Device check / 03
Mic Test: Online Microphone Test with Playback
Free online mic test: check that your microphone works, watch the level meter and waveform, then record a short clip and play it back. Nothing is uploaded.
Mic Test: Online Microphone Test with Playback: TOEA asks the browser for the microphone, analyses the signal on your device to draw a level meter and waveform, reports the sample rate and input name, and can record a short clip for playback and download. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Everyday tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
The browser will ask for permission the first time. Sound is analysed on your device and never played back through the speakers unless you record a clip and press play.
Bluetooth headsets sound worse on calls
When a Bluetooth headset's microphone is in use, most headsets switch from the profile used for music to a hands-free profile built for phone calls, which carries a much narrower band of sound. The recording here, and anything you hear through the headset at the same time, turns thin and muffled. It is the Bluetooth link rather than the microphone: a wired or USB headset, or a separate microphone with the headset used only for listening, avoids the switch.
Closer beats louder
Halving the distance to the microphone raises your voice by about 6 dB while keyboard noise and room echo stay where they were, so moving closer cleans up a recording more than turning up the gain. Speak slightly across a microphone rather than straight into it to keep bursts of breath on P and B sounds out of the clip, and soft furnishings around you reduce the hollow sound of a bare room.
How to use it
- Start the microphone and allow the browser to use it.
- Speak and watch the level and waveform move.
- Record a ten-second clip and play it back to hear what others hear.
Privacy & limitations
Sound is analysed on your device and never sent anywhere. It is not played through the speakers unless you record a clip and press play, so there is no feedback.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
The meter stays at silent.
Check the input picked in the list here, then the system's own input device and mute switch. On laptops with a hardware mute key, the browser sees silence and reports nothing wrong.
What level should I see?
Normal speech should sit between about −20 and −6 dB on this meter. Constantly at the top means clipping; barely moving means the gain is too low or the microphone is far away.
What does the processing option do?
It asks the browser for echo cancellation, noise suppression, and automatic gain, the same processing most call apps apply. Turn it off to hear the microphone raw.
Why does the clip sound different from the meter?
The clip is compressed for recording and played through your speakers or headphones, so it shows what a listener receives rather than the raw level.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required