Click Allow camera access above — you should see yourself instantly. 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 — Check Your Camera Online
Test your webcam in the browser: live preview, real resolution and frame rate, switch cameras and grab a snapshot. No install, nothing uploaded.
How to use
- Allow camera access. Click Allow camera access and accept the browser prompt. The video is shown locally — nothing leaves your device.
- Check the live preview. You should see yourself instantly. Confirm the image is sharp, well-lit and not frozen, and read the real resolution and frame rate below it.
- Switch camera and snapshot. If you 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 looks fine in one app can be black, frozen, or grabbed by another program in the next — and you usually discover it the moment a call connects. Testing it first takes seconds and saves the 'we can't see you' scramble at the start of an interview, a stream, or a video meeting. It is also the quickest way to separate a hardware fault from a software one: if you see yourself here, in the browser, the camera and its drivers work and the problem is the other app's settings or permissions; if it stays black even after you pick the right device and close other programs, the fault is the camera, a privacy shutter, or an OS-level block. Because everything runs locally, you can check a work laptop without any video being recorded or uploaded.
What the results mean
The live preview is the main result: it should appear within a second, look sharp, and react smoothly as you move — a frozen or laggy image points to a busy CPU or a driver issue. The resolution and frame-rate readouts show what the stream is actually delivering, which is often a conservative default (640×480 or 720p at 30 fps) rather than the camera's hardware maximum; that is normal for a browser stream. A very low frame rate in good light can mean a slow USB link or an overloaded machine. Use Mirror to match how you're used to seeing yourself, and Snapshot to confirm the captured frame is the quality you expect. If everything looks right here but a specific app still shows black, the fault is that app's camera permission or device selection, not your hardware.
FAQ
- Is this webcam test safe — do you record me?
- Nothing is uploaded or stored. The video is captured and shown entirely in your browser, and any snapshot you take lives only 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 disabled device 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 your built-in and external webcams.
- Why is the resolution lower than my camera supports?
- The browser negotiates a default stream, which is often 640×480 or 1280×720 even on a 1080p camera. The number shown is what the stream is actually delivering 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.