Test your microphone online: see if it works and how loud it is, then play back a recording to hear how you sound. Works with headset, USB and laptop mics. Free, and nothing leaves your device.

How to test your microphone

Press Start mic test and click Allow when your browser asks to use the microphone.
Talk, or clap your hands. The level bar and the wave should move. If they do, your microphone works.
Press Record a 10-second clip and play it back to hear what other people hear on a call.
Got more than one microphone? Pick another one from the list to compare them, for example your laptop's built-in mic and your headset.

Reading the results

The level bar shows how loud the sound reaching your browser is, in decibels below the maximum (dBFS). 0 dB is the loudest a microphone can record; everything else is a minus number.

Below -50 dB: silence or quiet room noise. If it stays here while you talk, the microphone is muted or the wrong one is selected.
-50 to -30 dB: the mic works but you're quiet. People on a call may ask you to speak up.
-30 to -6 dB: a good level for normal speech.
Close to 0 dB: too loud. The sound gets cut off at the top and distorts, which sounds harsh and crackly.

The settings under Browser sound processing are the same ones Zoom, Teams and Google Meet use in the browser. Turn them off to hear your raw microphone, which is useful if your voice sounds robotic or keeps cutting out.

Mic quality: how you sound to others

While you talk, the test also checks the two things people on a call notice most. Talk normally for a few seconds, with the short pauses you'd make anyway.

Background noise is measured in the pauses between your words and compared with your voice. If your voice is 30 dB or more louder, the background is low; below 20 dB, people struggle to follow you. Fans, traffic, keyboards and echoey rooms are the usual causes.
Clarity compares the high tones in your voice (2,000 to 6,000 Hz), which carry consonants like s, t and f, with the low ones. If they're weak, you sound muffled: something covers the microphone, it points away from you, or it's too far away.
Call quality only: some microphones carry nothing above 8 kHz, or even 4 kHz. The test spots that sharp cut-off. People still understand you, but you sound flat, like on a phone.

To hear yourself, record a clip and play it back, or put on headphones and press Hear yourself to hear your microphone live. Without headphones, the sound loops from the speakers back into the microphone and howls, so the test turns it off if that starts.

The test measures the sound after your browser's processing, which is close to what Zoom, Teams and Google Meet send from a browser. Their desktop apps add their own noise suppression on top.

Bluetooth headset sounds muffled on calls?

Most Bluetooth headsets have two modes: one for listening in high quality, and a call mode for when their microphone is in use. Call mode carries sound both ways, but at much lower quality, so you sound muffled and music sounds flat. On Windows it shows up as a separate device with "Hands-Free" in its name. That's how Bluetooth works on most headsets, not a fault. To sound clearer:

Keep the headset for listening, and pick another microphone for talking: your laptop's built-in one, your webcam's, or a USB microphone. On Windows, choose it in Settings > System > Sound under Input. On a Mac, choose it in System Settings > Sound > Input.
In Zoom, Teams or Discord, pick that microphone, and the headset as the speaker. On Windows, pick the headset's Headphones or Stereo entry, not the Hands-Free one.
Or use a wired headset, or one with its own USB receiver: they sound clear both ways.

Mic test on iPhone or Android

The test works the same on a phone: open this page, press Start mic test and allow the microphone. The phone uses its main microphone at the bottom, unless a headset or earbuds are connected, which then take over.

iPhone and iPad: if Safari blocked the microphone, tap aA in the address bar, then Website Settings, and set Microphone to Allow. Also check Settings > Safari > Microphone (under Settings > Apps on newer versions of iOS).
Android: in Chrome, tap the icon at the left of the address bar, then Permissions, and allow the microphone. If it's still blocked, open Settings > Apps > Chrome > Permissions > Microphone.
Still silent? Record a voice memo in the phone's own recorder app. If that's silent too, the microphone opening may be blocked: take the case off and gently clear the small hole next to the charging port.

Microphone not working? Try these fixes

The browser blocked the microphone

If you clicked Block by accident, the browser remembers it. In Chrome and Edge, click the icon at the left of the address bar and set Microphone to Allow. In Safari, open Safari > Settings for This Website. In Firefox, click the crossed-out microphone icon in the address bar. Then reload the page.

