// INSTANT · FREE · PRIVATE · NO RECORDING
A mic test answers one question: does your browser receive sound from the microphone you think it is using? Here is the quickest way to check it with the tool above.
1. Start the test. Click "Test My Microphone" and allow access when the browser asks. If no prompt appears, the permission was probably blocked earlier: click the lock icon next to the address bar and set Microphone to Allow.
2. Check the device name. The Microphone field shows which input the browser picked. If it shows your laptop's built-in mic while you meant to test a headset or a USB mic, change the default input in your system sound settings, then run the test again.
3. Speak at your normal volume. The waveform should move with your voice and the green "Microphone is working" badge should appear. A flat line with "No signal detected" means the browser only gets silence: check the mute switch on the mic, the input level in your OS, and whether another app such as Zoom, Teams or Discord is holding the microphone.
4. Read the sample rate. It sets the highest pitch the signal can carry, which is half the sample rate (the Nyquist limit):
| Sample rate | Highest frequency captured | Where you usually see it |
|---|---|---|
| 8,000 Hz | 4,000 Hz | Traditional phone calls |
| 16,000 Hz | 8,000 Hz | Wideband voice calls, speech recognition |
| 44,100 Hz | 22,050 Hz | CD audio |
| 48,000 Hz | 24,000 Hz | Video, common default on computers |
Human hearing tops out around 20,000 Hz, so 44,100 or 48,000 Hz covers the full range. Bluetooth headsets are a special case: when their microphone is active they usually switch to a hands-free call mode that carries audio at 8,000 or 16,000 Hz, which is why your voice can sound muffled even when the browser reports a higher rate. For recordings, a wired or USB mic avoids this.
SpeakAndRecord's microphone test lets you instantly verify that your mic is working correctly in your browser. When you click "Test My Microphone," the browser requests permission to access your audio input. Once granted, the tool reads your mic's audio stream in real time and displays the waveform, decibel level, peak level, and technical device information — all without recording or storing anything.
The dB meter updates continuously as you speak, clap, or tap your microphone. The "Peak" indicator shows the highest level reached during the test session, which is useful for checking headroom before a recording. The device info panel shows which microphone the browser has selected, its sample rate, and whether echo cancellation is active.
If your microphone isn't producing any signal (the waveform is flat and the dB reads silence), the troubleshooting checklist provides the most common causes: browser permission issues, OS-level muting, wrong input device, or another application capturing the mic exclusively.