How to test your webcam
- Click Start camera test and allow camera access when your browser asks.
- Your picture appears within a second or two. If you have several cameras — a built-in one, an external webcam, an iPhone through Continuity Camera — pick one from the list.
- Read the numbers under the preview: the resolution the camera is sending, what it supports at most, and the frames per second measured over the last second.
- Optionally click Take snapshot to save a still, then Stop. Closing the tab also turns the camera off.
What the numbers mean
Resolution is what the camera is delivering right now. The page asks for 1920 × 1080; the camera answers with the nearest mode it can run. The figure in brackets is the largest size the camera reports it supports. If the two are far apart, the camera may be limited by its connection (a USB hub, an old cable) or busy in a lower mode for another app.
Frame rate is counted, not quoted: the tool counts the frames that actually arrive each second. Cameras advertise a frame rate, but many of them slow down in dim light so each frame can collect more light. If the measured number is well below the requested one, the tool tells you — and more light in front of you is usually the whole fix.
Mirroring only affects your preview. Video-call and recording apps usually show you mirrored to yourself and un-mirrored to everyone else, so text on your shirt reads backwards only on your screen.
Webcam not working on a Mac? Check these in order
- The browser’s permission for this site. Click the icon at the left of the address bar and set Camera to Allow, then reload.
- macOS’s permission for the browser. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera and switch on Chrome, Safari or whichever browser you use. macOS applies this separately from the browser, so both have to say yes.
- Another app holding the camera. If the green light next to the camera is on before you start, something else — Zoom, FaceTime, Teams, OBS — has it. Quit that app fully.
- A stuck permission. If the browser never appears in the Camera list, reset the decision so macOS asks again. In Terminal:
tccutil reset Camera com.google.Chrome # Chrome
tccutil reset Camera com.apple.Safari # Safari
tccutil reset Camera # every appThen quit and reopen the browser and start the test again. The last line resets the camera permission for every app, so each one will ask again the next time it uses the camera.
Looking better on camera, quickly
- Light in front, not behind. A window behind you turns your face dark and drags the frame rate down. Turn to face it.
- Camera at eye level. A laptop on a desk looks up at you; a couple of books under it fixes the angle.
- Clean the lens. A hazy, low-contrast picture is often a fingerprint.
- Check the mic too. Our Mic Test shows your input level live and records a short clip to play back.
Privacy
The camera feed goes straight from your device into this page. It is not recorded, streamed or uploaded, and it stops the moment you click Stop or close the tab. A snapshot exists only if you take one, and only on your computer until you download it. Browser permission for the camera applies to this page alone — other tools on this site cannot use your camera.
