Free Online Mic Test
Check that your microphone works and hear how it sounds. Press the button, allow access and speak: the meter moves when the mic picks you up.
Free, with no sign-up. Runs in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.
Check your microphone
Your browser will ask for access. Nothing is recorded or uploaded unless you press Record, and a recording stays on this device.
How to test your microphone
- Step 1
Press Test my microphone.
Your browser asks for access to the microphone. Allow it for this page.
- Step 2
Speak or tap the mic.
The level meter moves with your voice. Once it passes about a quarter of the bar, the page confirms it can hear you.
- Step 3
Pick another microphone if needed.
If you have more than one, choose the one you want to check from the list. The device, sample rate and channels show under the meter.
- Step 4
Record five seconds and listen back.
Press Record, speak, and play the clip to hear your mic’s tone, noise and volume. Download it if you want to keep it.
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What a mic test tells you
A moving meter means the microphone is connected, allowed and sending sound. A meter that stays flat while you speak usually means the browser is listening to a different input, the mic is muted on the device, or another app holds it.
The recording tells you more than the meter: whether your voice sounds thin or boomy, whether there is hum or fan noise, and whether the level is too quiet or clipping. For a podcast, a call or a recording session, those are the things to fix before you start.
Reading the level meter and the readout
If the bar moves when you speak and the line above it says “Your microphone is working: we can hear you”, your microphone is connected, allowed and sending sound to the browser.
The bar shows the average level of the sound reaching the browser, measured a few hundredths of a second at a time. It spans 60 decibels. An empty bar is −60 dBFS (decibels relative to full scale) or quieter, and a full bar is 0 dBFS, the loudest a digital signal can get. The page confirms it hears you once the level passes −45 dBFS, about a quarter of the bar.
| Where the bar sits while you talk | Average level | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Empty, or a flicker when you tap the mic | −60 to −50 dBFS | Almost nothing reaches the browser. Check the selected input, mute switches and gain. |
| Below a quarter | −50 to −45 dBFS | The mic is live but far too quiet, so the page does not confirm it yet. |
| A quarter to a half | −45 to −30 dBFS | The page hears you. Enough for a call, quiet for a recording. |
| Half to two-thirds | −30 to −20 dBFS | A good speaking level, with room left for laughs and loud words. |
| Past two-thirds | −20 to 0 dBFS | Too loud. The bar shows an average, so the peaks are higher still and can distort. |
What the four readouts mean
Under the meter, the page shows what the browser reports about the microphone it opened. A value the browser does not report shows as Unknown, which is no sign of a fault.
| Readout | What you see | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Device | The microphone’s name, or Default microphone | Which input the browser opened. A webcam or monitor name explains a distant, roomy sound. |
| Sample rate | Usually 48000 Hz or 44100 Hz | How many times a second the signal is measured. Both common rates cover the range of hearing. 16000 or 8000 Hz points to a Bluetooth headset in call mode, which sounds muffled. |
| Channels | Mono or Stereo | Most voice mics are mono. Some USB mics and laptop mic arrays report stereo. Either is fine for speech. |
| Echo cancellation | On or Off | Whether the browser removes the sound of your own speakers from the mic signal. Browsers switch it on by default for calls, so On is normal here. |
Browsers usually pair echo cancellation with noise suppression and automatic gain control, so the meter and the recording show the processed signal a video call would send. A recording app that opens the device directly, such as Audacity, gets the raw signal, which can be quieter and noisier than this page suggests.
Microphone not working? Match the symptom
The first three rows are the messages the page shows when the browser cannot open a microphone.
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “Microphone access is blocked” | The browser or the operating system refused permission | Allow the microphone for this site in your browser, then check the system privacy settings below. |
| “No microphone was found” | No input device is connected, or the system has disabled it | Plug the mic in, try another port or cable, and check that it is enabled in the system’s sound input settings. |
| “Your microphone is in use by another app” | A call, game or recording app holds the device | Quit that app fully, then press Try again. |
| The bar stays flat with no message | The browser opened a different input, or the mic is muted on the device | Pick another microphone from the list and check mute buttons and the gain knob. |
| The bar moves only when you tap the mic | Very low input level, or you are speaking into the wrong side | Raise the input volume. Many USB condenser mics pick up from the side with the logo, and speaking into the top sounds distant. |
| It works, then cuts out | A loose connector, an unpowered USB hub, or a Bluetooth headset at the edge of its range | Plug the mic straight into the computer and keep wireless headsets close. |
| No app on this computer hears it | A driver or hardware fault | Update the audio driver, then try the mic on another computer. If it fails there too, replace the cable, then the mic. |
Allowing the microphone in your browser
A browser asks once per site and remembers your answer. If you pressed Block, the page cannot ask again until you change the setting yourself.
Chrome and Edge
Click the icon to the left of the address, open the site’s permissions, set Microphone to Allow and reload the page. To review every site, open Settings ▸ Privacy and security ▸ Site settings ▸ Microphone in Chrome, or Settings ▸ Cookies and site permissions ▸ Microphone in Edge.
Firefox
When Firefox has blocked a site, a crossed-out microphone icon appears in the address bar. Click it, clear the blocked permission and reload. Settings ▸ Privacy & Security ▸ Permissions ▸ Microphone lists every site you have allowed or blocked.
Safari on a Mac
Open Safari ▸ Settings ▸ Websites ▸ Microphone, find musehub.com in the list and set it to Allow or Ask. Then reload the page.
iPhone and iPad
Safari’s setting is in the Settings app, under Settings ▸ Apps ▸ Safari ▸ Microphone on iOS 18 and later and Settings ▸ Safari ▸ Microphone before that. Chrome and other browsers need their own switch under Settings ▸ Privacy & Security ▸ Microphone. Keep the page on screen while you test, because iOS stops the microphone for pages in the background.
