MicTest.net

Microphone Test

Free Online Mic Check

Click the button below to test your microphone. We will ask for microphone permission and instantly show you if it is working.

Click the button to start testing your microphone.

How to Use

  1. 1

    Click "Start Microphone Test".

  2. 2

    Allow microphone access when prompted.

  3. 3

    Speak into your mic and watch the audio bars.

  4. 4

    If the bars move, your mic is working!

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Microphone Troubleshooting Guide

If your microphone is not being detected or the audio bars are not moving, follow the steps below for your operating system before assuming the hardware is broken.

1Windows 10 & 11

  • Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar and select "Sound settings". Under "Input", make sure your microphone is selected as the default device and the volume is not at zero.
  • Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. Confirm that "Microphone access" is On and that your browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) is listed and allowed.
  • Open Device Manager, expand "Audio inputs and outputs", and check if your microphone appears. A yellow warning icon means a driver issue — right-click and select "Update driver".
  • Right-click the microphone in Sound settings → Properties → Levels. Make sure the level is above 80 and the mute button is not active.
  • Run the built-in troubleshooter: Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → Recording Audio.
  • If you are using a USB or Bluetooth microphone, unplug it, wait ten seconds, and reconnect it. Windows sometimes fails to hand off audio devices without a reconnect.

2macOS

  • Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. Find your browser in the list and make sure its toggle is turned on. If the browser is not listed, it has never requested access — try clicking "Start Microphone Test" first.
  • Go to System Settings → Sound → Input. Select your microphone and raise the input volume slider. Make sure "Input mute" at the bottom of the screen is not active.
  • If you are using an external microphone, check Audio MIDI Setup (found in Applications → Utilities). Confirm the correct device is listed and its format is set to a standard sample rate such as 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz.
  • Some macOS updates reset app microphone permissions silently. After any system update, revisit Privacy & Security → Microphone and re-enable browser access.
  • For MacBooks with Apple silicon, make sure your macOS is up to date. Early M1 and M2 builds had known audio input bugs that were fixed in point releases.

3Linux

  • Open the sound settings panel (PulseAudio Volume Control or pavucontrol if not installed). Go to the "Input Devices" tab and confirm your microphone is not muted and the volume is raised.
  • In the "Recording" tab of pavucontrol, make sure the browser is capturing from the correct device and not from "Monitor of Built-in Audio" which records system output, not your voice.
  • Run "arecord -l" in a terminal to list all detected capture hardware. If your microphone is missing from the list, the kernel driver is not loading — check "dmesg" for errors.
  • Some distributions install PipeWire instead of PulseAudio. Run "pactl info" to see which is running, then install "pipewire-pulse" if your browser is looking for a PulseAudio socket.
  • Browser Snap packages on Ubuntu can block microphone access due to Snap confinement. Run "sudo snap connect [browser]:audio-record" in a terminal or switch to the .deb version of the browser.
  • If using ALSA only (no PulseAudio or PipeWire), run "alsamixer", press F4 to switch to capture, and unmute the capture channel by pressing the M key.

4Chromebook

  • Click the clock in the bottom-right corner to open Quick Settings, then click the microphone icon. Make sure the input level is raised and the correct microphone is selected from the dropdown.
  • In Chrome, click the lock icon in the address bar while on this page. Set "Microphone" to "Allow" if it shows "Block" or "Ask".
  • Go to Chrome settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Microphone. Remove this site from the "Not allowed" list if it appears there.
  • Restart your Chromebook fully rather than just closing the lid. ChromeOS sometimes holds audio resources after waking from sleep and a full restart releases them.
  • If you are using an external USB microphone, check that ChromeOS has switched the active input device. Open Quick Settings → Audio and select the USB device manually.
  • For school or work-managed Chromebooks, the administrator may have blocked microphone access via policy. Contact your IT department if every site shows the microphone as permanently blocked.

5Browser permissions (all platforms)

  • Chrome: Click the lock or microphone icon in the address bar → Site settings → Microphone → Allow. Then refresh the page.
  • Firefox: Click the microphone icon or shield icon in the address bar and remove the blocked permission. Reload and click Allow when the browser asks again.
  • Safari: Go to Safari → Settings → Websites → Microphone. Find this site and change the setting from "Deny" to "Allow".
  • Edge: Click the lock icon in the address bar → Permissions for this site → Microphone → Allow.
  • If the browser shows "Microphone is blocked by your operating system", the browser has permission but the OS does not. Fix the OS-level permission first using the Windows or macOS steps above.
  • Clearing site data (cookies and storage) also resets microphone permissions. If you recently cleared browser data, you will need to re-allow microphone access.

6External and USB microphones

  • Unplug the microphone and try a different USB port. USB 3.0 ports (blue) can sometimes interfere with audio devices — try a USB 2.0 port instead.
  • Avoid USB hubs if possible. Powered hubs can work, but passive unpowered hubs often cause audio devices to drop out or not be recognized at all.
  • Check if the microphone has its own volume knob or mute button on the body. Many condenser microphones have a hardware mute that can be mistaken for a software problem.
  • On Windows, right-click the microphone in Sound settings → Properties → Advanced and uncheck "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device". Some apps like Discord or Zoom lock the microphone and prevent other apps from using it.
  • For XLR microphones connected via an audio interface, make sure the phantom power (+48V) is enabled on the interface if your microphone requires it.

7Headset and built-in microphones

  • For headsets with a 3.5mm jack, make sure the plug is fully inserted. A partially inserted combo jack can carry audio out but not audio in.
  • Headsets with separate microphone and headphone jacks (two 3.5mm connectors) require both to be plugged into the correct ports. The microphone port is usually pink and the headphone port is green.
  • Built-in laptop microphones can be blocked by a software privacy switch that some manufacturers add. Check your laptop companion app (HP Command Center, Dell Audio, Lenovo Vantage) for a microphone mute toggle.
  • If the built-in mic works but a headset does not, the headset microphone may be wired for CTIA standard while your port expects OMTP. A cheap CTIA-to-OMTP adapter solves this.

8When to replace or repair

  • If the microphone is listed in your OS and permissions are correct but no sound is ever detected on any device, the microphone capsule is physically damaged and the hardware needs to be replaced.
  • For USB microphones that are not detected at all on multiple computers, the USB interface chip inside may have failed. Try the microphone on a different OS before concluding it is broken.
  • Built-in laptop microphones that fail after a physical impact or liquid spill usually require a motherboard or microphone ribbon cable replacement — a job for a repair technician.