ParrotNotes

Microphone Test

Check that your mic works before a call or a recording. Allow the microphone, pick the device, and speak: you get a live level, a plain verdict and a short recording to play back. If it fails, the fixes for your browser and system are below.

Your browser will ask for permission. Choose Allow, then speak at your normal volume.

Live level–

Loudest in the last 3 seconds–

Relative to this microphone's own maximum, not a calibrated sound level.

Hear yourself

Record up to 5 seconds, then play them back. A meter shows the level; only listening shows how it sounds.

Start the microphone first.
What your browser reports

These are the track settings your browser reports for this input, not a measurement and not the microphone's data sheet. Browsers may leave some out.

Start the microphone to see them.

Your audio stays in this browser tab: nothing is uploaded, and a test recording is gone when you delete it or leave the page.

How to test your microphone online

Three steps in your browser, with nothing to install.

  1. 1

    Allow the microphone

    Press the button and choose Allow in your browser's prompt. The page does not touch the microphone before you press it.

  2. 2

    Pick the device and speak

    Device names appear after you allow access. Choose the one you plan to use, say a sentence at your normal volume and read the verdict.

  3. 3

    Record and listen

    Record up to 5 seconds, play them back, then delete them. Stop microphone turns the input off; so does leaving the page.

Testing the other direction? The Sound Test checks your speakers and headphones. Need more than a few seconds? Use the Online Voice Recorder.

What each verdict means

The verdict uses the loudest peak in the last 3 seconds, so it holds through the pauses between words.

VerdictLoudest peakWhat to do
No signalBelow -60 dBFSCheck the mute button, the device in the list and your system's input volume.
Very quiet-60 to -30 dBFSSpeak normally, move closer, or raise the input volume.
Good-30 dBFS and up, without clippingNothing to fix. Record a few seconds and listen.
ClippingSamples at 99% of the maximum or moreLower the input volume or move back.
These bands are this page's own rule of thumb for a speaking voice, not a standard. dBFS means decibels below the input's digital maximum, so 0 is the top of the scale.

What a good mic level looks like

The level on this page is relative to your microphone's own maximum. It is not a calibrated measure of how loud you are.

  • Loudest words below -6 dBFS

    The Audacity manual calls -6 dB a good maximum signal level to aim for. The marks on the meter show that line and the -30 line where the verdict turns to very quiet.

  • A clear drop when you stop talking

    When you pause, the bar should fall well below your voice. If it barely moves, room noise such as a fan is close to the level of your voice.

  • Quiet can be fixed later, clipping cannot

    A low recording can be raised afterward, although its background noise rises with it. A clipped one has lost the tops of its waveform, so the harshness stays.

  • The same voice reads differently on another mic

    Input volume, distance and the microphone itself all shift the number. Compare settings on one device instead of comparing devices by their numbers.

Need a number for how loud a room is? That is a different job for the Decibel Meter, which lets you calibrate against a hardware meter. Recording came out quiet? Try the Volume Booster.

Allow the microphone in your browser

If you chose Block once, the browser may stop asking. Change it here, then reload this page.

BrowserWhere to change it
Chrome on a computerMore menu > Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Microphone. Select the site under the not-allowed list and set it to Allow.
Chrome on AndroidMore menu > Settings > Site settings > Microphone. Open the site in the Blocked list and allow it. If the phone blocks Chrome itself, change Chrome's app permission in Android's settings.
Microsoft EdgeOpen edge://settings/content/microphone and allow the site. Edge must also get past the Windows privacy settings below.
Safari on a MacSafari > Settings > Websites > Microphone. Next to the site, choose Ask or Allow.
Safari on iPhoneSettings > Apps > Safari > Microphone, then Ask or Allow. For one site, use Website Settings in Safari's page menu.
Other browsers on iPhoneSettings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, then turn it on for that browser.
FirefoxSettings > Privacy & Security > Permissions > Microphone > Settings. Change or remove the site. You can also clear it from the permissions icon in the address bar.
Menu names change between versions. These were checked against each vendor's help on November 5, 2026. On a work or school device, an administrator may control these settings.

Windows and macOS can block the browser

A browser can have the site's permission and still get nothing if the system blocks the browser itself.

  • Windows 11 privacy

    Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Turn on Microphone access and Let apps access your microphone, then Let desktop apps access your microphone. Chrome, Edge and Firefox installed the usual way count as desktop apps.

  • macOS privacy

    Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone. Switch your browser on in the list. You may need to scroll the sidebar to find Privacy & Security.

  • Windows input device

    Start > Settings > System > Sound. Under Input, use Choose a device for speaking or recording, and check Input volume in the device's settings.

  • macOS input device

    Apple menu > System Settings > Sound > Input. Select the device in the list and drag the volume slider up if your voice is faint.

Mic still not working? Check these

  • The wrong input device

    A laptop can list its built-in mic, a webcam mic, a headset and a monitor all at once. Say something and switch through the list until the bar moves.

  • A muted headset

    Microsoft's first check is simple: if your headset has a mute button, make sure it isn't active. Some headsets also mute with a switch on the cable or by raising the boom, so check the headset's manual.

  • One app holding the mic

    Microsoft notes that Teams, Zoom and similar apps can lock a device, and the browser then reports it as in use. Close them and press the button again. On Windows, an app can also take exclusive control: run mmsys.cpl, open Recording, then your mic's Properties > Advanced, and clear Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.

  • A mute inside another app

    Muting yourself in a meeting app only affects that app. If this test shows a good level but people cannot hear you, look at the mute and input settings in the meeting app.

  • Nothing in the list at all

    Check the cable, or that a wireless headset is paired and connected. Microsoft also says to make sure your headset is the system's default recording device.

Why a Bluetooth headset sounds worse in calls

The Bluetooth connection used for music, A2DP, only carries sound one way, so it has no path for your voice. When an app opens the headset's microphone, the connection moves to a call profile, HFP or HSP. Sony's help guide, for one headset line, tells you to use HFP or HSP for video calls on a computer and A2DP for music.

The call profile trades quality for two-way sound, so your voice can come through thin and what you hear in the headset can drop in quality too. Daily, a video call platform, describes the result as phone-like audio. Newer headsets and codecs can do better, so test yours: record a few seconds here and compare it with your computer's own mic.

If the built-in mic sounds better, choose it as the input in your meeting app's audio settings and keep the headset for listening, which is the fix Daily suggests. A wired headset avoids the switch altogether.

What this test can and cannot tell you

It can show that your browser receives sound from a chosen input, how close that sound gets to the top of the scale, and how it sounds when played back. The facts panel lists what your browser reports for the input, such as sample rate and channel count. Those are track settings from the browser, not a measurement, and some browsers leave some of them out.

It cannot rate your microphone's quality, frequency response or sensitivity, and it cannot give a sound level in calibrated decibels. Clipping that happens before the signal reaches the browser may not show on the meter, and call filters or automatic gain can hide a level problem, which is why they start switched off here.

A test here shows the browser's path to your mic. A desktop app can have its own settings and permissions, so a pass here does not prove the app is set up.

Mic works? Put it to use.

Now that your mic works, ParrotNotes can record your meetings and calls, then transcribe and summarize them.

Get ParrotNotes free

Related tools

Microphone Test FAQ

Sources