Microphone test
The microphone test shows your live level in dBFS, the waveform and clipping, and records a short clip to play back. No install needed.
Record up to 10 s, then listen to it here.
Runs in your browser. Test data stays on your device.
- Input level
- –dBFS
- Peak level
- –dBFS
- Average level
- –dBFS
- Clipping
- –
- Microphone
- –
- Sample rate
- –kHz
Browser processing
- Echo cancellation
- –
- Noise suppression
- –
- Automatic gain
- –
How to use the microphone test
- Click Start microphone test.
- Allow microphone access when your browser asks for it.
- Say a sentence at your usual distance and watch the waveform and the Input level cell.
- Click Record 10 s, say a few words, then play the clip back in the player. The recording stops by itself after 10 seconds, or when you click Finish recording.
- If you have more than one microphone, switch between them in the Microphone list. Click Stop microphone when you are done.
The verdict needs some speech. Too quiet appears only after 4 seconds without a sound that reaches −30 dBFS, and once you have spoken for half a second at a usable level, pauses after that don’t count against you. The microphone also turns off when you switch to another tab or leave the page.
What the results mean
Levels are in dBFS, decibels relative to full scale. 0 dBFS is the loudest signal the input can carry, so every other level is negative. The Input level cell and its verdict follow the loudest peak of the last 5 seconds.
| Result | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| −30 to under −3 dBFS: Good | Your loudest sound sits in a range that suits calls. | Nothing to fix. |
| Under −30 dBFS: Too quiet | Even your loudest sound is faint, so your voice will sound weak. | Move closer, or raise the input volume in your system sound settings. |
| −3 dBFS or more: Too loud | One louder word can reach full scale and distort. | Move back, or turn the input down. |
| Verdict: Clipping | In the last 5 seconds a sample reached 0.99 of full scale, about −0.09 dBFS, so the waveform is cut off flat and sounds distorted. | Turn the input down. The verdict clears after 5 seconds without clipping. |
< −100 dBFS | The level is under the lowest value the test prints, usually because noise suppression gates silence. | Nothing to fix. Speak and the level rises. |
| −∞ dBFS | Every sample is exactly zero: digital silence. | Check the mute switch and the selected input. |
Peak level is the loudest peak since the start. Average level is the mean level (RMS) of the sound: frames quieter than −50 dBFS are left out, so pauses do not pull it down, and it shows a dash until there is sound to average. The Clipping cell counts every clip since the start, one per episode. Peak level, Average level and the Clipping count begin again when the test stops or you switch microphone. The Clip badge on the waveform stays on for 1.5 seconds after each one. Sample rate is what the browser reports, with the channel count under it; Firefox does not report it.
Browser processing shows whether the browser reports echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain as On, Off or Not reported. The test asks for the microphone with the browser’s default processing and does not change it, and browsers usually turn all three on. Noise suppression is why quiet moments read < −100, and automatic gain can move the level while you talk. Call apps apply their own processing, so a call may sound different from this test.
Microphone not working?
When the test cannot start, it shows the problem in place of the waveform, with steps to fix it. For any other message, reload the page, and try another browser if it keeps happening.
Microphone access blocked
The browser or the operating system refuses access to the microphone.
- Chrome and Edge: click the icon at the left end of the address bar, set Microphone to Allow, and reload the page.
- Firefox: click the crossed-out microphone icon in the address bar, clear the block, and reload the page.
- Safari on a Mac: choose Safari > Settings for setupcheck.app…, then set Microphone to Allow.
- Windows 11: open Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone, and turn on microphone access for apps and for desktop apps.
- macOS: open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, and turn on your browser.
- Chrome on Android: open Chrome’s menu, then Settings > Site settings > Microphone, and allow this site.
- Safari on iPhone and iPad: tap the page menu in the address bar (aA), open Website Settings and set Microphone to Allow. The same setting is in Settings > Safari > Microphone (Settings > Apps > Safari on iOS 18).
