What this webcam test actually measures
Most "webcam test" pages show you a live preview and stop there. A preview only proves one thing - that some image is arriving. This test goes further and reports the numbers that explain why a camera looks bad on a call:
- Access - whether your browser was allowed to open the camera, and if not, the exact reason it gave (blocked, in use, not found, insecure connection).
- Devices - every camera the browser can see, including USB webcams, capture cards, phone-as-webcam apps and virtual cameras such as OBS.
- Delivered resolution - the width and height of the frames that really arrive, which is often lower than the resolution printed on the box.
- Measured frame rate - counted from real decoded frames over a short window, not copied from the camera's settings. This is how you catch a "30 fps" webcam that is quietly running at 15 fps.
- Requested vs. delivered - the frame rate the browser asked for next to the one you're actually getting, so you can see when the camera is throttling itself.
- Aspect ratio and facing - 16:9 or 4:3, and front or rear on phones and tablets.
- Maximum resolution - the largest size the camera reports it can produce.
- Hardware controls - whether zoom, exposure, focus, white balance and torch are exposed to the browser. If a control says Not exposed, no website can change it; only the manufacturer's software can.
- Browser support - secure connection, camera API, video recording and WebGL 2 (needed for real-time filters).
Everything runs in your browser. The video is never recorded, stored or uploaded, and the camera switches off when you press Stop camera or leave the page.
How to read your results
| Result | Good | Worth fixing |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 1280 × 720 or higher | 640 × 480 or lower on a camera sold as HD |
| Measured frame rate | 25-30 fps (or 60 on gaming webcams) | Under 20 fps |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 for calls and recordings | 4:3 usually means a lower-quality mode was chosen |
| Hardware controls | Any listed as Available | All Not exposed is normal for many built-in laptop cameras |
A green dot next to a result means it's in the healthy range, amber means usable but below what most people expect, and red means a problem - no access, or a frame rate too low for smooth video.
Webcam not working? Fix it in this order
The order matters: the first steps fix the most common problems in seconds, the later ones take longer.
- Permission blocked. Click the camera or padlock icon at the left of the address bar, set Camera to Allow, and reload. In Safari, open Safari → Settings for this website.
- Camera in use by another app. Close Zoom, Teams, Google Meet tabs, Skype, Discord, OBS and any other browser tab that used the camera. On Windows, many cameras can only be opened by one app at a time, and the second app gets a "device in use" error.
- Operating-system privacy switch.
- Windows 10 and 11: Settings → Privacy & security → Camera. Turn on Camera access, Let apps access your camera and Let desktop apps access your camera.
- macOS: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera, and enable your browser. Quit and reopen the browser afterwards.
- ChromeOS: Settings → Security and privacy → Privacy controls → Camera access.
- Physical shutter or keyboard switch. Many laptops have a sliding privacy cover above the screen or a function key with a camera icon (often F8, F10 or a dedicated key). Some models show a small light or an on-screen message when the camera is disabled this way.
- Wrong camera selected. If you have more than one camera - including virtual cameras installed by video software - choose a different one from the camera menu under the preview (it appears when more than one camera is connected).
- USB connection. Plug the webcam directly into the computer rather than a hub or monitor port, and try a different port. Cameras that draw power and bandwidth through a busy hub often fail to start or fall back to low resolutions.
- Driver. On Windows, open Device Manager → Cameras (or Imaging devices), right-click the camera and choose Update driver, or Uninstall device and restart so Windows reinstalls it.
- Browser. Update your browser, or try another one. If the camera works in one browser but not another, the problem is a setting in that browser, not the camera.
Why your frame rate is lower than expected
Low frame rate is the most common webcam complaint, and the cause is usually light rather than hardware. In a dim room, the camera keeps its shutter open longer to collect enough light for each frame. If each exposure takes 1/15 of a second, the camera simply cannot deliver more than 15 frames per second. Turn on a lamp in front of you, run the test again, and watch the measured frame rate rise.
Other causes:
- USB 2.0 bandwidth. Uncompressed 1080p video needs more bandwidth than USB 2.0 can carry, so cameras switch to a compressed format (MJPEG) or drop frames. Hubs shared with other devices make this worse.
- CPU load. A busy computer may not decode every frame. Close heavy tabs and apps and test again.
- Battery saving. Laptops on battery power sometimes reduce camera performance. Plug in and compare.
Why the resolution isn't what the box says
A camera sold as "1080p" may deliver 1080p only at certain frame rates, only in a compressed mode, or only when the browser explicitly asks for it. Browsers also negotiate a resolution that balances quality and processing cost. The Camera Resolution Test asks for each common resolution in turn and shows which ones your camera really delivers, with the measured frame rate for each.
Is the webcam test private?
The browser hands the video stream directly to this page, where it is drawn on screen and measured. There's no server that receives video. You can confirm this yourself: open your browser's developer tools, go to the Network tab and run the test. You'll see the page load, but no upload of video data. When you're done, the privacy page explains exactly what our server does and doesn't receive.
What to do next
- Want to look your best on calls? Try live camera filters to adjust brightness, contrast and colour temperature.
- Need to check sound too? Run the Microphone Test.
- Testing a phone or tablet? The Camera Test is designed for front and rear cameras.