Headset Test

Check both halves of your headset in one go: the sound in your ears, then the microphone. It takes a couple of minutes, and you'll know it's ready before your next call or game.

Your microphone audio stays in this browser tab. It's never uploaded, never stored, and there's no code on this page that could send it anywhere.

1. Check left and right

Put the headset on, left cup on your left ear. Press start, and we'll play a tone on one side. Tell us where you heard it. We'll tell you whether both sides work and whether they're the right way round.

Do this step before the microphone. Most Bluetooth headsets play the same sound in both ears while their mic is on, which would make every tone seem to come from both sides. If you've already started step 2, press Stop listening first.

2. Check the microphone

Press Start listening and talk. The level and the waveform move when the mic hears you, so you can see it working even if you can't hear it. Once you allow access, pick your headset in the Input device list if it isn't already chosen.

3. Hear yourself

Record up to fifteen seconds and play it back through the headset. That's what the people on your call will hear. The recording stays in this tab. It's never uploaded, never stored, and it's gone the moment you leave the page.

Tones here play at -20 dBFS, which means 20 dB below the loudest level the signal can reach. That says nothing about how loud it sounds in your ears, so start with the volume low and bring it up.

Hearing your laptop instead of your headset?

A web page plays through whatever your computer is set to use, and it can't pick the headset for you. Plugging one in usually switches the sound over, but not always. On Windows, open Settings › System › Sound and choose the headset under both Output and Input. On a Mac, it's System Settings › Sound, with Output and Input tabs. Then reload this page.

Bluetooth headsets sound worse while the mic is on

Most Bluetooth headsets have two modes: a good one for listening, and a narrower one for calls that has to carry your voice the other way at the same time. The moment an app opens the microphone, the headset drops into call mode, and music turns thin and muffled, like a phone line. So if your playback here sounds flatter than your music does, that's normal, not a fault. Call mode is usually mono too, which is why the left and right check has to run while the microphone is off. On Windows, this is why one Bluetooth headset can show up as two devices, one called Headphones and one called Headset. Pick the Headset one for the microphone.

If the microphone does nothing

Check the headset before the computer. Many have a mute button on the cable or the earcup, and many boom mics mute when you flip them up. It's the most common reason a headset mic seems dead, and nothing on screen will tell you.

A wired headset with a single plug carries sound and mic down the same cable. On a computer with separate headphone and microphone sockets, the mic won't work unless you use a splitter that divides the plug into two.

If neither of those is it, the full microphone test has a table of what each message means and where to find the permission in every browser, and why isn't my microphone working covers the settings in Windows, macOS, Discord, Zoom and Google Meet.

If one side is quiet or silent

Look for a left/right balance setting before blaming the headset. Then try another device, if you can. If the fault follows the headset, it's in the headset. If it stays with the computer, it's a setting there. For more checks on the sound side, including wiring that's reversed rather than swapped, try the full headphone test.

What this test can and can't tell you

It tells you that sound reaches both ears, that left and right are the right way round, and that the microphone is picking you up. The microphone level is relative: it shows how close your voice comes to the loudest level the input can take, not how loud you are in the room. It can't judge how good the headset sounds, or how well its noise cancelling works. For that, your ears and the recording are the best guide you've got.

Not sure where the problem is? Run the full sound check. It's six quick questions, and at the end it tells you which tool to use next.