TenSecondCheck

Webcam test

Allow access and your camera preview appears below, together with the resolution it is actually using.

Runs in your browser only

How to test your webcam

Press Start camera and allow access. The preview appears within a second or two, together with two numbers: the resolution the camera is actually sending and the number of frames per second arriving in the browser.

If your computer has more than one camera — a built-in one and a USB webcam, for example — pick them from the list. On a phone or tablet, use the front and back buttons instead. Virtual cameras created by streaming and recording software also show up in the list; they only produce a picture while that software is running.

Take a snapshot to look at the picture closely. It stays on your device, and you can save it if you want to compare it with another camera later.

Reading the numbers

Resolution is the size of each frame in pixels. 1280 × 720 is usually called 720p and is still common for built-in laptop cameras. 1920 × 1080 is 1080p. A higher number means a sharper picture only if there is enough light; in a dark room a 1080p camera can look worse than a well-lit 720p one.

Frame rate is how smooth the movement is. Thirty frames per second looks natural on a video call. A reading that keeps dropping to fifteen or lower almost always means the camera is short of light, not that it is failing: to gather enough light it has to expose each frame for longer, so fewer frames fit into a second.

The highest resolution check asks the camera for 4K, then 1440p, 1080p and 720p, and reports the largest size it agrees to. The preview switches off for a moment while it runs, because many devices only let one stream use the camera at a time. The result tells you what the hardware can do; your call app may still choose a smaller size to keep the connection stable.

What a healthy camera looks like

  • The picture appears quickly and the light next to the camera, if it has one, switches on.
  • Faces are in focus at arm’s length and colours look like the room around you.
  • Movement is smooth, without the image freezing and jumping.
  • Nothing stays fixed on the image when you move the camera: a dark spot that does not move is dust or a scratch on the lens.

Common problems and what they mean

Black picture, but access was allowed

Check for a privacy shutter first. Many laptops have a small slider above the screen, and some have a keyboard key with a crossed-out camera symbol. If the light is on and the picture is still black, another program probably has the camera, or the driver has stopped responding — closing call apps or restarting the computer fixes most of these cases.

“The device is used by another program”

Only one program at a time can use a camera on most computers. Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS and a second browser tab can all hold on to it, sometimes even when their window is closed. Quit them fully and start the test again.

Stripes or flicker across the picture

Rolling bands usually come from the lights in the room, not from the camera. Mains lighting flickers too fast to see, but a camera can catch it. Camera software from the manufacturer often has an anti-flicker setting for 50 Hz or 60 Hz; choosing the one that matches your country removes the stripes.

Blurry picture

Wipe the lens — laptop cameras collect fingerprints. Most webcams have a fixed or slow focus and work best between half a metre and a metre away. Some external webcams have a manual focus ring.

The wrong camera starts

Pick the right one from the list here, then set the same camera inside your call app, which keeps its own choice separately from the browser.

To check that people will also hear you, run the microphone test. If you need to report a problem, My device collects the browser and system details support usually asks for. Buying a used laptop or phone? The used device check includes both cameras and puts the result in a report.

If it does not work

On your system

  1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Camera and make sure camera access is on for apps and for your browser.
  2. Many laptops have a physical shutter or a key with a crossed-out camera — check it is open.
  3. Close any call app that may be holding the camera; Windows only lets one program use it at a time.
  4. If the image is black but the light is on, a privacy cover or a driver problem is the usual cause.
  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and switch your browser on.
  2. Quit the browser completely and reopen it — the change only applies to a fresh start.
  3. Check the green light next to the camera: if it is on but the picture is black, another app has the camera.
  1. Open Settings → Apps → your browser → Permissions and allow the camera.
  2. Close the camera app and any video-call app running in the background.
  3. If only one of the two cameras works, try the front and back buttons above — some phones expose them separately.
  1. Open Settings → Safari (or your browser) and check the camera entry.
  2. Check Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions, where the camera can be switched off for the whole device.
  3. Close other apps that use the camera, because iOS hands it to one app at a time.

Allowing access in your browser

  1. Click the icon at the left end of the address bar, next to the site address.
  2. Find the camera or microphone entry and set it to allow.
  3. Reload the page — the permission only takes effect on a fresh load.
  4. If the entry is missing, open chrome://settings/content/microphone or chrome://settings/content/camera and remove this site from the blocked list.
  1. Click the icon at the left end of the address bar, next to the site address.
  2. Set the camera or microphone to allow, then reload the page.
  3. If the site is blocked, open edge://settings/content/microphone or edge://settings/content/camera and remove it from the blocked list.
  1. Click the icon at the left end of the address bar and remove the blocked permission.
  2. Reload the page and answer the permission prompt again.
  3. Permissions for every site live in Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions.
  1. On a Mac: Safari menu → Settings → Websites → Camera or Microphone, then set this site to Allow.
  2. On an iPhone or iPad: tap the page settings button at the left of the address bar and check the camera and microphone entries.
  3. Also check Settings → Safari on the device, where camera and microphone access can be blocked for every site at once.

Questions and answers

Is my video sent anywhere?
No. The preview is drawn inside this browser tab and the snapshot is kept in the tab's memory until you close it or save it yourself. There is no server behind this site that could receive a picture.
Why is my picture mirrored?
A mirrored preview feels natural, the way a mirror does, so many apps show it that way. The people you call see you the right way round. Switch mirroring off here to see the picture exactly as others receive it — text held up to the camera becomes readable.
The box says 1080p but the test shows a lower resolution. Is it broken?
Not necessarily. A camera offers several sizes and the browser starts with one that is quick to open. Press the button that checks the highest resolution: if it reaches 1080p there, the camera is fine. Call apps often send an even smaller picture to save bandwidth.
Why is the image dark and grainy?
Small cameras need a lot of light. In a dim room they raise the sensitivity, which adds grain, and lengthen each frame, which lowers the frame rate. Put a lamp or a window in front of you rather than behind you and both problems usually improve at once.
Can I test both cameras on my phone?
Yes. Buttons for the front and back camera appear as soon as the browser reports more than one. Phones with several rear lenses usually expose only the main one to the browser, so the wide and zoom lenses cannot be checked here.