Click Allow camera access above. You should see yourself within a second. Check the preview is sharp and not frozen, read the real resolution and frame rate, switch cameras if you have more than one, and grab a snapshot. Nothing is uploaded. It all stays in your browser.
Webcam Test
Test your webcam in the browser. See a live preview, read the real resolution and frame rate, switch cameras, and grab a snapshot. Nothing is uploaded.
How to use
- Allow camera access. Click Allow camera access and accept the browser prompt. The video plays locally. Nothing leaves your device.
- Check the live preview. You should see yourself within a second. Confirm the image is sharp, well lit, and not frozen, then read the real resolution and frame rate below it.
- Switch camera and snapshot. Have more than one camera? Pick it from the dropdown. Hit Snapshot to capture a still and download it.
Why test this
A webcam that worked yesterday can be black, frozen, or locked by another app the moment a call connects. You usually find out at the worst time, with people waiting on a 'we can't see you.' Testing it here takes seconds. Skip that scramble before an interview, a stream, or a meeting. It also shows where the problem lives. If you get a sharp picture in the browser, the camera and its drivers work, so the fault is the other app's permissions or device settings. If it stays black after you pick the right camera and close Zoom, Teams, and OBS, the cause is the hardware, a privacy shutter, or an OS-level block. Everything runs on your device, so you can check a locked-down work laptop without a single frame being recorded or uploaded.
What the results mean
The live preview is the main readout. It should appear within a second, look sharp, and track your movement with no lag. A frozen or stuttering image points to a busy CPU or a driver problem, not the camera. Below it, the resolution and frame rate show what the stream is actually delivering. That's often a conservative default like 640×480 or 720p at 30 fps rather than the camera's hardware maximum, which is normal for a browser. A very low frame rate in good light can mean a slow USB port or an overloaded machine. Use Mirror to flip the image the way you're used to seeing yourself, and Snapshot to freeze a frame and check the quality up close. If everything looks right here but one app still shows black, the fault is that app's camera permission or device choice, not your hardware.
FAQ
- Is this webcam test safe, and do you record me?
- Nothing is uploaded or stored. The video is captured and shown entirely in your browser, and any snapshot you take stays in this tab until you close it.
- Why is my webcam showing a black screen?
- Check that you allowed access in the browser prompt, that the right camera is selected, and that no other app (Zoom, Teams, OBS) is holding the camera. A privacy shutter or a device disabled in the OS will also show black.
- Can I choose which camera to test?
- Yes. Once access is granted and more than one camera exists, a Camera dropdown appears so you can switch between built-in and external webcams.
- Why is the resolution lower than my camera supports?
- The browser negotiates a default stream, often 640×480 or 1280×720 even on a 1080p camera. The number shown is what the stream delivers right now, not the camera's hardware maximum.
- Does the test need https?
- Yes. Browsers only grant camera access on a secure (https) connection or on localhost. On plain http the permission prompt never appears.