KB · audio/webm.
How it works
The page opens the microphone with getUserMedia and records it with the browser’s MediaRecorder, in the first format the browser supports: Opus audio in WebM, then plain WebM, MP4, and Opus in Ogg; otherwise the browser chooses. The recorder hands over audio every 250 ms, and a timer checks the length every 100 ms and stops at 30 seconds.
Pressing Stop releases the microphone and joins the audio into one clip held in memory, which your browser’s own audio player plays. The length shown is timed by the page, not read from the file. Delete removes the clip.
Limitations
- Recordings stop at 30 seconds and only one clip is kept at a time: it is a quick check, not a voice recorder. Download the clip if you want to keep it.
- There is no level meter or live monitoring while you record. To watch the level and catch clipping as you speak, use the Microphone Test.
- In some browsers the player cannot show the clip’s length or let you skip within it. The clip still plays from start to end, and its length is shown next to the buttons.
Frequently asked questions
Is my recording uploaded or saved anywhere?
No. The clip exists only in your browser’s memory on your device. It is never sent to a server, and it is gone once you press Delete, record again or close the tab. The privacy policy explains how the site handles data.
Can I save my recording?
Yes. Press Download to save the clip as a file, such as mic-test-2026-10-06.webm; the format depends on your browser. The file is made in your browser’s memory and goes straight to your downloads, never to a server.
What should I say when I test my mic?
Read a sentence or two in your normal voice at your usual distance, with a few loud words and some s and p sounds, which show hiss and pops. Then stay quiet for a few seconds, so you can hear the background noise the mic picks up.
Why do I sound worse on Zoom or Discord than in the recording?
Usually because call apps apply their own processing and compress your voice to send it over the network, and a weak connection lowers the quality further. If the clip sounds clear, the microphone is fine: check which input the app uses and try its noise suppression settings.
Why does my voice get louder or quieter by itself?
Usually because of automatic gain control. It raises the level when you speak softly and lowers it when you get loud, which can also make background noise swell in pauses. Chrome, Edge and Firefox turn it on by default, and this page keeps it on.