How to test your webcam
- Click Start webcam test and allow camera access when your browser asks.
- If you have more than one camera, pick it from the list. The preview shows what the camera sees, with the real resolution and a measured frame rate next to it.
- Wait a moment for the Image quality score. It checks lighting, contrast, sharpness, grain, resolution and frame rate, and tells you what to fix.
- Click Scan resolutions to see which resolutions the camera really supports, then take a snapshot if you want a still image.
Reading the results
Resolution is the size of the video your browser receives. Browsers start at a modest size unless a site asks for more, so this page requests 1080p. Choose Highest available to see the camera's maximum. The resolution scan asks for each common size exactly: native means the camera itself delivers that size, while scaled means the browser shrinks a larger picture. That works in apps but says nothing about the camera's real modes.
Frame rate is measured by counting the frames that actually arrive, not just read from the settings the camera reports. If the measured value is far below the reported one, the camera is slowing down. The most common reason is low light: webcams lengthen each exposure in a dim room, which can halve the frame rate from 30 to 15 fps. USB bandwidth (a 4K stream on a USB 2 port or hub) and a busy CPU are the other usual causes.
The quality score combines six checks. Lighting uses the average brightness and looks for a bright background behind a darker center (backlight). Sharpness compares fine and coarse detail, corrected for sensor noise, so a grainy image isn't mistaken for a sharp one. Grain is estimated from the flat areas of the picture.
Tips for a better picture on calls
- Light your face, not your back. Sit facing a window or put a lamp behind your screen. A window behind you turns your face into a silhouette.
- Clean the lens. A fingerprint makes everything hazy and soft. Use a microfiber cloth.
- Mind the distance. Many webcams can't focus closer than about 50 cm (20 in). Put the camera at eye level, an arm's length away.
- 720p vs 1080p. Most meeting apps send 720p or less, especially in group calls, and all of them lower the resolution when bandwidth is tight. In Zoom, turn on HD in Settings › Video; 1080p needs specific plans or settings. Teams and Google Meet adapt automatically. A well-lit 720p picture beats a dim 1080p one.
Camera not working?
If the browser can't open the camera, the page explains why and how to fix it. The most common causes are a permission that was blocked once (click the icon at the left of the address bar), operating-system privacy settings (Settings › Privacy & security › Camera on Windows, System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera on a Mac), or another app holding the camera. A black picture while the camera light is on usually means a privacy shutter, a camera key on the keyboard (often F8 or F10), or a lens cover.
Share result (next to Check again) makes a link to your last image quality check. It holds the resolution, the measured frame rate and the picture statistics the score is worked out from: average brightness and contrast, the share of blown-out pixels, the brightness of the centre and of the background, the colour balance, sharpness, detail and noise. Never a picture, and never the camera's name. Whoever opens it sees the same score and verdict, worked out again from those figures.
Everything runs in your browser: the video is never recorded or uploaded, and snapshots stay on your device until you download them. Setting up for a call or an exam? Also run the microphone test and the speaker and headphone test. To check your screen, try the dead pixel test.