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Microphone test

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Speak for five seconds, get a plain answer

Two seconds of quiet, one sentence, then a verdict and playback. Under ten seconds in all.

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Free · No sign-up

Ready when you are

One tap, one browser prompt, and you get a verdict on volume, background noise and distortion.

  • Works on Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge
  • Headsets, USB mics, AirPods and laptop mics
  • Revoke access any time from the address bar

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AirPods microphone test

AirPods sound excellent until the microphone is used, and then everything goes thin. That is Bluetooth switching profiles, not a fault. This test runs through the same path, so what you see here is what a call gets.

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The short answer

To test an AirPods microphone, start the test and speak normally — the meter should peak between −18 dB and −6 dB. Expect the playback quality to drop as soon as the mic activates: Bluetooth switches from a high-bitrate music codec to a narrowband call profile, and every wireless headset does this.

Troubleshooting

Fix what the test found

Open the one that matches your verdict. Windows 11 and current macOS.

Your browser is refusing microphone access for this site. The permission has to be reset from the address bar — a page cannot ask twice on its own.

Chrome, Edge, Brave

  1. 1Select the padlock or site-settings icon at the left of the address bar.
  2. 2Set Microphone to Allow.
  3. 3Reload the page and run the test again.

Safari on Mac

  1. 1Open Safari → Settings → Websites → Microphone.
  2. 2Set this site to Allow.
  3. 3Reload the page.

Firefox

  1. 1Select the padlock in the address bar.
  2. 2Next to 'Blocked temporarily' or Microphone, select the × to clear the block.
  3. 3Reload the page and choose Allow.

iPhone and iPad

  1. 1Open Settings → Apps → Safari → Microphone and set it to Ask or Allow.
  2. 2For Chrome, open Settings → Apps → Chrome and turn Microphone on.
  3. 3Return to the page and reload.

Android

  1. 1Open the browser menu → Settings → Site settings → Microphone.
  2. 2Allow the site, or clear it from the Blocked list.
  3. 3Reload the page.

The browser could not see any microphone at all. That is a connection, driver or system setting rather than a permission.

Any device

  1. 1Unplug and replug a USB or 3.5mm headset. Into the computer directly, not a hub or a monitor's port.
  2. 2A single 3.5mm jack on a laptop needs a four-ring (TRRS) plug to carry the mic; a three-ring headphone plug has no mic wire.
  3. 3For Bluetooth, disconnect and reconnect the headset, then choose its hands-free device in the picker.

Windows 11

  1. 1Open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone and turn on 'Microphone access' and 'Let apps access your microphone'.
  2. 2Open Settings → System → Sound → Input and check the device is listed and not disabled.
  3. 3Open Device Manager → Audio inputs and outputs. A warning icon means a driver problem: right-click → Update driver.

macOS

  1. 1Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and turn on your browser.
  2. 2Quit and reopen the browser — macOS applies the change on relaunch.
  3. 3Open System Settings → Sound → Input and check the mic is listed there.

Something else holds the microphone, or the operating system is blocking the browser. Many USB and Bluetooth headsets allow one app at a time.

Any device

  1. 1Fully quit Zoom, Teams, Discord, Meet tabs, OBS and any headset utility — closing the window is often not enough.
  2. 2Check the system tray or menu bar for apps still running in the background.
  3. 3Reload this page and run the test again.

Windows 11

  1. 1Open Settings → System → Sound → your microphone → Advanced, and untick 'Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device'.
  2. 2Check Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone for which apps used it recently.
  3. 3If nothing is listed, sign out and back in — a crashed app can leave the mic locked.

macOS

  1. 1An orange dot in the menu bar means the mic is active. Open Control Centre to see which app.
  2. 2Quit that app, or force quit it with Option-Command-Escape.
  3. 3Reload this page.

Your voice reaches the browser, but not loudly enough. Distance and the input volume setting cause almost all of it.

Distance

  1. 1Bring a headset boom to about a hand's width from the corner of your mouth.
  2. 2A laptop mic hears you best from an arm's length, facing the screen — not turned away to a second monitor.
  3. 3Check the mic is not covered: a case, a sleeve, or a finger over the pinhole on a phone.

Windows 11

  1. 1Open Settings → System → Sound → your microphone and raise Input volume to around 80.
  2. 2Test again here and watch the peaks land in the green.
  3. 3If the volume keeps dropping, an app is changing it: turn off 'automatically adjust microphone' in Zoom or Discord.

macOS

  1. 1Open System Settings → Sound → Input and raise Input volume.
  2. 2Watch the input level bar there while you speak.
  3. 3Some USB mics have their own gain dial — turn that up before the system slider.

The mic hears your room almost as clearly as your voice. The cheapest fix is always distance: the closer the mic is to your mouth, the less the room matters.

The room

  1. 1Turn off fans, air conditioning and anything with a hum — a laptop fan counts.
  2. 2Close the window and the door. Soft furnishing cuts echo; bare walls add it.
  3. 3Move away from the TV or other voices, even into the next room.

The mic

  1. 1Use a headset rather than the laptop's built-in mic, which sits next to the fan and the keyboard.
  2. 2Move the mic closer to your mouth and lower the input volume a little, so your voice rises above the room.
  3. 3A laptop mic picks up typing: use push-to-talk if you type while you talk.

Your call app

  1. 1Turn on noise suppression: Zoom → Settings → Audio → Background noise suppression; Teams → Settings → Devices → Noise suppression; Discord → Voice & Video → Noise Suppression.
  2. 2Chrome and Edge apply their own suppression too; this test measures with it on, as a call does.
  3. 3Suppression removes steady hum well but struggles with voices and TV.

Your loudest words hit the ceiling of what the mic can send, and the tops get cut off. It sounds crackly or harsh, and turning it down on their end does not fix it.

Quick fix

  1. 1Move back from the mic — a few centimetres makes a large difference.
  2. 2Speak across the mic rather than straight into it, which also cuts popping on P and B.
  3. 3Test again and watch the meter stay out of the red.

Windows 11

  1. 1Open Settings → System → Sound → your microphone and lower Input volume.
  2. 2Look for 'Microphone boost' under Advanced or the driver's control panel, and set it to 0 dB.
  3. 3Test again here.

macOS and USB mics

  1. 1Open System Settings → Sound → Input and lower Input volume.
  2. 2On a USB mic with a gain dial, turn the dial down first — the system slider cannot undo distortion that happens inside the mic.
  3. 3Test again here.
Reading the result

What your result means

The common ways a mic sounds wrong, what usually causes each, and the fix.

You soundLikely causeFix
Too quietMic too far away, or input volume set lowMove closer and raise input volume in system sound settings
Distorting or cracklyInput too loud, the signal hits its ceiling (clipping)Move back, lower input volume, turn off mic boost
Background noiseA fan, traffic or voices close to your voice levelMic closer to your mouth, turn off the source, noise suppression on
MuffledBluetooth call profile, or a covered micUse a wired headset, or clear what covers the mic
Robotic or cutting outA poor connection, or heavy noise suppressionCheck your internet, set suppression to Low
Echo for othersYour speakers feed back into your micUse headphones, or lower the speaker volume
Nothing at allWrong mic selected, muted, or input at zeroPick the mic by name, check the mute switch and input volume
Getting it right

Four things worth knowing

  • The profile switch is the whole story

    With playback only, Bluetooth uses a high-bitrate codec. Open a microphone and the link drops to a call profile of roughly 16kHz. Music going dull the moment you join a call is expected behaviour, not a defect.

  • Wired earbuds beat any AirPod for calls

    A cheap wired headset carries full-bandwidth audio in both directions at once. Where call quality matters more than convenience, this is the largest single improvement available.

  • Work out which AirPod is doing the talking

    With both in, either one can be the microphone. A blocked mesh on that side halves your level. Try each one alone and compare the meter.

  • Clean the mesh before replacing anything

    The microphone port is a small mesh at the bottom of the stem and it clogs with pocket lint. A soft dry brush often restores a level that had been sliding for months.

Nothing leaves your device

This test runs entirely in your browser. The five seconds you read are held in this tab so you can play them back, then discarded — there is no upload and no server that could receive anything.

  • No sign-up and no account
  • Nothing uploaded or saved to disk
  • Works with an ad blocker on
  • Free, and staying free
FAQ

Questions people ask

Anything we've missed?

Tell us

Why do my AirPods sound worse on calls?

Bluetooth cannot carry high-quality playback and a microphone at the same time. When the mic opens, the link drops to a narrowband call profile. Every wireless headset behaves this way.

Can I use AirPods as a microphone on Windows?

Yes, though support is inconsistent. Windows exposes them as two devices — a stereo playback one and a hands-free one — and only the hands-free device carries the microphone.

One AirPod is much quieter than the other.

Try each one alone on this test. A clear difference points at a blocked microphone mesh on that side, which careful cleaning usually fixes.

Is the iPhone's own microphone better?

In a quiet room, usually yes — the phone's microphones carry more bandwidth than a Bluetooth call profile. AirPods win in noisy places and when you need your hands free.

Test it for something specific

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Before it matters

Find the problem now, not mid-sentence

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