Mic Test: Check Your Microphone Online
A bar that bounces when you talk only proves the mic is on. This test tells you if it's good enough to record with. Press Start mic test, allow the mic, press Record a 5-second test and talk. You get a verdict, your levels in dBFS and a playback. Nothing is uploaded.
By Eman Khoubian, Founder & CEO
How to read your mic test result
The verdict comes from your loudest moment. We measure it in dBFS, decibels below the loudest sound your computer can record. 0 dBFS is the ceiling, so every reading is negative, and a sound at half the ceiling reads about −6.
Where each mic test verdict starts and ends, in dBFS
- Good means your loudest moment landed between −24 and −6 dBFS. You're loud enough and there's room above you for a laugh or a cough.
- Too quiet means it stayed under −24. Move closer to the mic or raise your input volume.
- A little loud means it went above −6 without clipping. Turn the input volume down a step.
- Clipped means your voice hit the ceiling and was cut off flat. That sounds distorted, so turn the input volume down and move back.
- No sound means nothing came through above −50. Check the mute switch on your headset and that the right mic is picked in the list.
Background noise is how loud the room is when you pause. You'll see a noisy-room note when it's within 20 dB of your voice or above −45 dBFS. Usual suspects: an air conditioner, an open window, or a laptop fan humming right under the mic.
Mic not working? Fix it by what the test says
Microphone access is blocked. You or the browser said no to this page. Click the mic or lock icon in the address bar and allow the microphone, then press Try again. If that icon isn't there:
- Chrome: More, then Settings, then Privacy and security, then Site settings, then Microphone. In the not-allowed list, pick this site and change it to Allow.
- Safari on a Mac: click the address bar, choose Website Settings and set Microphone for this site.
- Firefox: click the permissions icon left of the address, then the X next to Blocked, so Firefox asks again.
- Edge: Settings and more, then Settings, then Privacy, search, and services, then Site permissions, then All sites. Pick this site and change Microphone.
Still blocked? Your computer may be keeping the mic from the browser. On Windows 11, go to Start, Settings, Privacy & security, Microphone, and turn on all three switches: Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone, and Let desktop apps access your microphone. On a Mac, go to Apple menu, System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone, and turn it on for your browser.
No microphone found. Plug the mic in, or pick it as your input. On Windows that's Start, Settings, System, Sound, Input. On a Mac it's System Settings, Sound, Input.
Your mic is busy or blocked by your system. The browser got permission but couldn't open the mic. Quit other apps that use it, then press Try again.
Waiting for you to allow the microphone. The browser may be waiting on your answer, or the permission box may have been dismissed. Look for it at the top of the browser, or press Cancel and start again.
How the mic test works
Your browser hands the page your mic's sound as numbers from −1.0 to 1.0, many thousands per second. The test cuts five seconds into 100 frames of 50 milliseconds. Your loudest moment is the biggest number in the whole recording, turned into dBFS with 20 × log10. Background noise is the average level of the quietest tenth of the frames, which is where you paused.
A made-up 5-second test, cut into 100 frames
The −6 and 0 cutoffs come from audio software makers. Audacity's manual calls −6 dB "a good maximum signal level to aim for". Adobe's Audition help says "a level of 0 dB is the maximum amplitude possible before clipping occurs". A number of 0.99 or more, within 0.1 dB of the ceiling, counts as clipped. We set the −24, −45 and −50 cutoffs and the 20 dB gap ourselves, for speech.
The test asks your browser for echo cancellation, noise suppression and auto gain. Your browser decides which ones it actually turns on, and the line under the tool shows you.
A worked example: a laptop mic across the desk
Say you test a laptop mic from across the desk and the biggest number is 0.03. 20 × log10(0.03) is about −30 dBFS, under −24, so the verdict is too quiet.
The same laptop mic, across the desk and closer
You move closer and test again. The biggest number is now 0.35, which is about −9 dBFS: good. In your pauses the quietest frames average 0.002, about −54 dBFS. That's 45 dB under your voice, so the room is quiet enough.
Your mic and your transcript
If you're testing before you record a meeting, an interview or a lecture, the mic is the part you can still change. AssemblyAI, which builds speech-to-text models, puts it this way: "The recording itself. Compression discards frequency range that no model recovers. Distance from the microphone raises the noise floor. This is the least glamorous lever and frequently the largest one." Clipping is hard to undo too. Audacity says its Clip Fix effect "is only likely to be effective for repairing lightly clipped audio."
Once the test says good, record in WhisperAI with the same mic in the same browser. The test also asks your browser for the same audio settings WhisperAI's recorder asks for by default. The Meeting Assistant records your mic and a Chrome or Edge tab, and no bot joins the call. Recording on your phone instead? Upload the audio and get a transcript with speaker labels. The free plan gives you 5 minutes a month, no card, and Business Pro is unlimited for $24.99 a month.
Mic test FAQ
How do I hear myself on a mic test?
Record the 5-second test, then press play under the result. You hear what the mic picked up.
Can I test my headset or headphone mic?
Yes. Connect the headset, start the test and pick it in the Microphone list. If it isn't listed, check that it's connected and chosen as the input in your computer's sound settings, then press Start again.
How do I test my laptop's built-in mic?
Start the test and pick the built-in microphone in the list. If it still reads too quiet or flags a noisy room with you sitting close, plug in a headset and test again.
Does the mic test work on a phone?
Yes. Open this page in your phone's browser, press Start and allow the microphone when it asks. If your browser can't use the mic on this page, the test tells you instead of showing a result.
Why does my mic work here but not in Zoom?
Zoom, Teams and other apps choose their own mic and settings. Open the app's audio settings and pick the same mic you picked here.
Why does my level change on its own?
That's auto gain. When your browser turns it on, it raises and lowers your volume to keep it steady, so a quiet voice can creep up and a loud one can drop. The line under the tool shows whether your browser applied it.