No saved record. Nothing is inferred.
← All tests
Webcam Test: Preview Your Camera Online
Start a webcam preview, choose your camera, troubleshoot permission and startup problems, and compare observations before and after an adjustment.
YOUR TEST SPACEThis view only
Not started — no observations yet
Your preview appears here after you start
Browser observations · 0
No events recorded. This is not a pass result.
No saved record. Nothing is inferred.
Leaving this view or switching language clears this session. Stop preserves saved records; Clear & end removes them and ends activity.
Select Start preview, allow camera access if asked, and move your hand to check that the picture updates. Use Input device to select another available camera. If no picture appears, distinguish a pending permission request from denied access, a missing device, or a startup failure. A moving preview is a useful checkpoint; confirm your video separately in Zoom or Teams before a call.
How to test your webcam
Connect your external webcam if you use one, open the camera’s privacy shutter, and select Start preview. The camera request starts after this action and requests video with audio disabled.
Browser camera access requires your permission. Choose Allow if a prompt appears and you want to proceed. If you have already saved a permission choice, check the preview or status message rather than expecting another prompt. [MediaDevices: getUserMedia() method - Web APIs | MDN]
Once the picture appears, move your hand across the frame. Check that the image follows your movement, then sit where you plan to take your call and inspect framing, lighting, and visible blur or flickering. Record what you actually see separately from the page’s Preview active status.
In Repeatable task / device / settings, enter a specific task such as “Laptop webcam, same seat and lighting; move hand across frame.” To test webcam behavior after an adjustment, repeat that task and compare whether a moving picture appears. This camera test helps you inspect the preview; use your observations rather than treating it as an image-quality score.
Why there is no picture
Waiting for permission: look for a camera prompt or the site-permission control near the browser’s address bar. An unanswered permission request can remain pending without being accepted or rejected. Respond to the prompt when ready. A waiting state alone is not evidence of denial or camera failure. [MediaDevices: getUserMedia() method - Web APIs | MDN]
Permission denied: review the camera permission for this site and your operating system’s camera permission for the browser. NotAllowedError can result from denied access, an insecure browsing context, or a blocking Permissions Policy. Open the HTTPS version of the page, correct permissions you intended to allow, and retry with Start preview. For a managed work or school device, check restrictions with your administrator if you cannot change them. [MediaDevices: getUserMedia() method - Web APIs | MDN]
No matching input device found: check the connection and reconnect an external webcam before retrying. NotFoundError means no media tracks satisfy the requested type and constraints. If a previously selected camera has been disconnected, choose an available input when the selector permits it. This message does not establish that the hardware is broken. [MediaDevices: getUserMedia() method - Web APIs | MDN]
Could not start: note the error name displayed with the message. Permission can be granted while an operating-system, browser, or hardware-level error still prevents access. As troubleshooting steps, close other camera apps or tabs, reconnect an external camera, and retry. Change one condition at a time so you can tell which adjustment preceded a different result. [MediaDevices: getUserMedia() method - Web APIs | MDN]
Preview active but black: check the privacy shutter and confirm that the selected input is the camera you intended to use. For a frozen picture, move your hand again and note whether anything updates. Record “input obtained, no moving picture” when that describes the result, even if the status says Preview active. If playback fails, end the attempt by leaving the tool page, return, and select Start preview again.
Not supported: open the HTTPS page in an updated browser and retry. If that still fails, try the device’s camera app and note whether it produces a moving picture. Keep the two results separate: “no preview in this browser; picture visible in camera app” is a useful observation without assigning a definite cause.
Switch cameras, end the preview, and compare results
After access succeeds, use Input device to choose an available camera. Selecting another input starts a new access attempt and releases this page’s previous stream. On a phone, choose the front or rear camera if it appears in the list. When labels are generic, identify the camera from its view before describing the result.
If switching fails, read the new status and retry with an available input. Do not assume the previous preview remains active. Include any camera change in your notes so a laptop webcam result is not mistaken for a retest of a USB webcam.
Select Stop activity to cancel a pending permission request or end the preview. A stream returned after cancellation is stopped. Start preview begins a new attempt.
Stopping a media track does not necessarily stop its source immediately when other tracks still use that source. Ending this page’s preview does not disable the camera in every other tab or application. To change future access, review this site’s camera permission in your browser. [MediaStreamTrack: stop() method - Web APIs | MDN]
Enter your task in Repeatable task / device / settings and your picture description in Your observation / listening notes. Select Save first run. Adjust one condition, enter the change, select Reset current observations, repeat the task, and select Save latest retest. Replacing a saved retest asks for confirmation. Clear & end session stops activity and removes both saved runs.
Example: “First run: laptop webcam; input obtained; picture black. Adjustment: opened privacy shutter. Retest: same camera and task; moving picture visible.” This records a change observed after the adjustment. If you switched cameras instead, name both cameras and treat the result as a comparison between devices.
Leave unanswered or untested fields marked “not observed.” A pending request is different from an active input with a black picture, and neither should be recorded as a successful visual check.
Check Zoom or Teams before your call
A moving preview shows that the selected camera supplied a visible picture to this page during your test. Use that observation as a checkpoint, then verify the setup in the meeting app you will actually use.
End this browser preview, open Zoom or Teams, select the same camera, and inspect the app’s own video preview. If it is blank, check that app’s camera selection and permissions, then retry there. Record the difference as “moving picture in browser; no picture in meeting app” rather than declaring a definite hardware or software fault.
Finish with a test call when available, and check microphone input and speaker output separately. To confirm the complete call setup, have another participant verify that they can see and hear you.