No microphone found
The browser sees no microphone, or it was unplugged during the test. Check the cable, the USB port or the 3.5 mm jack, and a Bluetooth headset’s connection. On laptops, look for a privacy switch or a function key that turns the microphone off. In your system sound settings, check that the microphone is the selected input (Windows: Settings > System > Sound > Input; macOS: System Settings > Sound > Input). Then click Try again.
Microphone in use by another app
Another app or tab holds the microphone, or the system could not start it. Close Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS or other tabs that may be using it, then click Try again.
Microphone cannot use these settings
The microphone you picked refused the request, which can happen when it was unplugged after you chose it. Pick another microphone in the list, or reload the page and start again.
Browser not supported
The test needs microphone access and the Web Audio API on a page opened with https://. Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari offer both, so update your browser or open the page in one of them.
Level reads < −100 or −∞
< −100 means the level is under −100 dBFS. No real microphone is that quiet: noise suppression gates silence and leaves samples near zero, sometimes around −190 dBFS, and the test prints every level under −100 dBFS this way. It says nothing about your room, and the number rises as soon as you speak.
−∞ is different, because every sample is exactly zero. Check the mute switch on the microphone or headset, the mute key on your laptop, and the mute setting of the input in your system sound settings.
Too quiet or distorted
A level that stays under −30 dBFS while you speak means a weak signal. Move closer, then raise the input volume (Windows: Settings > System > Sound > Input; macOS: System Settings > Sound > Input). A Clipping count above 0 or a Too loud verdict means the opposite, so lower the input volume or move back.
Voice sounds thin on a Bluetooth headset
Many Bluetooth headsets switch to a call mode while their microphone is on, which lowers the sample rate and the sound quality. The sample rate can be as low as 16 kHz there. For better quality, use the laptop’s microphone or a USB microphone.
The test stopped by itself
The test turns the microphone off when you switch to another tab or leave the page, so the browser’s recording indicator turns off. A clip you have finished recording is kept for playback. Click Start microphone test to continue.
Recording or playback fails
If Record 10 s stays disabled while the microphone is running, the browser cannot record audio, so use a current Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. If you see “Could not record in this browser”, try again or switch browser. If playback is silent, check your output volume and output device, because the player uses your normal speakers.
How we measure
The test reads the microphone through the Web Audio API in blocks of 2048 samples, about 43 ms at 48 kHz, and measures the peak and RMS of each channel on every screen frame. For a stereo input the loudest channel counts, so a voice on one channel is not halved. Levels are in dBFS with 0 at full scale, and the browser’s own processing stays on, as the Browser processing cell shows. A web page cannot see the gain knob of your microphone, its real noise floor or the processing a call app adds, so the numbers describe what this browser receives.
Frequently asked questions
Is the microphone test private?
Yes. The sound is analyzed only in your browser, on your device, and is never sent to a server. A recording is kept only if you download it, and it is deleted when you stop the test or pick another microphone. The microphone also turns off when you switch tabs or leave the page.
Why does the level show < −100 dBFS?
Because the level is below the lowest value the test prints, usually after your browser’s noise suppression has quieted a silent moment to near-zero samples. It is not a fault. The troubleshooting section above has the details, and the checks for a level that stays at −∞.
What is a good microphone level in dBFS?
For speech, keep your loudest words between −30 and −3 dBFS, and the test says Good. If the verdict says Too quiet or Too loud, or the Clip badge lights, change the input volume in your system sound settings or your distance from the microphone.
Why can’t I hear myself while I talk?
Because the test never plays the live microphone sound. Played through your speakers, it would cause echo and howling feedback, so you see the waveform and the level instead. Click Record 10 s to capture a clip of up to 10 seconds, then play it back in the player on the page to hear how you sound.
Does the test work with Bluetooth headsets and USB microphones?
Yes. Pick the device in the Microphone list, which shows every input the browser can see, USB and Bluetooth ones included. You can switch while the test runs, and a device you plug in later joins the list by itself. If a device is missing, set it as the input in your system sound settings and start the test again.
Does the microphone test work on a phone?
Yes. Open the page, tap Start microphone test and allow the microphone when the browser asks. Keep the page on screen, because the test turns the microphone off when you switch to another app or tab. Depending on the browser, a recording is saved as a WebM, M4A or Ogg file.