Start here if the mic seems dead
Most microphone problems come down to one of four things: the browser has not been allowed to use the mic, the operating system is blocking it, the wrong input device is selected, or the mic is muted somewhere. The meter on this page tells you which side of the line you are on. If it moves when you talk, the microphone, the system and the browser are all cooperating, and any remaining issue sits in the app you want to use, such as a call program.
If the meter stays flat and the verdict reads silence, work through the list below. Start with the permission prompt, because it is the most frequent cause and the quickest to fix. After that, check the device list on this page, then the operating system's privacy settings, then any physical mute switch or inline button on a headset cable.
Remember that the page can only show what reaches the browser. A mic that works in one app can still be silent here if another program has taken exclusive control of it.
Two quick swaps often settle the matter. Plug in a different microphone or headset, even a cheap one, and see whether the meter responds; if it does, the first device is the culprit. Then try a different browser. If the meter moves there, the first browser has a blocked permission or an extension interfering with the mic.
Fixing browser permission by browser
In Chrome and other Chromium browsers, such as Edge, click the icon to the left of the address bar, find Microphone in the list, and set it to Allow. If you once pressed Block, the prompt will not return until you change this. Reload the page afterwards. The same setting is under Privacy and security, then Site settings, then Microphone. Menu names change between browser versions; if a label differs, look for Microphone in the site or privacy settings.
In Firefox, click the permissions icon at the left of the address bar, remove the blocked Microphone entry, and reload so that the prompt appears again. In Safari on a Mac, open Safari settings, go to Websites, choose Microphone, and set this site to Allow. On an iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app, scroll to Safari, and look at Microphone.
Permission is remembered per site, and a page that is not served over a secure connection is refused the microphone entirely. This page is served securely. If you are on a work computer, an administrator policy may also block microphone access in the browser, and only your IT department can lift that.
On Android, open the browser's site settings from the address bar and allow the microphone, and also check the system permission for the browser app itself. An in-app browser inside a social app often has no microphone access at all, so open the page in the regular browser.
Fixing permission in Windows and macOS
On Windows, open Settings, then Privacy and security, then Microphone. Three switches matter: microphone access as a whole, access for apps, and the permission for desktop apps, which covers browsers on some versions. Turn them on. Then open Sound settings, find your input device under Input, and speak while you watch the volume bar there. If it does not move, the problem is below the browser level.
On a Mac, open System Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Microphone, and make sure your browser is switched on in the list. After switching it on you may be asked to quit and reopen the browser. Then check Sound settings, Input, where a level indicator also reacts to your voice. Menu names differ between versions of Windows and macOS; search the settings for Microphone if a path does not match.
If a headset is plugged in but the wrong device is chosen, either the system default or the one picked on this page may be the culprit. Selecting the headset explicitly on this page is a quick way to rule out the default.
Reading the level meter
The meter shows dBFS, decibels relative to digital full scale, where 0 is the loudest signal the system can carry and everything below is negative. That is why a healthy voice reads something like minus 30 to minus 15 on the level number, not a positive one. The table in the Numbers tab lists the ranges used for the verdict.
Aim for peaks between roughly minus 18 and minus 6 dBFS while you speak normally. That is loud enough to stay well above background noise, with space left for a sudden laugh or a raised voice. Staying below minus 40 dBFS most of the time suggests the mic is far away, or the input gain is too low. Touching 0 dBFS means clipping, where the top of the waveform is flattened and the voice turns harsh. The peak hold marker helps here, because it stays at the highest level you reached, long enough to read.
Silence does not read as minus infinity on a live mic. A quiet room usually shows a floor somewhere between minus 70 and minus 50 dBFS. If your floor sits at minus 35, there is steady noise such as a fan, an air conditioner or a computer humming, and moving the mic or the noise source will help.
One more habit helps: do a second pass with your loudest realistic speech, such as a laugh or a raised voice. If the peak marker stays under minus 6 dBFS in that case, you have enough headroom for the call itself, where excitement tends to push levels up.
