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Webcam test

Your camera preview appears here

Nothing is recorded and nothing is uploaded. The video stays in this browser tab.

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Free · No sign-up

Webcam test

One tap, one browser prompt, and you get a score with anything worth fixing.

  • Works on Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge
  • Front and rear cameras on phones
  • Revoke access any time from the address bar

Nothing is uploaded or recorded — the video stays in this tab.How this works

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Test your camera on a Mac

macOS has no built-in camera test app — Photo Booth is the usual workaround, and it tells you nothing about resolution or frame rate. Run the test below, and use the macOS-specific fixes if the camera doesn't appear.

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The short answer

On a Mac, open this page in Safari or Chrome and select Test my camera. macOS has no separate camera test app; if the camera is missing, turn your browser on under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera, then quit and reopen the browser — macOS only applies that change on relaunch.

How to use it

Three steps, about three seconds

  1. Step 1: Open the test

    Open the Spolvero webcam test in the browser you use for calls.

  2. Step 2: Allow the camera

    Select Test my camera and choose Allow when the browser asks for camera access.

  3. Step 3: Read the result

    Your live preview appears with a readiness score, plus resolution, frame rate and lighting checks and a fix for anything marked amber or red.

Get a better picture

Four things worth doing before you join

  • Quit and reopen the browser after granting access

    This is the step most guides leave out. macOS will not hand the camera to an already-running browser after you tick the box in Privacy & Security — the app has to be restarted.

  • Continuity Camera can steal the picture

    If an iPhone is nearby, macOS may select it as the camera instead of the built-in one. Use the camera picker above to switch back, or turn off Continuity Camera on the iPhone under Settings → General → AirPlay & Continuity.

  • The FaceTime HD camera is 1080p on newer Macs

    Macs from 2021 onward carry a 1080p camera; older MacBooks are 720p. If the test shows 720p on a recent Mac, low light is usually the reason the camera dropped down.

  • There is no camera driver to reinstall

    macOS has no user-serviceable camera driver. If the camera is missing in every app, reset by restarting, and if it persists it is a hardware or SMC-level fault worth an Apple Support appointment.

Troubleshooting

If the camera didn't start

Open the one that matches what the test told you — these are the steps for Mac. If the test detected the problem, that section is already open.

On macOS the browser's own prompt is only half of it. The system keeps a separate list, and changing it needs a restart to take effect.

  1. 1In Safari: Safari → Settings → Websites → Camera, and set this site to Allow. In Chrome: the camera icon at the left of the address bar → Allow.
  2. 2Then open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and turn your browser on there.
  3. 3Quit the browser completely and reopen it. macOS will not hand the camera to an app that was already running when you changed the setting — this is the step most guides leave out, and the reason the fix so often looks like it failed.
Every browser and operating system

macOS has no user-serviceable camera driver, so there is nothing to reinstall. The list of causes is much shorter than on Windows.

  1. 1Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera, turn your browser on, then relaunch the browser.
  2. 2For an external camera, try a different cable. Some USB-C cables carry power only and will never present a device.
  3. 3If the camera is missing in every app including Photo Booth, restart. If it persists after that, it is a hardware or SMC-level fault worth an Apple Support appointment.
Every browser and operating system

Look for the green dot. It is wired to the camera's power and cannot be disabled in software, so it tells you the truth about whether something is holding the camera.

  1. 1Open Control Centre from the menu bar while the green light is on, and it names the app currently using the camera.
  2. 2Quit that app with Command-Q, or force quit with Option-Command-Escape if it will not respond.
  3. 3Check System Settings → General → Login Items for anything starting automatically and taking the camera before you get to it.
Every browser and operating system

Two Mac-specific things cause this before lighting does, and both are quick to rule out.

  1. 1Check which camera is selected. If an iPhone is nearby, Continuity Camera may have taken over — switch back in the picker above, or turn it off on the iPhone under Settings → General → AirPlay & Continuity.
  2. 2Macs from 2021 onward carry a 1080p camera and older MacBooks are 720p. A recent Mac reporting 720p is nearly always doing it because the room is dark.
  3. 3Then put a light in front of you and clean the lens — a laptop camera sits exactly where fingers land when you open the lid.
Every browser and operating system
What your results mean

What each app actually needs

Resolution and frame rate each app sends, from their own published requirements, checked September 2026.

Minimum and recommended webcam resolution and frame rate for common video call apps
AppMinimumLooks good atWorth knowing
Zoom640×360 at 30fps1280×720 at 30fpsZoom sends 360p by default; turn on HD in Settings → Video.
Microsoft Teams640×360 at 30fps1280×720 at 30fpsTeams caps most calls at 720p regardless of your camera.
Google Meet640×360 at 30fps1280×720 at 30fps1080p needs a paid Workspace plan and a 1080p camera.
Twitch / OBS1280×720 at 30fps1920×1080 at 60fps60fps only helps if your upload and encoder can keep up.

Above 1080p at 30fps there is nothing more to gain for a meeting: mainstream call apps will not send it.

Someone on a video call at a desk, holding a mug
Video uploaded0 bytes
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash
Before the call

Two minutes now beats an apology later

Most people discover a camera problem in the first thirty seconds of a meeting, in front of everyone. Checking beforehand costs nothing and takes about as long as opening the meeting link.

Privacy

How this tool handles your camera

A camera test that uploads your face would defeat the point. This one cannot.

Read the site privacy policy
  • Your browser opens the camera and hands the stream to this page. The page shows it in a video element and samples it on a canvas — both are in your own tab.
  • There is no upload code, no recording and no server that could receive video. Nothing is stored in your browser either.
  • Permission is per-site and per-browser, and you can withdraw it any time from the address bar.
  • Close the tab and the camera stops. The indicator light goes out because the stream really has ended.
FAQ

Questions people ask

Anything we've missed?

Tell us

How do I test my MacBook camera without Photo Booth?

Open this page and select Test my camera. Unlike Photo Booth, it also reports your resolution, frame rate and lighting, and tells you whether that is good enough for a call.

Why does my Mac camera say it's in use when nothing is open?

A meeting app left running in the menu bar is the usual cause. Check Control Centre for the green camera dot, which names the app currently using it, and quit that app.

Is the green light always on when the camera is used?

Yes. On a Mac the green indicator light is wired to the camera power and cannot be turned off in software, so a dark light means no app is recording.

Can I use my iPhone as a Mac webcam?

Yes, with Continuity Camera on recent macOS and iOS versions. It appears in the camera picker on this page, and it is usually sharper than the built-in camera on older MacBooks.

Related reading

Guides worth reading

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Same idea, same privacy. Nothing you test or record leaves your device.

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