See and hear yourself the way others do on calls.
People might not tell you that your mic sounds muffled, that they can hear themselves echo, or that your face is lost in shadow. It just makes you a little harder to listen to, and harder to read.
In a 2018 study, people listened to the same talks with good and poor sound. With poor sound, they found the speakers less likeable and less intelligent, and rated their work as less important. Read about the study.
Most fixes are free and take a minute. This check takes about two, and your video and sound are never sent anywhere.
Start the check
Window behind
Light in frontStep 1 of 4
Your microphone, speakers and camera
Your browser will ask for permission first. Everything happens right here in this tab.
Choose the same microphone, speakers and camera you usually use for video calls, so the check tests your real setup.
Your browser doesn't let us pick speakers, so sound will play through whatever your computer is using right now.
The lists update by themselves when you plug something in. If your AirPods aren't listed, they may be connected to your phone. Connect them to this computer and they'll appear.
Step 2 of 4
How you sound
Record a short clip
Then play it back. What you hear is close to what other people hear from you. If you have more than one microphone, such as your headphones and your laptop, record once with each and compare them.
Microphone level
Try reading this out: Hi, I'm testing my microphone. Can you hear me clearly?
If you say the same thing each time, the recordings are easier to compare. Press Stop when you're done, or it stops by itself after 10 seconds.
You'll need to allow your microphone in step 1 first.
Your recordings
Your last four stay here so you can compare them. They never leave this page, and they're gone when you close it.
The echo test
When you listen through your computer's speakers rather than earphones, your microphone can pick up everyone else's voices and send them straight back. They hear themselves echo. You don't, which is why nobody ever mentions it.
Set your volume to where you'd normally have it on a call. Then stay completely quiet for about 20 seconds while we play a short clip of a real meeting through your speakers or headphones. After that we'll check whether your microphone picked it up, and you can hear exactly what it heard.
Stay quiet…
Step 3 of 4
How you look
Compare yourself with each example and check the box under any that look familiar. Most of these take a minute to fix and cost nothing.
Your camera will show up here once you've allowed it in step 1.
YouStep 4 of 4
Your checklist
This is built from what you found above. Print it and keep it by your computer, or save it as a PDF.
Hosting a call? Send your guests the check first.
Noticed something on a colleague's calls? Send them a kind heads-up.