Smart & Connected Life Working From Home How to Test a Webcam Be sure your webcam is working properly so it's ready when you need it by Simon Chandler Writer Simon Chandler is a former Lifewire writer who covered cryptocurrency, social media, AI and other topics. His work has appeared in Wired, TechCrunch, and The Verge. our editorial process Twitter LinkedIn Simon Chandler Updated on December 02, 2020 Tweet Share Email The Quick Guide to Webcams The Quick Guide to Webcams Introduction Webcam Considerations What to Know Before You Buy a Webcam Seven Important Webcam Features Understanding IP Webcams Using Your Webcam How to Install and Connect Your Webcam How to Test Your Webcam How to Use Your Iphone as a Webcam How to Record Webcam Videos that Look and Sound Great How to Secure Your Webcam Fixing Your Webcam How To Fix Your Webcam When It's Not Working How to Fix Your Windows 10 Webcam What to Do When Your Mac Camera Is Not Working Our Recommendations: Best Webcams The Best At-Home Webcams to Watch The 6 Best Webcams What to Know Easiest option: Use a free online webcam test site like webcammictest.com, turncameraon.com, or webcamtests.com. Offline test for Mac: Go to Applications > Photo Booth. For Windows 10, type Camera in the search box. Test with Skype on Mac: Go to Skype button > Preferences > Audio/Video. On Windows: Go to Tools > Options > Video Settings. This article explains how to test a Mac or Windows webcam both online and offline, as well as with Skype. How to Test My Webcam (Online) Regardless of whether you have a Windows machine or a Mac, webcam tests are easy. One simple option is to use one of the many free online webcam test sites available on the web. These include webcammictest.com, turncameraon.com, and webcamtests.com (others can be found by searching "webcam test" online). We'll use webcammictest.com for the purposes of the following step-by-step process, although online webcam tests are generally identical irrespective of the site you use. Open your web browser. Type webcammictest.com into your browser's address bar. Click the Check My Webcam button on the website's landing page. When the pop-up permission box appears, click Allow. Your webcam's feed should then appear in the black box on the right-hand side of the page, indicating that the camera is working. If you're using an external webcam connected via USB — and if no image appears after completing the webcam test — then you should try disconnecting and reconnecting it. How to Test My Webcam (Offline) Some people may not be too comfortable with online webcam tests, not least because some of the above webcam test sites state that users 'may be recorded' if they grant access to their webcams. Fortunately, they can use their computers' operating systems to test their webcams. Test Webcam on Mac Click the Finder icon on the Dock bar. Click on Applications in the list of options that appear. In the Applications folder, click Photo Booth, which will bring up your web camera's feed. If you have an external webcam (in addition to the Mac's built-in one), you may need to select it from the Photo Booth app's drop-down menu. To do this you should drag your mouse cursor to the Photo Booth menu bar at the top of the screen and click Camera. Test Webcam on Windows If you're a Windows 10 user, select the Cortana search box on the Windows 10 taskbar, then type Camera into the search box. The Camera app may ask for your permission to access the webcam before it displays the camera's feed. How to Test My Webcam (Skype) One other popular way of testing a webcam involves using one of the many apps that can use it. For the purposes of this example, we'll use Skype, but other apps can be used, such as FaceTime, Google Hangouts, and Facebook Messenger. Here's the process for Mac and Windows: Mac/Windows: launch Skype. Mac: Click the Skype button in the app's menu bar at the top of the screen. Windows: Click the Tools button on Skype's menu bar. Select Preferences (Mac), or Options (Windows). Click Audio/Video (Mac) or Video Settings (Windows). Where Is the Webcam? Most laptops and notebook computers have webcams, but we often don't use them as much as we could. Most often, they'll be built into your device (especially if it's a laptop or notebook), visible only as a small, circular lens that sits just above your device's screen or monitor. However, they can also be purchased separately and connected via USB to your computer. The 5 Best Webcams of 2021 Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit