Webcam test
Runs entirely in your browser · nothing is recorded, saved or uploaded
A live preview of what the camera is handing the browser, with the negotiated stream resolution printed beside it — commonly 640×480 rather than the sensor maximum until something asks for more. Stop and the tracks are released, which is when the indicator light goes out.
How to use the webcam test
The preview is mirrored by default because that is what every video-calling application shows you of yourself, and an unmirrored preview feels wrong even though it is what other people see. The toggle turns it off if you want to check text held up to the camera, which is the one case where mirroring genuinely confuses.
The stream resolution is worth a look. A camera capable of 1080p will often hand a page 640×480 unless asked otherwise, and calling software makes the same trade to save bandwidth, so a "1080p webcam" that looks soft on calls is usually negotiating down rather than failing. Lighting matters more than resolution in practice: a cheap camera in good front light beats an expensive one backlit by a window every time, because the sensor exposes for the brightest thing in frame and that window turns you into a silhouette.
When you press stop the tracks are released and the camera light goes out. That is the honest test of whether a page has really let go, if the light stays on after stopping, the page is still holding the stream. On virtually all built-in webcams the indicator is wired to the same power rail as the sensor rather than driven by software, which is why it is the one part of this that cannot be faked by a page. Reloading or closing the tab always releases it.
What people use it for
- Checking framing and light before joining an interview
- Finding out which of two connected cameras the browser picks
- Confirming the camera light goes out when a page stops
- Seeing why the window behind you turns you into a silhouette
- Checking a second-hand webcam hands over the resolution it claims
Questions
Because every calling application mirrors your own view; an unmirrored preview feels wrong. Turn it off to read text held up to the camera.
Cameras often default to 640×480 unless asked for more, and calling software negotiates down to save bandwidth.
Almost always the lighting. The sensor exposes for the brightest thing in frame, so a window behind you turns you into a silhouette.
The camera light goes out when you press stop. If it stays on, the page is still holding the stream. Reloading always releases it.
No. The stream is attached to a video element for display and never drawn to a canvas or handed to a recorder, so there is no frame to keep and nothing to send. The preview works with the network disconnected.