Android
In Chrome, tap the icon to the left of the address, then Permissions, and turn Microphone on. If the switch is missing, Chrome itself has no access. Open Settings ▸ Apps ▸ Chrome ▸ Permissions ▸ Microphone and allow it. On Android 12 and later, also check that Microphone access is on in Quick Settings.
System settings that switch a microphone off
Windows 11
Open Settings ▸ Privacy & security ▸ Microphone and turn on Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone and Let desktop apps access your microphone. Most browsers count as desktop apps. Then open Settings ▸ System ▸ Sound, choose your mic under Input and raise its input volume. On Windows 10, the privacy switches are under Settings ▸ Privacy ▸ Microphone.
macOS
Open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security ▸ Microphone and turn the switch on for your browser. If the browser still hears nothing, quit and reopen it. In System Settings ▸ Sound ▸ Input, choose the mic, speak and watch the Input level, then set the Input volume.
Linux
On GNOME, open Settings ▸ Sound, choose the device under Input and watch its level as you speak. Other desktops offer the same choice in their sound settings or in PulseAudio Volume Control.
Mute buttons and gain knobs
Headsets often have a mute switch on the cable or boom arm, USB mics a mute button with a status light, and laptops a mute key. On an audio interface, turn up the gain knob for the mic’s input, and switch on 48 V phantom power for a condenser mic on an XLR cable.
First checks for each type of microphone
| Microphone | How it connects | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| USB microphone | A USB cable, with no driver needed on most systems | Plug it straight into the computer rather than a hub, and pick it by name in the list. |
| Headset with one 3.5 mm plug | A four-pole combo jack on laptops and phones | A desktop with separate pink and green jacks needs a splitter cable. |
| Microphone with its own 3.5 mm plug | The pink input jack on a desktop | A laptop’s combo jack may not detect it. Use a USB sound adapter. |
| XLR microphone | An audio interface or mixer | Gain turned up, the right input selected, and phantom power on for a condenser. |
| Bluetooth headset or earbuds | Wireless pairing | Choose it as the input. Opening its mic switches the headset to call mode, which lowers sound quality. |
| Built-in laptop or webcam mic | Internal | Picks up keyboard and fan noise and the room. Fine for a call, weak for a recording. |
Works here, silent in Zoom, Teams or Discord
If this page hears you, the microphone, its driver and the system permissions all work. A call app that stays silent is using a different input or has its own mute.
- Zoom. Open Settings ▸ Audio and choose the mic under Microphone. Test Mic on the same page plays you back.
- Microsoft Teams. Open Settings ▸ Devices, choose the microphone under Audio devices and use Make a test call.
- Discord. Open User Settings ▸ Voice & Video, set Input Device and press Let’s Check to hear yourself.
On Windows, one app can take exclusive control of a mic. If it works in only one app at a time, open Settings ▸ System ▸ Sound ▸ More sound settings, select the mic on the Recording tab, then choose Properties ▸ Advanced and clear Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.
What to listen for in the five-second clip
Play the clip on headphones if you can, since speakers can hide hum and hiss.
- Level. Your voice should be clear without turning the playback up. Distortion on loud words means the input is set too high.
- Hum. A low, steady buzz usually comes from a ground loop or a cable lying next to a power supply. Move the cable, or plug the computer and the interface into the same power strip.
- Hiss and fan noise. A constant hiss means high gain on a distant mic. Move closer and turn the gain down, and the noise drops along with it.
- Room echo. A hollow, distant sound comes from hard walls. Speak closer to the mic, in a room with soft furniture, curtains or a rug.
- Pops and sharp S sounds. Bursts on P and B are plosives, and harsh S sounds are sibilance. Speaking slightly past the mic softens both, and a pop filter stops the bursts.
- Dropouts. Gaps or robotic glitches point to Bluetooth interference or a loose connector.
The clip is compressed audio from the browser’s recorder, with the browser’s call processing applied. Use it to judge level, noise and tone. For a podcast or voice-over, record a longer test in a recording app and clean it up with noise reduction in Audacity.
A quick check before you record or go live
- Pick the microphone by name in the list here, and the same one in the app you will use.
- Speak at your normal volume and set the gain so the bar sits between half and two-thirds.
- Record five seconds and listen for hum, hiss and echo.
- Check your output with the speaker test, so you know you will hear the other side.
- If your recording app still shows no input, work through the fixes for Audacity not recording.
Questions
Read more
Audacity not recording? How to fix the mic, -9996 and other device errors
When Audacity won’t record, the cause is usually the device rather than Audacity itself. A 60-second checklist — rescan, the microphone permission, a disabled device, a test outside Audacity, the level — then each error message, from -9996 to “Error opening sound device”, with its cause and its fix.
How to record audio in Audacity
To record audio in Audacity 4, plug in your microphone and pick it under Audio setup ▸ Recording device. Set the level so your voice peaks between −18 and −6 dB, select a mono track and press Record (R). The take lands on the selected track; Record on new track leaves the existing tracks alone, which is how you layer a second part over the first.
How to make your voice sound pro in Audacity: a vocal chain for podcasts and voice-over
Build a vocal chain in Audacity 4’s realtime effects panel: EQ, compression, de-essing, color and a master limiter, with free effects first and plugins where they help.
How to make your voice sound better
Making your voice sound better is mostly a good capture plus a simple chain: clean it up, EQ, compress, de-ess, then add a little polish. Here’s how to do each step — and the fast track if you’d rather let a tool handle it.
Learn more
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