How this mic test works
When you click Test my mic, the page asks the browser for microphone access with the standard
getUserMedia call, the same one Google Meet or Zoom's web client uses. Your browser shows its own
permission prompt; we cannot skip it and would not want to. Once you allow it, the audio stream is fed into a
Web Audio analyser that reads the raw samples about sixty times a second, works out the average level in dBFS
and draws the waveform you see. When the level stays above the noise floor for a moment, the test declares a
pass: "Your mic works. Sound is reaching the browser."
That is the whole trick. There is no upload, no processing on a server, and nothing to install. Close the tab and every trace of the audio is gone.
Reading the meter
The bar runs from -60 dBFS on the left to 0 on the right. Silence sits at the far left; normal speech from a laptop mic lands somewhere between -30 and -12; a headset or a desk mic close to your mouth pushes further right. The thin marker is the recent peak. If the peak hits 0 you will see a clipping warning, which means the signal is distorting and you should lower the input volume or back away a little. Aim for peaks around -12 to -6 dBFS if you want the cleanest result on a call.
Why the playback matters
A moving meter proves signal is arriving, but "can they hear me properly" is a different question. The Record 5 seconds button captures a short clip with your browser's built-in recorder and plays it straight back. Listen for hum, echo, keyboard clatter and how far away you sound; that is exactly what a call app receives before it applies its own processing. The readout strip shows whether the browser has echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain switched on for this stream, which is why a recording made here can sound a little different from one made in a music app.
Picking the right device
Browsers open the operating system's default microphone, and that default is wrong surprisingly often: a monitor's built-in mic, a webcam mic, a virtual device left behind by Krisp, NVIDIA Broadcast or a Teams install, or a headset that is plugged in but not selected. As soon as the test is running, the Microphone menu lists everything the OS can see. Switch between devices and watch which one makes the meter move. If the list has only one entry, the browser cannot see the mic you expected, and the OS sections below explain why.
Mic not working? Fixes by browser and system
Open the section for your browser first, then your operating system. The one that matches this device is marked; the tool above already shows these steps whenever it hits a blocked or silent microphone.
Chrome browser
Blocked permission. Click the icon at the left end of the address bar (a lock or a small sliders icon), turn on Microphone, then reload. If there is no switch, choose Site settings, set Microphone to Allow, and reload. The full list of blocked sites lives at chrome://settings/content/microphone; the same page has a dropdown that sets Chrome's default microphone, which is worth checking when the meter stays flat.
Wrong device. Chrome follows the OS default at the moment the stream opens. Plugging a headset in after starting the test will not switch to it; pick it in the Microphone menu or restart the test.
Nothing happens on click. If the prompt never appears and the lamp goes straight to Blocked, Chrome has a remembered "Block" decision or a policy from a work or school account (look for "managed by your organization" on the settings page). Extensions that manage privacy can also silently deny; try an incognito window with extensions disabled.
Brave, Opera, Vivaldi, Arc use the same address-bar icon and the same settings pages, with the chrome:// part replaced by their own scheme.
Edge browser
Blocked permission. Click the lock icon left of the address bar, choose Permissions for this site, and set Microphone to Allow. Reload. The site list is at edge://settings/content/microphone.
Windows privacy. Edge is a desktop app in Windows' eyes. If Windows has Let desktop apps access your microphone switched off, Edge sees no microphone at all and reports "not found" instead of asking. See the Windows section.
Work profiles. On a managed device, Edge may show the permission as locked. That is a policy, and only an administrator can change it.
Firefox browser
Blocked permission. Firefox shows a crossed-out microphone icon in the address bar when a site is blocked. Click it and press the × next to "Blocked" or "Blocked temporarily", then click Test my mic again. This time the prompt lets you pick the device from a dropdown before you click Allow, so if the meter stays flat, that dropdown is the first thing to change.
Never asks. Open Settings, Privacy & Security, scroll to Permissions, click Settings… beside Microphone. Remove devicexray.com or set it to Allow, and make sure Block new requests asking to access your microphone is unticked.
Enhanced Tracking Protection does not affect the microphone, but a strict privacy add-on such as uBlock in medium mode or Privacy Badger can. Whitelist the site if the prompt never appears.
Safari browser
Blocked permission. With this page open, choose Safari, Settings for devicexray.com… from the menu bar and set Microphone to Allow or Ask. The same option is under Safari, Settings, Websites, Microphone. Reload the page.
macOS permission. Safari also needs to be switched on in System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone. It appears there only after asking once, so run the test first, then check the list.
Safari quirks worth knowing. Safari opens the microphone only in the active tab and pauses it when you switch tabs, so keep this tab in front. It also asks once per session unless the site is set to Ask, and a dismissed prompt counts as a "no" until you reload.
Windows system
Privacy switches. Settings, Privacy & security, Microphone. Three switches matter: Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone, and at the bottom of the page Let desktop apps access your microphone. Browsers are desktop apps. When any of these is off, browsers report either a blocked or a missing microphone rather than a clear message.
Input device and volume. Settings, System, Sound, Input. Choose the microphone you actually want as default; the input volume bar there should bounce when you speak. If it does not, the browser cannot fix that. Click Test your microphone on that page for a Windows-side check.
Exclusive mode. On the same page open the device's properties, then Advanced, and untick Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device. Voice chat and recording apps otherwise lock the mic and the browser gets a "device in use" error.
