Webcam test

How to test your webcam

1. Press Start webcam test and choose Allow in the browser prompt. Nothing happens before you press the button.
2. Your picture appears. If it does, the camera works. Under it you see the resolution, the frame rate and a lighting verdict, all updating live.
3. Give the frame rate a few seconds: we measure it over a rolling 5-second window, so it settles after a moment.

Several cameras? Pick one in the Camera list; we remember it in this browser. On phones and tablets, Switch camera flips between front and back. Mirror flips the preview like a mirror (on by default for the front camera, because that is what people expect to see). Snapshot saves a PNG of the current frame to your device. Stop turns the camera and its light off.

Reported vs measured: resolution and FPS

Cameras and browsers report numbers that are not always what you get. This test shows both sides.

Resolution

• Resolution is the size of the frames that actually arrive in the page, for example 1280×720 (720p) or 1920×1080 (1080p).
• Reported is what the browser says the camera is set to.

We ask for 1920×1080. If the camera can’t do that, the browser picks the closest mode, so a 720p webcam shows 1280×720. If both numbers are low on a camera sold as 1080p, the cause is usually a USB 2.0 port or hub without enough bandwidth, or another app that set a lower mode first.

Max resolution

Max supported is the largest mode the camera says it can do. Chrome and Edge give it to us directly. Other browsers don’t, so you get a Find max resolution button instead: it tries 3840×2160, 2560×1440, 1920×1080, 1280×720 and 640×480 in turn, and restarts the camera a few times while it does.

Frame rate

Frame rate is measured: we count the frames your browser actually shows. Reported FPS is the number the camera claims. If your browser can’t count frames, you will see "reported only".

A gap between the two is the most useful thing on this page. Most webcams lower their frame rate in dim light, because each frame needs a longer exposure: a camera that reports 30 FPS can deliver 15 in a dark room. Turn on a light and watch the measured number climb. A busy computer or a slow USB hub can also drop frames. Our guide to reading test results explains every number.

Lighting check and tips

Twice a second we look at a tiny copy of your picture and measure how bright it is and how much of it is pure white. The verdict is Too dark, Good or Overexposed.

• Too dark: face a window or a lamp. A desk lamp bounced off a wall gives soft, even light.
• Overexposed: move out of direct sunlight or turn the lamp away a little.
• Bright window behind you: the camera exposes for the window and your face goes dark. Turn around or close the blind.
• Put the light at eye height or a little above, in front of you, never directly behind.
• Raise a laptop so the camera is at eye level. Looking down into a camera is rarely flattering.
• Wipe the lens. A fingerprint makes everything look soft and hazy.

Camera not working?

• "Camera access is blocked": the browser or the system said no. The card shows the steps for your browser; our browser permissions guide covers Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.
• "No camera found": the system sees no camera. On laptops, check the camera key on the F-row and the BIOS or system setting that disables it. USB webcams: try another port, without a hub.
• "The device is busy": another app holds the camera. Close Zoom, Teams, OBS or any other video app and press Retry.
• Black picture but no error: look for a physical privacy shutter on the bezel or the webcam.
• Works here but not in a call: pick the same camera inside the app. See mic and camera in Zoom, Teams, Discord and Meet.

Laptop owners: camera not working on a laptop walks through Windows 11, Windows 10 and Mac step by step.

Privacy

The webcam test runs on your device. The picture goes from your camera to this page and nowhere else: nothing is recorded or uploaded, and snapshots are saved straight to your device. Stopping the test releases the camera, so its light turns off. If you leave the tab in the background for more than a minute, the test stops by itself.

Getting ready for a call? The webcam and mic test checks camera, microphone and lighting in one go. You can also run the mic test on its own, check a monitor with the dead pixel test, or browse all device tests.