Webcam Test

Start your camera

1. Press Start camera and allow camera access when the browser asks.
2. Check the preview for focus, exposure and color. It starts mirrored; press Mirror to see the picture the way others see it.
3. If you have more than one camera, choose another from the Camera list. While the preview is live, it switches to the new camera straight away.
4. Read Camera details: the camera’s name, the resolution and aspect ratio the browser receives, the frame rate reported and measured, and which way it faces.
5. Press Stop to release the camera. Its light should go off, and the result card keeps the resolution and frame rate so you can copy or share them.

How do I know if my webcam is working?

A webcam is working when a live, moving picture appears after you allow camera access, which shows the camera sends video your browser can use. Motion should look smooth, and the picture should not be black or frozen. An error instead usually means access is blocked, another app is using the camera, or none is connected.

Camera not working?

1. If access was blocked, allow the camera for this site in your browser’s site settings, usually from the icon at the left of the address bar, then press Start camera again. See how to allow camera access in each browser.
2. If you opened this page from a link inside another app, such as Facebook or Gmail, that app’s built-in browser may block the camera. Open the page in your browser instead: see camera or mic blocked in an in-app browser.
3. If it is still blocked, your system may be blocking the browser. In Windows 11, select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Camera and turn on Camera access, Let apps access your camera and Let desktop apps access your camera; browsers count as desktop apps. On a Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and turn on your browser.
4. If the page says the camera may be in use by another app, close video call apps and any other browser that is using it, then try again.
5. If no camera is found, check the cable or USB port, any camera key or switch on the laptop, and that the camera is enabled in your system’s settings.
6. If the preview stays black with no error, open the privacy shutter or remove the cover, and check that the Camera list is not set to a virtual camera from software that is not running.
7. Still not working? Follow the driver and settings steps in webcam not working.

Sources: Microsoft Support: Manage app permissions for a camera in Windows; Apple Support: Control access to the camera on Mac; Google Chrome Help: Use your camera and microphone in Chrome. Checked October 6, 2026.

Resolution and FPS

Resolution is the size of each frame your browser receives, such as 1280 × 720 (720p) or 1920 × 1080 (1080p). This test asks for 1920 × 1080, so a camera that can do more may still show 1080p here; the Webcam Resolution Test asks for every common size up to 4K and lists which ones the camera delivers.

FPS, frames per second, is how smooth the video is. Frame rate reported is what the camera says it is set to; Frame rate measured counts the frames that actually arrive. A measured rate well below the reported one usually means the room is too dark, since many webcams lengthen each exposure in dim light, or that the computer is busy.

Why your webcam looks dark, grainy or blurry

• Dark or grainy: webcam sensors are small and need plenty of light. In a dim room they boost the signal, which adds grain, and many lengthen each exposure, which lowers Frame rate measured. Face a window or a lamp.
• Blurry: wipe the lens with a soft cloth. A camera with autofocus needs a moment to settle, and many webcams cannot focus very close up.
• Flickering or rolling bands under LED or fluorescent lights: set the camera’s anti-flicker option to your mains frequency, 50 or 60 Hz, in the camera’s own app or settings where it has one. A web page cannot change it.
• A dark face or odd colors: a bright window behind you makes automatic exposure darken your face, and daylight mixed with lamp light confuses white balance. Put the main light in front of you.

Before a Zoom or Teams call or an exam

1. Check the camera and the microphone together with the Webcam and Mic Test, a few minutes before you join.
2. Close other apps and browser tabs that might hold the camera, then choose the same camera in the call or exam app’s video settings.
3. Put a light in front of you, not behind you, and clean the lens.
4. If the exam uses its own browser or proctoring app, run that app’s own system check as well: it can need permissions this page does not.

What this test can detect

• Whether the camera starts, or the reason it cannot: blocked, not found or in use by another app.
• Which camera is live, by name, and whether it faces front or back when the browser reports it.
• Problems you can see in the preview: a covered or dirty lens, poor focus, or a dark, grainy or washed-out picture.
• The resolution and aspect ratio of the video your browser receives, for example 1920 × 1080 and 16:9.
• Choppy video: a measured frame rate that is low, unsteady or well below the reported rate.

How it works

The page opens the camera with getUserMedia and asks for an ideal 1920 × 1080, not an exact size, so a 1080p camera is not held to the browser’s smaller default, often 640 × 480. A camera that cannot deliver 1920 × 1080 still starts, at the size the browser picks as closest.

Resolution is the size of the frames the page receives, and Frame rate reported comes from the track’s settings. Frame rate measured counts the frames presented over the last second with requestVideoFrameCallback, updated twice a second. Aspect ratio is named as a common ratio, such as 16:9, when within 2% of it. Mirror flips only the preview.