Drivers and hardware. Device Manager, Audio inputs and outputs: a disabled entry can be enabled with a right-click; a warning triangle means the audio driver needs reinstalling from the laptop maker's support page. Realtek and Intel Smart Sound drivers are the usual culprits after a Windows feature update. Many laptops also have a mute key with an LED (lit means muted) and some have a hardware kill switch.
Windows 10. Same paths, slightly different names: Settings, Privacy, Microphone, and Settings, System, Sound.
macOS system
Privacy. System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone. Turn on the switch for your browser. If the browser is missing from the list, it has never asked; run the test once and it appears. Quit and reopen the browser after changing the setting if it still fails.
Input level. System Settings, Sound, Input. Select the mic, speak, and watch the level meter. Raise Input volume if it is low. On MacBooks, "MacBook Pro Microphone" is the built-in array; if you see only a display or headset here, that is what the browser gets too.
The orange dot. Since macOS Sonoma an orange dot appears in the menu bar while any app uses the mic. If you see it but the meter is flat, another app owns the input, or the wrong device is selected in that app. Click Control Center to see which app it is.
Still nothing. Open QuickTime Player, File, New Audio Recording, and watch its meter. If that is also flat, the problem is macOS or hardware: restart, and if a USB or Bluetooth mic is involved, reconnect it. Ambient noise reduction and voice isolation modes (Control Center, Mic Mode) can also make a distant voice vanish; switch back to Standard.
iPhone and iPad mobile
Tap the page-settings button at the left of Safari's address bar (it reads AA on older iOS), then Website Settings, Microphone, Allow. Or go to Settings, Apps, Safari, Microphone. Chrome, Firefox and Edge on iPhone each have their own Microphone switch under Settings, Apps. Only one app can use the mic at a time, so end any call first, and note that Screen Time restrictions can block the mic entirely. Bluetooth headsets on iOS switch to hands-free mode for the mic; that is normal.
Android mobile
In Chrome, tap the lock or site-information icon left of the address bar, then Permissions, Microphone, Allow. If Chrome itself has no access, Android Settings, Apps, Chrome, Permissions, Microphone, "Allow only while using the app". Android 12 and later also have a global microphone toggle in the quick-settings panel; when it is off, nothing on the phone can record. Samsung Internet keeps the same setting under Settings, Sites and downloads, Site permissions.
Frequently asked questions
Is my voice recorded or sent anywhere?
No. The page opens the microphone in your browser and reads the signal in memory to draw the waveform. Nothing is transmitted; there is no server that could receive it. If you press Record 5 seconds, the clip is held in your browser tab as a temporary object and disappears when you leave. You can confirm this yourself: open your browser's developer tools, Network tab, and run the test. No requests are made.
The meter moves here, so why can people on my call still not hear me?
Because the call app is using a different microphone, or has no permission of its own. Zoom, Teams, Meet in another browser, Discord and Slack each keep their own device selection and their own OS-level permission. Open the app's audio settings, pick the same microphone that worked here, and on macOS check System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone for that app. On Windows the switch is Let desktop apps access your microphone. If the app is a browser tab (Meet, Teams web), it also needs its own site permission.
Why is my microphone so quiet?
Distance first: laptop mics are tuned for someone 30 to 50 cm away. Then the OS input volume (Windows: System, Sound, Input; macOS: Sound, Input), which people often find sitting at 20 or 30 percent. On Windows there is also a Microphone Boost slider under the device's advanced properties. Browsers apply automatic gain control by default (the readout says auto gain when it is on), which lifts quiet voices but takes a second or two to react, so speak a full sentence rather than one word.
What do dBFS and the numbers on the meter mean?
dBFS is decibels relative to full scale, the loudest signal a digital system can carry, which is 0 dBFS. Everything else is negative. Normal speech at a good distance lands around -30 to -12 dBFS. Below -50 is very quiet, often the mic's own noise floor. Peaks touching 0 clip and distort. The bar shows the moving average level; the thin white line is the recent peak.
Why does the mic work here but not in Chrome, or vice versa?
Each browser stores its own permission and its own default input device. Chrome, for example, keeps a list under chrome://settings/content/microphone and remembers a blocked decision until you change it. Safari on Mac needs both its per-website setting and macOS permission for Safari. Follow the steps for your browser in the troubleshooting section above; nine times out of ten the fix is a single toggle.
Does this work with Bluetooth headphones and AirPods?
Yes, with a catch you should know about. When a Bluetooth headset's microphone is in use, it switches to the hands-free profile, which drops both playback and mic quality (this is a Bluetooth limitation, not a fault). Some headsets pair as playback-only, in which case the OS never lists their mic. Pick the headset explicitly in the Microphone menu once the test is running, and if it does not appear, reconnect it from the Bluetooth menu.
Can I test my mic on an iPhone or Android phone?
Yes. On iPhone and iPad, Safari, Chrome and every other browser use Apple's engine, and the first time you tap Test my mic iOS shows a permission dialog. Only one app can use the mic at a time, so end any call first. On Android, Chrome asks at the bottom of the screen; if it never asks, the browser itself may lack microphone permission under Android Settings, Apps. Playback of the recording is normal media playback, so on iPhone the ring/silent switch does not mute it.
It says "no microphone found" but my laptop has one. What now?
The browser is repeating what the operating system told it: no audio input is available. On Windows this is usually the privacy switch (Microphone access or Let desktop apps access your microphone turned off), a device disabled in Device Manager under Audio inputs and outputs, or a driver that needs reinstalling. On macOS an empty Sound, Input list normally clears with a restart. Some laptops also have a physical microphone kill switch or an F-key that disconnects the mic at the hardware level.