How to use this test
- Press start and allow access. Your browser will ask for permission. The video is processed entirely on your device and never uploaded.
- Check the picture. You should see yourself immediately. A black rectangle with no error usually means a privacy shutter or a lens cover.
- Read the resolution and frame rate. Frame rate is measured from frames actually presented, which is often lower than the camera advertises.
- Switch cameras if you have several. The picker appears when more than one camera is detected — useful for confirming which device your calls are actually using.
How do I know if my webcam is working?
The fastest check is the one above: if you can see yourself, the camera, its driver, and your browser's access to it are all working. That single observation eliminates most of the possible causes at once, which is why it is worth doing before changing any settings.
What it does not tell you is whether the camera is performing well. A camera can connect perfectly and still deliver a dark, choppy, low-resolution image — and that is far more common than outright failure. The readings beside the video are there to separate "working" from "working properly".
Why we measure frame rate rather than reporting it
Every camera advertises a frame rate, and browsers will happily tell you what it claims. That number is frequently wrong in practice.
Cameras adjust exposure to suit the available light. In a dim room the sensor holds each frame open longer to gather enough light, and a longer exposure per frame means fewer frames per second — the arithmetic is unavoidable. A webcam advertising 30 fps routinely delivers 15 in the evening.
So this test counts frames as they are actually presented and reports the median interval. Both numbers are shown side by side: what the camera claims, and what it is really doing. A large gap between them is not a fault — it is a lighting diagnosis.
Why is my webcam not working?
Work down this list. The test above identifies which of the first three you have hit.
- Permission denied. The browser blocked access, and the decision is remembered per site. Click the camera or padlock icon in the address bar and allow it. This is the single most common cause.
- Another application has the camera. Most systems allow only one application to hold a camera at a time. Close Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS and other browser tabs. If nothing obvious is running, restart the browser — a crashed tab can hold the device invisibly.
- The operating system switch is off. Windows and macOS both have a master camera toggle that overrides the browser entirely. It is easy to turn on while troubleshooting privacy and forget.
- A physical shutter or Fn key. If the test reports a resolution but shows black, the camera is working and something is covering it. Most modern laptops have a sliding shutter.
- The device is disabled or missing a driver. Check Device Manager on Windows or System Information on macOS. If the system cannot see it either, the problem is below the browser.
- Connection. On an external webcam, plug directly into the machine rather than a hub, and try a different port. Bandwidth limits on a shared hub also force lower resolutions.
Making yourself look better on calls
Almost every complaint about webcam quality is a lighting complaint wearing a hardware costume. In order of impact:
| Problem | What it actually is | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Grainy, noisy image | Sensor amplifying a weak signal | More light in front of you |
| Choppy, low frame rate | Long exposure to compensate for darkness | More light in front of you |
| You are a silhouette | Bright window behind you | Turn around, or close the blind |
| Blurry at the edges | Fixed-focus lens, or a dirty lens | Wipe the lens; sit more centrally |
| Low resolution | Software requesting less than the maximum | Check camera app settings and hub bandwidth |
A single lamp positioned behind your screen and pointed at your face improves image quality more than any camera upgrade under a hundred pounds. It raises the light level, which shortens exposure, which raises frame rate and reduces grain simultaneously.
What a browser cannot tell you about your camera
Being specific about the limits matters. A browser cannot read your camera's sensor model, its firmware version, its temperature, or its lens specification. It cannot tell you whether autofocus hardware is failing. It can report the resolution and frame rate of the stream it negotiated, the device label once permitted, and whether the camera faces the user or away — and that is the complete list.
Any site claiming to identify your exact webcam model is reading your user agent and guessing.
Related tests
Call problems are more often audio than video. The microphone test shows live input level and catches clipping, and the speaker test checks each channel independently. If your whole setup feels slow rather than broken, the latency test measures how quickly your machine responds.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my webcam not working?
In rough order of likelihood: permission was denied in the browser, another application is holding the camera, a physical privacy shutter is closed, or the operating system camera switch is off. This test tells the first three apart automatically — the verdict names which one it hit. Genuine hardware failure is the least common cause by a wide margin.
Why is my webcam black?
If the test connects and reports a resolution but you see only black, the camera is working and something is physically blocking it. Check for a sliding privacy shutter — most modern laptops have one and they are easy to leave closed. Some laptops also disable the camera via an Fn key. If the image is very dark rather than pure black, that is exposure, not a fault: add light in front of you.
Why does my camera say it is in use by another application?
Most operating systems allow only one application to hold a camera at a time, and the lock is not always released cleanly when an app closes. Close Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS and any other browser tabs, then try again. If nothing obvious is running, restart the browser — a crashed tab can hold the device open invisibly.
Why is my webcam frame rate lower than advertised?
Almost always light. In dim conditions the sensor lengthens its exposure to gather enough light, and a longer exposure per frame mathematically means fewer frames per second. A camera rated 30 fps commonly delivers 15 in a dark room. This is why people look choppy on evening calls. Adding a lamp in front of you fixes it more reliably than any software setting.
Why does my webcam look grainy or washed out?
Both are lighting. Grain is the sensor amplifying a weak signal, which introduces noise — more light means less amplification and less grain. Washed out usually means a bright window behind you: the camera exposes for the background and leaves you dark, or compensates and blows out the picture. Face the light source rather than sitting in front of it.
Is my video uploaded anywhere by this test?
No. The stream is handled entirely inside your browser using the standard camera API, displayed back to you, and discarded when you press stop or close the page. Nothing is recorded, nothing is transmitted, and there is no server involved in the test at all.
Why is the device name blank in the picker?
Browsers hide device labels until you grant camera permission, because the list of hardware attached to your machine is a fingerprinting vector. Once you allow access and the stream starts, the real names appear. This is expected behaviour rather than a fault.