Webcam Test

Check out if your camera works properly.

 
Test my microphone

What is webcamtest.net

Webcam Test is a simple and easy to use web application that helps to test your webcam. It can be very useful when you purchase a new device and there is no software on it to launch the webcam.

Error message's:

Permission denied by client

When you press the start button on Webcam test, it will try to activate your camera. To do so the browser will ask for your permission. “http://webcamtest.net/ wants to use your camera” notification will appear and you can choose to allow or deny the permission. If you allow Webcam test to activate your camera, than you will see a live image of what your camera can see. If you deny the permission then a “permission denied by client” message will appear above the start button.

An unknown error has occurred

When you hit the start button and your browser asks your permission to activate the camera and you don’t press the allow or deny button, just close the notification bar, than the “An unknown error has occurred” message will appear above the start button.

Webcam not working? How to set it up

A black screen or a “camera not found” message is usually not a broken webcam — it is a privacy setting blocking access, the wrong camera being selected, or another program (Zoom, Teams, Skype…) still holding the camera. Only one application can use the webcam at a time, so close the others first. Below is how to check your camera on each system.

Webcam setup on Windows 10 / 11

  1. Allow camera access: open Settings → Privacy & security → Camera. Turn on Camera access and Let apps access your camera, and make sure your browser is enabled in the list.
  2. Close other apps: quit any program that may be using the camera (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, the Camera app). The webcam can only be used by one app at a time.
  3. Check the hardware: many laptops have a physical privacy shutter or an Fn key that disables the camera — make sure it is open and enabled.
  4. Test it: open the built-in Camera app to confirm Windows itself sees the picture. If that works, the problem is the browser permission.
  5. Drivers: if the camera is missing, open Device Manager → Cameras (or Imaging devices), uninstall the device, restart and let Windows reinstall the driver.

Webcam setup on macOS

  1. Allow camera access: open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and turn on the switch for your browser (on older macOS: System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Privacy → Camera). Quit and reopen the browser afterwards.
  2. Close other apps: if the green camera light is on but you see no picture, another app is using the camera — quit FaceTime, Photo Booth, Zoom, Teams, etc.
  3. Test it: open Photo Booth to confirm macOS sees the camera. If it works there but not here, fix the browser permission below.

Webcam setup on Linux

  1. Allow it in the browser first (see below) — Linux does not block the camera itself, but the browser still asks for permission.
  2. Check the device: run ls /dev/video* — your camera should appear as /dev/video0. For details run v4l2-ctl --list-devices (from the v4l-utils package).
  3. Test it: open Cheese or guvcview to confirm the system sees the picture. If those show the image but the browser does not, it is a browser permission problem.
  4. Close other apps: only one program can open the camera at a time — quit any other app that may be using it.
  5. Permissions: make sure your user is in the video group (groups to check, sudo usermod -aG video $USER to add, then log out and back in).

How to re-enable the camera in your browser

If you accidentally blocked the camera, the site will not ask again until you reset it: