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Burrows Tools

Webcam Test

Press one button and see exactly what your camera is sending: a live preview, the resolution and frame rate it is really running at, the aspect ratio, which way it faces, and the name your computer knows it by. This is the question you cannot answer on your own — no chatbot and no support agent can see your camera for you — and it is much better answered before a meeting than during one. The frame rate here is measured from frames as they arrive rather than copied from what the browser claims, and the resolution test asks your camera for 4K, 1080p, 720p, and 480p in turn and reports which of them it actually honours. When the camera will not start, the page names the reason — permission, no device found, or, most often, another application already holding it — and lists the recovery steps for your browser. Nothing is uploaded: no video, no snapshot, no device names, and no network requests at all.

Your camera is off. Nothing on this page touches it until you press the button.

Camera off

Resolution
—
Frame rate (measured)
—
Frame rate (reported)
—what the browser negotiated
Aspect ratio
—
Facing
—
Frame size
—
Camera
—
Frame timing
—

Everything on this page happens inside your browser: the preview, the measurements and the snapshot. No video, no still image and no device name is uploaded, recorded or stored — the page makes no network requests at all while it runs. Stopping the camera, closing the tab or leaving the page releases the camera immediately.

How to use the webcam test

  1. Press Start camera and accept your browser's permission prompt. Nothing on this page touches the camera until you do.
  2. Check the live preview, then read the resolution, measured frame rate, aspect ratio, and camera name underneath it.
  3. Press Test resolutions to ask the camera for 4K, 1080p, 720p, and 480p and see which sizes it honours exactly.
  4. Switch cameras with the picker, flip the image with Mirror, and use Take snapshot to save a still as a PNG.
  5. Press Stop camera when you are finished — the camera light goes out immediately, and it does the same if you close the tab.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my camera not working in Zoom or Teams?
If the preview on this page works, the camera, cable, and driver are all fine, and the problem is inside the meeting app: it is usually set to the wrong camera in its own video settings, or another application is still holding the device. Most systems let only one application use a webcam at a time, so quit Zoom, Teams, OBS, FaceTime, or Slack completely — leaving a meeting is not the same as quitting the app — and stop the camera here before you join. On macOS also check System Settings, Privacy & Security, Camera, and confirm the meeting app is allowed; on Windows check Settings, Privacy & security, Camera.
How do I test my webcam before a meeting?
Open this page a couple of minutes early, press Start camera, and check three things: that you can see yourself, that the framing and lighting look right, and that the resolution and frame rate are what you expect. Then press Stop camera before you join the call, because on many systems the meeting app cannot open a camera that a browser tab is still using.
Is my video uploaded or recorded?
No. The preview is a direct stream from your camera to the video element on this page, the snapshot is drawn on a canvas in the same tab, and the download comes from your own browser's memory. The page makes no network requests while it runs, so there is nothing to upload video to, and nothing is stored on your device either.
Why is my camera preview black?
A black preview with the camera light on means frames are arriving and they are all dark. The usual causes are a privacy shutter or sticker over the lens, a laptop with a physical camera switch, or another application that has taken control of the exposure. This page watches for it: if every frame stays black for three seconds it says so rather than leaving you guessing.
Why is my frame rate lower than the camera claims?
The reported rate is what the browser negotiated; the measured rate is what actually arrives, and in dim light they differ. Most webcams lengthen their exposure automatically when a room is dark, which halves the frame rate — 30 fps becomes 15. A USB hub shared with other devices, a busy processor, and a background tab all do the same thing, which is why both numbers are shown side by side.

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