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Webcam Test

Check that your camera works and see the resolution and frame rate it really sends.

Audio & Video No upload Works offline Free, no sign-up

Camera

Not started

Press Start and allow camera access when your browser asks. The picture stays on your device: nothing is recorded or sent.

Camera not working?

Windows
  1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Camera and turn on “Camera access”, “Let apps access your camera” and “Let desktop apps access your camera”.
  2. Close other apps that use the camera (Teams, Zoom, Skype, the Camera app, OBS): on Windows most cameras work in only one app at a time.
  3. Laptops often have a camera key (look for a camera icon on F8, F10 or similar) or a sliding privacy shutter above the screen.
  4. Open Device Manager → Cameras: if the camera is missing or has a warning sign, reconnect it or update its driver.
macOS
  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera, turn on your browser, then quit and reopen it.
  2. If the camera light stays off, close apps that might hold the camera (FaceTime, Photo Booth, video-call apps) and try again.
  3. A Mac with an external display and the lid closed cannot use its built-in camera; open the lid or use another camera.
Linux
  1. Check that the camera appears as /dev/video0 (or a higher number) and that your user may open it (on some distributions the user must be in the video group).
  2. Browsers installed as a Snap or Flatpak need camera permission in the system’s app settings (for example Ubuntu Settings → Apps, or Flatseal).
  3. Close other programs that use the camera (video calls, OBS, Cheese).
ChromeOS
  1. Open Settings → Security and privacy → Privacy controls and turn on Camera access.
  2. Some Chromebooks have a physical camera switch or shutter next to the camera.
Android
  1. Open Android Settings → Apps → your browser → Permissions → Camera and choose “Allow only while using the app”.
  2. Android 12 and later have a Camera access switch in the quick settings; it must be on.
  3. Close apps that may use the camera (video calls, scanners), then reload this page. Use the Facing option to switch between the front and back camera.
iPhone and iPad
  1. In Safari, tap the page menu (aA) → Website Settings → Camera → Allow. For Chrome, Firefox or Edge: Settings app → the browser → Camera on.
  2. Screen Time restrictions can turn the camera off for all apps: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Allowed Apps.
  3. Use the Facing option to switch between the front and back camera.
Any device
  1. Close other browser tabs that use the camera (video calls, other camera tests), then press Start again.
  2. Plug a USB webcam straight into the computer rather than through a hub, and try another port.
  3. A dark or blurry picture: clean the lens, add light from in front of you (not behind), and choose a lower resolution if the frame rate drops.

Next steps

About the Webcam Test

Check your webcam before a video call, an online exam or a recording. The page shows a live preview and measures what the camera really sends: the resolution delivered (which is often lower than the box promises) and the real frame rate, counted from the frames your browser actually displays, with the lowest and highest rate and how evenly the frames arrive.

It also lists the features your browser reports for the camera — zoom, focus, torch, exposure, white balance and more — with controls for the ones that can be adjusted, lets you mirror the preview, take a snapshot or a full-resolution photo, and gives step-by-step fixes when access is blocked, the camera is busy or none is found. Nothing is recorded or sent: the picture never leaves your device.

How to use it

  1. Press Start camera test and allow camera access when the browser asks.
  2. Pick the camera in the list if you have more than one. On phones, choose the front or back camera under Facing.
  3. Read the Resolution delivered and Measured frame rate under the preview. To check a higher mode, choose it under Resolution to request or Frame rate to request.
  4. Use Take snapshot to save a PNG or JPG of the picture, or Full-resolution photo where the browser supports it. Copy results puts the measurements (camera, resolution, frame rate, features, browser) on the clipboard as text for a support ticket or forum post.
  5. If the camera does not start, follow the numbered steps shown on the page or open the section for your system under “Camera not working?”.

Examples

A laptop webcam in a dim room
Input
Request 1920 × 1080 at 30 fps
Result
Resolution delivered 1280 × 720 · Measured frame rate about 15 fps

Many webcams cannot do 1080p, and lower their frame rate in poor light to collect more light per frame. Turn on a lamp in front of you and the rate usually rises to 30 fps.

A USB webcam that does 60 fps
Input
Request 1280 × 720 at 60 fps
Result
Resolution delivered 1280 × 720 · Measured frame rate 59.9 fps (lowest 59.6, highest 60.1 per second)
Camera busy in another app
Input
Teams is open on Windows
Result
“The camera is in use or could not be started.” followed by steps: close the other app, reconnect the camera, restart the browser

Why the measured frame rate matters

A camera can be set to 30 fps and still deliver fewer frames: in low light many webcams lengthen the exposure, USB bandwidth can run out at high resolutions, and a busy computer can drop frames. The page counts the frames the browser actually presents (with the requestVideoFrameCallback API, available in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox 132 and later) over the last two seconds, so the number reflects what a video call would get. The “frame timing varies by” value is the standard deviation of the time between frames: low values mean smooth motion.

The rate is limited by your screen’s refresh rate, so a 120 fps camera shown on a 60 Hz screen measures at most about 60 fps.

Resolution: requested versus delivered

Browsers treat the size you request as a wish: if the camera has no such mode, it opens with the closest one. The page asks for “ideal” values and then shows the real size from the video itself, so you see what apps will get. Highest the camera offers asks for more than any webcam supports, which makes the browser choose the camera’s largest mode. The “Largest mode” line is what the browser says the camera can do.

Camera features

The features table comes from the W3C Media Capture standards (getCapabilities and the image-capture extensions). Phones usually report zoom, torch (flashlight), focus and exposure controls; most desktop webcams report only size, frame rate and facing. Pan, tilt and zoom on desktop webcams are only reported after the browser asks for permission to move the camera — tick the box under the table to ask. A feature that is “Not supported” may still exist in the camera’s own software; the browser just does not expose it.

Limitations

  • Nothing is recorded: this page only tests the camera. To record yourself, use a recorder app or a screen recorder with a webcam overlay.
  • Device names appear only after you allow camera access.
  • Full-resolution photos (ImageCapture) work in Chrome and Edge; other browsers take snapshots of the preview instead.
  • Some built-in phone camera modes (portrait blur, night mode, wide-angle lens choice) are not available to web pages.

Privacy

Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my webcam blurry or dark?

Clean the lens, put a light in front of you rather than behind, and check whether the camera delivers a lower resolution than you expect (shown under the preview). Webcams also lower their frame rate in poor light, which shows as a low measured frame rate.

Why is the preview mirrored?

Mirroring makes the preview behave like a mirror, which most people find natural. The other side of a video call sees you unmirrored. Press Mirror to switch; snapshots follow the preview.

Is anything recorded or uploaded?

No. The preview is shown straight from the camera to this page and never leaves your device. A snapshot is created only when you press the button, and it stays on your device.

Why does it say the camera is in use?

Another app or browser tab is holding the camera. On Windows most cameras work in only one program at a time. Close video-call apps, other tabs with camera tests or meetings, and camera software, then press Try again.

Why can’t I choose 4K?

You can request it, but the camera decides. If it has no 4K mode, the page shows the largest size it really sends. “Largest mode” under the preview is the biggest size the browser reports for the camera.

How do I switch to the back camera on my phone?

Set Facing to Back. If the phone has several back cameras, they may also appear as separate entries in the Camera list.

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