Windows

Open Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone and turn on microphone access for apps and desktop apps.
Open Settings > System > Sound. Under Input, choose the microphone you want and check that its volume isn't at zero.
Some laptops have a microphone mute key (often F4 or F8) with a small light. Press it.

Mac

Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and turn on your browser. Restart the browser afterwards.
Open System Settings > Sound > Input, select your microphone and drag the input volume up.

Another app is using the microphone

If the test says the microphone couldn't start, close Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS or any other app that might be using it, then try again. On Windows, some USB microphones only work in one app at a time.

Headset mic not working

Check the mute switch on the cable or ear cup, plug the cable in firmly, and try another USB port. Then pick the headset in the microphone list above: computers often keep using the built-in mic. A Bluetooth headset must be connected to this device, not to your phone.

A headset with one 3.5 mm plug (for phones and laptops) carries both sound and microphone. On a desktop computer with separate pink and green sockets, it needs a splitter cable, or only the sound works.

Mic works here but not in Discord, Zoom or Teams?

If the test above heard you, your microphone and its drivers work. When an app still can't hear you, the cause is almost always in that app: it's set to a different microphone, you're muted, or your computer hasn't allowed the app to use the mic. Pick your app.

Discord mic not working

Open User Settings (the gear next to your name, bottom left) > Voice & Video. Under Input Device, pick your microphone instead of Default.
Check that Input Volume isn't at zero, then press Let's Check and talk. The bar should move.
Look at Input Mode. With Push to Talk, Discord only sends your voice while you hold the key. With Voice Activity, turn off Automatically determine input sensitivity and drag the slider to the left if your voice cuts out.
Make sure you're not muted: the microphone next to your name shouldn't be crossed out. A red crossed-out microphone next to your name in a voice channel means a moderator muted you on that server.
If your voice cuts out or sounds robotic, set Noise Suppression to Standard or None, further down in Voice & Video.
Check that your computer lets Discord use the microphone. On a Mac, turn on Discord in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, then quit and reopen it. On Windows, turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone in Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
Still silent? Press Reset Voice Settings at the bottom of Voice & Video, then quit Discord completely (from the system tray or menu bar) and open it again.
Using Discord in a browser? Click the icon at the left of the address bar on the discord.com tab and set Microphone to Allow, then reload.

Zoom mic not working

If you see a Join Audio button in the meeting, you aren't connected to sound at all. Click it and choose Join with Computer Audio.
Click the arrow next to Mute and pick your microphone under Select a Microphone.
Check that you're not muted: the microphone button shouldn't be crossed out. The host can mute you too.
Open Settings > Audio and press Test Mic. If your level jumps up and down, untick Automatically adjust microphone volume and set the slider yourself.
If your voice cuts out, lower the background noise suppression setting in Settings > Audio.
Check that your computer lets Zoom use the microphone. On a Mac, turn on zoom.us in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, then quit and reopen it. On Windows, turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone in Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
Using Zoom in a browser? Click the icon at the left of the address bar on the Zoom tab and set Microphone to Allow, then reload.

Microsoft Teams mic not working

Open Settings and more (the three dots next to your picture) > Settings > Devices. Under Microphone, pick your microphone. In a meeting, the arrow next to Mic does the same.
Press Make a test call on the same page. Teams records a short message and plays it back to you.
Check that you're not muted: the Mic button shouldn't be crossed out. In large meetings, the organizer can turn off attendees' microphones.
If your voice cuts out, set Noise suppression to Low or Off in Settings > Devices.
Check that your computer lets Teams use the microphone. On a Mac, turn on Microsoft Teams in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, then quit and reopen it. On Windows, turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone in Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
On a work or school computer, your IT team may control these settings. If a switch is greyed out, ask them.
Using Teams in a browser? Click the icon at the left of the address bar on the Teams tab and set Microphone to Allow, then reload.

Google Meet mic not working

Meet runs in your browser, but each website needs its own permission. On the Meet tab, click the icon at the left of the address bar and set Microphone to Allow, then reload.
Before you join, pick your microphone from the microphone menu under your preview. During a call, open More options (three dots) > Settings > Audio.
Check that you're not muted: the microphone button turns red when you are. Others in the call can mute you, but only you can unmute yourself.
If your voice cuts out, turn off Noise cancellation in Settings > Audio (not every account has it).
On a Mac, your browser needs to be on in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone. It already is if this test works in the same browser.

