- Is my camera picture sent anywhere?
- No. The test runs entirely in your browser. The picture, the checks, photos and clips never leave your device, and they are kept in memory until you download them or leave the page. Only your choices (which camera, mirror view, guide and start size) are saved, in this browser only.
- Why does it ask for camera permission?
- Browsers require your explicit permission before any page can use a camera. The prompt appears when you press Start, and you can change it any time from the icon in your address bar. Where the browser supports it, this page also shows the current permission status before you start.
- My webcam isn't working. What should I check?
- Each error has its own message with steps for your system (Windows, macOS, iPhone, Android or Linux). The usual causes: the right camera is not selected in the list, the browser or the operating system blocks the camera, a privacy shutter is closed, or another app, tab or video call is holding it. If the camera is unplugged while testing, the page says so, and a newly plugged-in camera appears in the list.
- How is the resolution decided, and what does the resolution test do?
- The page shows the size the camera is really delivering, not just what was asked for. The resolution test then asks for each size from 320×240 to 4K in turn, closing and reopening the camera each time, and reports whether you got that size, a different one, or nothing. Your live view comes back when it ends. A camera is limited by its sensor, its USB connection and the browser, so a 4K request on a 1080p webcam will return 1080p.
- How does the frame rate measurement work?
- The page counts the video frames the browser actually shows over a few seconds and compares that with the rate the camera reports. Cameras often slow down in dim light to collect more of it, so a low reading in a dark room is normal; a low reading in good light points to a busy computer, a slow USB port or another app using the camera. Dropped frames are the ones the browser skipped.
- How does the picture check decide?
- It looks at a small copy of the live picture: average brightness, the spread of brightness (contrast), the amount of fine detail (sharpness) and the balance of red, green and blue. Brightness under 55 of 255 is very dark, over 200 very bright; fine detail under 25 reads as soft; a colour channel more than 14% above the average tints the picture; and a flat dark or bright frame usually means a covered lens. The exact thresholds are listed under the result. It is a guide, not a lab measurement.
- What are the camera controls?
- If your camera and browser expose them, you can adjust zoom, brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness and exposure, and switch a phone's torch on. Chrome and Edge on desktop and Android offer the most; Firefox and Safari offer few or none. Only the controls your camera really has are shown.
- Can I save a photo or record a clip?
- Yes. Take a photo and download it as a PNG, or record a clip of up to 10 seconds and download it as MP4 or WebM, depending on what your browser can write. Clips have no sound. Both are the camera's own picture, not flipped by the mirror view. Nothing is uploaded.
- Which browsers and devices work?
- Any modern browser with camera support: Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, on a device with a camera. The page must be served over HTTPS, which this site is. The permission status line, the frame-rate details and the controls depend on what your browser reports; Firefox and Safari report less.