---
title: "Webcam test"
description: "Free webcam test that runs in your browser. See yourself live, check the real resolution and frame rate your camera sends, and fix common problems."
url: https://www.test-webcamp.com/
site: Webcamp
updated: 2026-08-28
---

# Webcam test

_Confirm your camera works in a few seconds. Press start, allow the permission prompt, and you should see yourself along with the resolution and frame rate your device is actually delivering._

## What this test tells you

A webcam problem is almost always one of four things: the hardware is dead, a driver has failed, another program is holding the device, or a permission is switched off somewhere. This page separates them.

If you can see yourself above, your camera, its cable or internal connector, and its driver are all working. That is worth knowing, because it means any problem you are having in Zoom, Teams, Meet or Discord is inside that application rather than in your hardware. If you cannot see yourself, the readout panel and the message under the video narrow down which of the four causes you are looking at.

## Reading the results

The readout shows what your camera is really sending, not what the box it came in claimed.

| Field | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Resolution | The pixel dimensions of the live stream. A camera sold as 1080p should report 1920 × 1080. Many budget webcams [upscale from a smaller sensor](https://www.test-webcamp.com/webcam-resolution-test.html) instead. |
| Frame rate | Measured by counting delivered frames, not read from the spec sheet. Below about 15 fps, movement looks choppy on a call. Poor lighting is the usual cause; the [frame rate test](https://www.test-webcamp.com/webcam-fps-test.html) explains why. |
| Aspect | The shape of the image. 16:9 is standard for video calls. 4:3 means you will appear letterboxed in most conferencing apps. |
| Facing | Reported by phones and tablets as front or environment. Desktop webcams usually leave this blank. |

**The mirror question.** The preview is mirrored by default, which is why text held up to the camera reads backwards. This matches what Zoom and Teams show you locally, but it is not what other people see. Use the unmirror button to view yourself as participants do, or read [how to flip your webcam properly](https://www.test-webcamp.com/fix/flip-mirror-webcam.html).

## If the test fails

1. **Check the permission prompt.** If no prompt appeared and nothing happened, permission was denied earlier and is being remembered. [Set the camera back to Allow](https://www.test-webcamp.com/fix/allow-camera-access-chrome.html) from the icon at the left of your address bar, then reload.
2. **Close everything else using the camera.** Quit [Zoom](https://www.test-webcamp.com/webcam-test/zoom.html), [Teams](https://www.test-webcamp.com/webcam-test/microsoft-teams.html), [Discord](https://www.test-webcamp.com/webcam-test/discord.html), Skype, OBS and any other browser tab with a call open. On Windows the camera usually serves one program at a time, which is why [a second app gets nothing](https://www.test-webcamp.com/fix/camera-in-use-by-another-app.html).
3. **Check the physical switch.** Many laptops have a sliding privacy shutter over the lens, and some have a keyboard shortcut that disables the camera entirely. Look for a small camera key, often on F8 or F10.
4. **Check your operating system privacy settings.** [Windows](https://www.test-webcamp.com/fix/camera-not-working-windows-11.html) and [macOS](https://www.test-webcamp.com/fix/camera-not-working-mac.html) both keep a master camera switch that overrides the browser. This is the single most common cause of a camera that works nowhere at all.
5. **Try a different browser.** If the camera works in Firefox but not Chrome, the fault is a browser setting rather than the device.

## Other checks

A camera is only half of a working video call. These run the same way, entirely in your browser.

## Common questions

Is my video recorded or uploaded?

No. The camera feed is handled entirely by your browser using the getUserMedia API and rendered straight to the page. There is no upload, no server-side processing and no recording. You can confirm this by opening your browser's network tab while the test runs.

Why does my browser ask for permission?

Browsers require explicit consent before any site can open a camera. That prompt is generated by the browser itself, not by this page. Permission applies only to this site and can be revoked at any time from the icon in the address bar.

The test works here but not in Zoom. Why?

That result is useful: it rules out a hardware or driver fault. The problem is almost certainly the app's own device selection or its operating system permission. Check which camera is selected inside the app's video settings.

Can two apps use the camera at once?

On Windows, usually not. Most cameras allow one application to hold the stream at a time, which is why a black screen here often means Teams, Zoom or another browser tab still has the device open.

Does this work on a phone?

Yes. On Android and iOS the test runs in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox. On phones with more than one camera you can switch between the front and rear lens using the camera source list.