Using the waveform and the device details
The waveform shows the shape of your voice in real time. A clean voice makes a lively, centered shape. A flat line means no signal. A shape with flattened tops and bottoms means clipping. A constant fuzz while you are silent indicates noise.
The device information lists the sample rate, the number of channels, and whether echo cancellation and noise suppression are active. Those last two are applied by the browser or the system before the sound reaches the page. They help on calls, but they can make a mic test sound thinner or cut the start of words, and they may remove music or singing along with the noise.
A headset microphone often reports one channel, and a studio USB microphone may show two. The sample rate is commonly 44.1 or 48 kHz. Call programs prefer 48 kHz, and a mismatch is rarely a problem, since the system resamples as needed.
Use the five-second recording to judge the things a meter cannot show: plosive pops on the letters p and b, hissing S sounds, room echo, keyboard clatter and a rattle from a desk stand. If you hear pops, turn the mic slightly off-axis. If you hear echo, hang a blanket or add a rug.
Getting your Zoom, Discord or Teams setup right
Test here first, then open the call program and confirm that it uses the same device. In Zoom, look under Settings, then Audio, and pick the microphone by name instead of Same as System. Discord has an Input Device menu under Voice and Video, together with an input sensitivity slider. Teams has a devices section in its settings where you choose the microphone.
A few habits make a big difference. Keep the mic a hand-width or two from your mouth, off to the side so that breath does not hit it. Pick a room with soft furniture rather than bare walls. Close windows if there is traffic. Speak and check that your peaks stay below minus 6 dBFS, and then leave the program's automatic gain features on if you often move around.
If other people say you sound echoey, the cause is almost always speakers playing their voices back into your mic. Switch to headphones. If they say you sound distant, bring the microphone closer instead of raising the gain, because more gain raises the room noise as well.
Between calls, leave this page open in a spare tab and speak a test sentence whenever you change anything: a new USB port, another headset, a different room. A five-second check costs less than the embarrassment of discovering mid-meeting that your input has switched itself to the laptop's built-in mic.
Keeping a recording and what stays private
The five-second recording on this page is for checking only, and it disappears when you leave. If you want a longer take, a file you can save, or something you can trim, use the voice recorder, which records from the same microphone and opens the result for cutting and saving as MP3 or WAV.
Audio from the mic is handled inside the page. It is not sent anywhere, and nobody else can hear the test. When you finish, close the tab and the browser's microphone indicator will go out. If a little recording symbol stays in the tab bar or the system tray, a different tab or program is still holding the mic.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check my mic?
Press Test my microphone, allow microphone access, and talk. If the level meter moves and the verdict changes from silence to working, the mic is fine. For a closer listen, record five seconds and play them back with headphones on, so the speakers do not feed back into the mic.
Where can I test my microphone?
Right on this page, with no download or account. It should work in current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on computers and phones. Your call program also has its own test, and checking here first shows whether any problem lies with the mic or with the app you want to use.
Can I test my microphone without headphones?
You can see the level meter without them, but for the five-second playback headphones are best. Through speakers, the mic picks up the playback and gives feedback or a muddy echo, which says little about how the microphone itself sounds. Headphones give a clean comparison.
How do I test a microphone on a PC?
Open this page, allow access, and speak. If nothing registers, check the Windows privacy setting for the microphone and the input device under Sound settings. Select the right device on this page, then try again. A headset plugged into the wrong jack is also a frequent cause.
Why is my mic not working?
The common causes are a blocked browser permission, a disabled system privacy switch, the wrong input device, a physical mute button, or another app using the mic. The meter here helps you tell which one, since it shows whether any signal reaches the browser at all.
Is my microphone test recorded or uploaded?
No. The sound is analyzed in your browser, and the five-second clip stays in the tab for playback. The sound is not sent to a server, and closing the page discards the clip. Use the voice recorder if you want a longer take that you can trim and save as a file.