Mic test: level meter and playback

Press start, speak and watch the meter move

Your browser needs mic permission to hear you. Nothing is uploaded or saved.

Your browser will ask whether this page may use the microphone; choose Allow. Saying no is fine and the rest of the page still works. You can take the permission back at any time from the icon next to the address bar.

Record a clip and listen

The clip lives only in this tab's memory. It is gone when you record again, delete it, leave or reload, and it is never uploaded or saved. Headphones give the truest playback; speakers add the echo of the room.

What the browser reports

Sample rate—

Channels—

Noise suppression, echo cancellation, auto gain—

The meter shows the size of the signal the browser receives (dBFS, where 0 is full scale). It is not a sound level meter and cannot measure noise in decibels.

This page asks the browser to turn off noise suppression, echo cancellation and automatic gain, so you hear something closer to the raw mic. Video call apps usually keep them on, so you may sound cleaner and more even in a meeting. Some browsers ignore the request; this shows what the browser actually reports.

Browser mic test · nothing is uploaded

What the mic test shows

Check that your browser can hear your microphone: watch the live level follow your voice, then record a short clip and play it back to hear what was actually captured. Switch between microphones, and use the steps below if permission is blocked or no mic is found.

How to test your mic

Press start and allow the mic
Press Start the mic test and choose Allow when the browser asks. If you have more than one mic, such as a laptop mic and a headset, pick the one to test from the list.
Speak and watch the meter
Talk at your normal volume. If the meter moves, the browser hears you. Speech that lands around the middle to two thirds is ideal; if it keeps hitting the right end and the clipping warning appears, it is too loud.
Record a clip and play it back
Record a sentence, up to 10 seconds, and play it straight away. Listen for hiss, dropouts, a muffled sound or jumps in volume, which the meter cannot show.

Mic not working? Fix it by what you see

A web page cannot read any of these settings, so only you can check them. The message above tells you which case you are in; after a change, press Try again.

Permission was blocked

The browser or your system will not let this page use the microphone. Fix the browser's site permission first, then the system setting.

Chrome: Click the View site information icon to the left of the address, switch Microphone to Allow and reload. Or go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Microphone and remove this site from the blocked list.
Edge: Click the icon to the left of the address and set Microphone to Allow under Permissions for this site, or go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > Microphone.
Safari on Mac: Choose Safari > Settings > Websites > Microphone in the menu bar and set www.pocketool.app to Allow or Ask.
Firefox: Click the crossed-out microphone icon to the left of the address, clear Blocked and reload. Or remove this site under Settings > Privacy & Security > Permissions > Microphone.
iPhone and iPad: In Safari, tap the page menu in the address bar, then Website Settings, and set Microphone to Allow. You can also use Settings > Apps > Safari > Microphone (Settings > Safari on older iOS). For Chrome or another browser, find it under Settings > Apps and turn on Microphone.
Android: In Chrome, tap More at the top right > Settings > Site settings > Microphone and move this site from Blocked to Allowed. If that is not enough, open the system Settings > Apps > Chrome > Permissions and allow the microphone. Android 12 and later also have a Microphone access switch in Quick Settings that silences every app while it is off. Names vary by maker.
Windows: On Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone and turn on Microphone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone (browsers count as desktop apps). On Windows 10 it is under Settings > Privacy > Microphone.
macOS: Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and turn on your browser. Quit and reopen the browser if the system asks.

No microphone found, or it cut out

The browser cannot list any microphone, or the one you were using disappeared.

Plugs and pairing: Try another USB port for a USB mic. Plug a 3.5 mm headset into the mic jack or a combined headset jack, and check that a Bluetooth headset is connected.
Mute keys: Many headset cables, USB mics and laptop keyboards (often F4 or F8) have a mute key. While it is on, the system may treat the mic as missing.
Does the system see it?: On Windows 11, look under Input in Settings > System > Sound; on a Mac, in System Settings > Sound > Input. If the system does not list it either, the problem is the connection or the driver, and a web page cannot fix that.
Replug and try again: Once it is back, press Try again above and pick it from the list.

Another app is using the mic

Permission is granted and the device is there, but the browser cannot open it.

Close apps that use the mic: Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Discord, OBS and other tabs in a meeting can all hold the microphone. Close them, then press Try again.
Exclusive mode on Windows: In the Sound control panel, open the Recording tab, then this mic's Properties > Advanced. Clearing the option that lets apps take exclusive control stops one app from taking the mic away from every other app.
Replug or restart the browser: When a driver gets stuck, unplugging the device or quitting and reopening the browser usually brings it back.

It is on, but there is no sound

Permission and device are fine, yet the meter hardly moves.

Pick the right mic: Laptop, headset and webcam mics all show up in the list. Switch to another one in the menu above.
Mute keys and input volume: Check that the headset and laptop mute keys are off. On Windows 11, open your input device in Settings > System > Sound and raise the input volume; on a Mac, raise Input volume in System Settings > Sound > Input.
Bluetooth headsets: A Bluetooth headset only sends its mic in call mode. If the same headset appears twice in the Windows input list, pick the entry with Hands-Free in its name.

Unsupported browser, or opened inside an app

When the page says this browser cannot use the microphone, it is usually one of these two.

In-app browsers: Links opened from Facebook, Instagram or other apps often open in the app's own browser, which may not allow the microphone. Use Open in browser from the app's menu to open this page in Chrome or Safari.
Old browsers: Update Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. This page needs the standard getUserMedia API.

Privacy

Your voice never leaves this tab

This page asks for microphone permission, so here is exactly where the sound goes.

Nothing is uploaded

The meter is computed in your browser and recordings play back in your browser; this site has no server that receives audio. Google Analytics only gets codes such as whether permission was granted and which kind of error occurred, never audio, device names or levels.

Memory only, never saved

A recording lives in this tab's memory. It is not written to localStorage, IndexedDB or any file, and this page does no speech recognition.

Gone when you leave

Stopping, switching tabs, leaving or reloading turns the microphone off. A recording is cleared when you record again, delete it or close this page.

Taking permission back

The permission covers all of www.pocketool.app, so other Pocketool tools at the same address can use it too. To take it back, set the permission icon next to the address bar to Ask or Block; the steps above show where it is in each browser.

Mic test questions

Why does this page need microphone permission?

Browsers only hand microphone audio to a page after you agree. This page asks only after you press start, and the sound is processed in this tab and never uploaded.

I clicked Block. How do I allow it again?

Use the permission icon next to the address bar (View site information in Chrome; Settings > Websites in Safari on Mac), switch the microphone back to Allow and reload. The steps above cover every major browser and phone.

The meter moves, but people on my call cannot hear me.

Check that your call app uses the same microphone and that you are not muted in the app. Call apps have their own microphone setting, separate from the choice you make in the browser.

Is my recording saved or uploaded?

No. It stays in this tab's memory and is gone when you record again, delete it or close the page. This site has no server that receives audio.

Can this measure sound quality or sensitivity?

Not as a measurement. The meter shows digital signal level, which depends on your input volume and device settings. Judge quality by listening to the playback, or compare two mics by recording the same sentence from the same spot.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. Open this page in Safari on iPhone or Chrome on Android, press start and allow the microphone. If you opened it inside another app, open it in your browser first.