Webcam Test

This webcam test turns on your camera in the browser and measures what it really sends: the resolution in pixels, the frame rate counted from the frames that arrive, how bright the picture is, how much grain it has and how sharp it is. It works with USB webcams and built-in laptop cameras on Windows, Mac and ChromeOS, and with phone cameras in Chrome or Safari, though the camera test is better on a phone because it switches between the front and back lenses. Use it as a quick webcam check before a call: a verdict under the picture says whether everything is fine or names the problem, and the sections below explain each problem and how to fix it.

How to test your webcam

1. Press Start webcam test and choose Allow when the browser asks for the camera.
2. If you have more than one camera, pick yours in the Camera list. The page remembers it for next time.
3. Wait two seconds and read the verdict. A green light means the picture is working and the light is good.
4. Check the readouts. Frame rate is counted from real frames, so it shows what the camera delivers, not what it promises.
5. Press Test all resolutions to try 4K, 1440p, 1080p, 720p and 480p one at a time. Each row shows the size the camera sent and its frame rate.
6. If the camera offers controls, move the zoom, focus or exposure sliders on the right and watch the picture change.
7. Press Copy results to paste a summary into a support ticket or a message to IT.

What the results mean

No camera is found

When the page says no camera was found, the browser cannot see a camera at all.

• Unplugged or loose. Plug a USB webcam into a port on the computer itself, not a hub or a monitor's USB port, and try a different port. If Windows says the device is not recognized, the guide for a USB device not recognized error covers ports and drivers.
• Turned off with a key or switch. Many laptops have a camera key on the top row, marked with a camera and a slash, or a slide switch on the side. Press it once and start the test again.
• Disabled in Windows. Right-click Start, open Device Manager and expand Cameras. If your camera has a down arrow, right-click it and choose Enable device.
• Turned off in the BIOS. Some Dell, HP and Lenovo laptops can turn the camera off in their setup screen, where it is listed under integrated or onboard devices.

If the camera still does not appear, follow the full steps for a webcam not working.

The picture is black

A black picture with the camera light on means the camera started but sees nothing.

1. Privacy shutter. Look for a small slider over the lens. On ThinkPads it is called ThinkShutter and sits just above the screen.
2. The wrong camera. Laptops with Windows Hello face sign-in list a second camera with IR in its name. It gives a black or dark grey picture. Pick the other one.
3. A virtual camera. OBS Virtual Camera, NVIDIA Broadcast and similar apps add a camera that stays black until the app is running.
4. Camera privacy mode. Lenovo Vantage can block the camera in software while it still shows as connected.

On laptops the laptop camera test lists the keys, switches and settings for HP, Dell, Lenovo and MacBook.

The browser blocked the camera

If the browser never asked, or you pressed Block by mistake, click the icon at the left of the address bar, set Camera to Allow and reload. If it still fails on Windows 11, open Settings, then Privacy & security, then Camera, and turn on Camera access, Let apps access your camera and Let desktop apps access your camera. On a Mac, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Camera, turn on your browser and restart it.

Another app is using the camera

On Windows, many cameras work with one app at a time. If the test says the camera is in use, close Zoom, Teams, Skype, Discord, OBS and any other browser tab that showed the camera, then press Try again. Apps that sit in the system tray keep the camera after you close their window, so quit them from the tray. A restart clears anything that is still holding it.

The picture is blurry

1. Wipe the lens with a dry microfiber cloth. Fingerprints are the most common cause of a soft picture.
2. Sit at least 40 cm (16 inches) from the camera. Many webcams have fixed focus and look soft any closer.
3. If the controls show Autofocus, hold printed text in front of the camera and watch Sharpness. Turn autofocus off and move the Focus slider if the number goes up.
4. Check Resolution. A camera sending 640 × 480 always looks soft on a large screen. Pick a higher size in Resolution to ask for.

The picture is dark or grainy

Webcams have small sensors, so in a dim room they raise the gain and the picture fills with grain. Turn on a lamp in front of you, facing you, and watch Brightness rise and Noise fall. A window behind you makes the camera expose for the bright window and leaves your face dark; turn your desk so the window is in front of you or beside you. If you have no lamp, the screen light turns part of your screen into a soft light.

Low frame rate in a dark room

If the camera is set to 30 fps but the readout shows 15, the camera is holding each frame longer to collect more light. At 30 fps each frame can be exposed for at most 33 ms, and at 15 fps for 67 ms, which brightens the picture but makes movement look choppy. Add light and the frame rate returns to 30. Some webcam apps, such as Logitech's, have a low light setting that slows the frame rate on purpose; turn it off if you prefer smooth motion to a brighter picture.

Two webcams will not run at once

Each USB 2.0 webcam reserves part of its USB controller's bandwidth when it starts, and many reserve a large share. Two cameras on the same controller can leave the second one with an error or no picture. Plug each camera into a port on a different side of the computer, use a USB 3 port, or lower the resolution of one camera.

What a browser webcam test cannot check

The browser sees the picture after the camera and the system have processed it. This test cannot read the sensor's native resolution beyond the sizes the camera offers, the camera's driver or firmware version, or effects added later by your call app, such as background blur. It counts frames as your screen shows them, so frame rates above your screen's refresh rate may read low. To check the camera inside Zoom itself, use the Zoom camera test. For a deeper look at every mode your camera supports, open the webcam resolution test.

Webcam test questions