OBS not picking up your mic

Open Settings > Audio. Under Global Audio Devices, set Mic/Auxiliary Audio to your microphone. Or add an Audio Input Capture source to your scene and pick it there.
In the Audio Mixer, check that the mic's bar moves when you talk, its speaker icon isn't muted (red), and its slider isn't all the way down.
Bar moves but the recording is silent? Open Advanced Audio Properties (the gear in the Audio Mixer) and tick the track your recording uses, usually Track 1.
If quiet words go missing, check the mic's Filters: a Noise Gate with a high threshold cuts off soft speech.
Check that your computer lets OBS use the microphone. On a Mac, turn on OBS in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, then quit and reopen it. On Windows, turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone in Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.

Xbox party chat mic not working

Check the mute button or switch on your headset. A headset plugged into the controller needs charged controller batteries: low batteries cut chat audio.
Press the Xbox button and go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Volume & audio output. Set Party chat output to Headset or Headset and speaker.
In the party (Xbox button > Parties & chats), check that you haven't muted yourself.
Privacy settings can turn off voice chat. Check Settings > Account > Privacy & online safety. For a child's profile, a parent can change it in the Xbox Family Settings app.
Party chat needs a good network connection. Under Settings > General > Network settings, a Strict NAT type often breaks chat: restart your router, or ask your internet provider.

PS5 mic not working

Press the mute button on the controller, just below the PS button. An orange light means you're muted.
Go to Settings > Sound > Microphone and set Input Device to your headset. Adjust Microphone Level shows whether the console hears you.
In the party, check that you haven't muted yourself.
Parental controls can turn off voice chat for a child's account. The family manager can change it in Settings > Family and Parental Controls.
Under Settings > Network > Connection Status, a Type 3 NAT often breaks party chat: restart your router, or ask your internet provider.
On a PS4, the microphone settings are in Settings > Devices > Audio Devices.

Exam software can't detect your microphone

Run the exam provider's own system check at least a day before, on the same computer, network and room you'll use on the day.
Close every app that might use the microphone or camera, like Zoom, Teams, Discord and OBS, and press Stop test on this page. Lockdown browsers often won't start while they're open.
Use the browser or app your exam requires: Honorlock runs as a Chrome extension, Respondus Monitor uses LockDown Browser, ProctorU uses Guardian Browser, and Pearson OnVUE has its own app.
Allow the microphone when the exam software asks. On a Mac, that app or browser also needs to be on in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone; quit and reopen it after you turn it on.
Use a real microphone, not a virtual one from OBS, a voice changer or noise-cancelling software. Proctoring tools often reject virtual devices.
Still failing? Contact the exam provider's support before exam day, and tell them that your microphone works in this test.

Mic not working in another app

Open the app's audio or voice settings and pick your microphone instead of Default.
Check the app's own mute and push-to-talk settings.
Check that your computer lets the app use the microphone. On a Mac, turn on the app in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, then quit and reopen it. On Windows, turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone in Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
Plugged the microphone in after opening the app? Quit the app and reopen it: many apps only look for devices when they start.
On Windows, if the mic works in one app but not while another is open, open Settings > System > Sound > More sound settings > Recording, double-click the microphone, and on the Advanced tab untick Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.

Questions

Is my voice recorded or uploaded?

No. The test runs entirely in your browser. The sound never leaves your device, and the 10-second clip only exists on this page until you close it.

Why does my voice sound muffled on a Bluetooth headset?

When a Bluetooth headset uses its microphone, it switches to a call mode with much lower sound quality, for both what you hear and what you say. That's normal. The test warns you when it spots call mode; see how to sound clearer.

Why is my microphone so quiet?

The input volume in your sound settings may be low, or you may be too far from the microphone. Headset microphones work best two or three finger-widths from the corner of your mouth. Try the Auto volume setting above to see the difference.

Does this work on my phone?

Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. On a phone, the test uses the microphone the phone picks, which is usually the one at the bottom.

It works here but not in Zoom or Teams. Why?

Then your microphone is fine, and the problem is in the app: usually it's set to a different microphone, or your computer hasn't allowed it to use the mic. See the fixes for Discord, Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, OBS, consoles and online exams above.

Want to check your speakers or headphones as well? Try the sound test. Getting ready for a call or online exam? The camera and mic test checks everything in one go.

Mic test: check your microphone