DevicedialCamera test
Camera test
The picture appears here once you allow the camera. It stays in this tab โ no frame is uploaded or stored.
Your browser is not letting this page use the camera
The permission prompt was dismissed or blocked, so there is nothing to measure yet.
Nothing is recorded and nothing leaves this tab โ the reading is taken from the live stream and thrown away the moment you stop the test.
Live picture
โpx
The number is what your webcam is actually sending, not what it is sold as โ apps can ask for less, never for more.
- Frame rateโ
- Aspectโ
- Cameraโ
- Facingโ
One gear check a month
MonthlyOne thing a month worth measuring before it fails properly โ a mic that reset itself, a stick that drifts, a switch sending two clicks. Two sentences and the test.
Try also
Is my camera working, and what is it actually sending?
The camera test reports the resolution and frame rate your webcam is actually sending, not just whether a picture appears. Those two numbers explain most of what people mean when they call a camera bad. A stream that negotiates 640ร480 looks soft on a large screen no matter how good the sensor is, and a frame rate that has dropped from 30 fps to 15 fps produces the stutter that everyone blames on their connection.
Both numbers come from the live track, so they describe the stream your calls will get. A frame rate falling in a dim room is normal โ the camera lengthens each exposure to gather light, and the rate halves. Turn a lamp on, watch the number climb back, and you have diagnosed a lighting problem instead of buying a camera. The resolution reported here is what the camera agreed to, which is often lower than the number on the box.
Compare what the test reports against what the camera was sold as. One step below the hardware maximum is normal, because the browser asks for something reasonable and the camera answers; two steps below usually means bandwidth, light, or a driver falling back.
| Stream | Pixels | Frame rate to expect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 640ร480 | 0.3 MP | 30 fps | Fallback mode and older built-in cameras; soft on anything larger than a thumbnail |
| 1280ร720 | 0.9 MP | 30 fps | What most laptop cameras and most calls actually use |
| 1920ร1080 | 2.1 MP | 30 fps, 60 on a few models | The usual maximum on webcams sold as 1080p |
| 2560ร1440 | 3.7 MP | 30 fps | Uncommon, and frequently scaled back down by the calling application |
| 3840ร2160 | 8.3 MP | 30 fps or less | 4K webcams; needs USB 3 and good light to hold the rate |
Permission is granted per device, so a camera blocked while audio works points at a device setting rather than at the site โ the mic test is the fastest way to confirm which. If the picture is fine but you cannot hear the other side, the fault is on the output chain, which the speaker test and the headphone test cover.
Frequently asked questions
The camera works in this test but not in Zoom, Teams or OBS
A camera can usually be opened by one application at a time, so start by closing whatever else might be holding it โ including a forgotten browser tab and any virtual camera software that grabs the device at startup. After that, check the application’s own device list, then Windows Settings > Privacy & security > Camera, where desktop applications can be blocked separately from browsers and often are.
The camera light is on but the image is black
Three causes, in the order they are usually the answer: a physical privacy shutter or a piece of tape, another application holding the stream and returning empty frames, and a virtual camera selected in place of the physical one. If the indicator light is on, the device is open โ so the problem sits in front of the lens or in the software layer above it, not in the permission.
Why is the picture mirrored?
Because an unmirrored self-view is disorienting: you move left and the image moves right. Every video application mirrors the preview for that reason, and none of them mirror what is sent, so the other side always sees you the right way round. The mirror control here changes the display only โ hold text up to the camera with mirroring off and it reads correctly, which is the quickest way to see the difference.
The test says 1280x720 but my webcam is 1080p
That is negotiation rather than a fault. The page asks for a reasonable stream and the camera answers with the closest mode it can sustain, which depends on USB bandwidth, available light and whatever else is sharing the bus. Calling applications do the same thing and usually ask for less, which is why a 4K webcam frequently ends up sending 720p in a meeting.
The frame rate shows 15 fps. Is the camera broken?
Almost certainly not โ it is light. Auto exposure lengthens the time each frame is collected until there is enough signal, and once the exposure passes about 1/30 s the sensor cannot deliver 30 frames per second any more. Add a lamp, or turn away from a bright window behind you, and the number should climb back to 30. Sharing a USB hub with a busy drive has the same effect.
Does the test record or upload video?
No. Frames go from the camera to a video element in the page and nowhere else: nothing is recorded, nothing is uploaded, and no request leaves while the preview runs. Stopping the test or closing the tab releases the device and the camera indicator light goes out โ and if that light stays on afterwards, something else on the machine is still holding the camera.
How the test works
Sources:
What the two numbers are worth
Resolution decides sharpness and frame rate decides smoothness, and they fail for different reasons. Resolution is negotiated once when the stream opens; frame rate moves continuously with the light in the room.
The camera is rarely the weak link. A 1080p sensor sending 720p over a busy USB hub, in a room lit from behind, is the ordinary case โ and not one of those three problems is solved by buying a better camera.
Permission is granted per site and per device. A page can hold camera permission while microphone permission is still blocked, which is how a black preview and a working level meter end up on the same machine.