Camera Check
Last reviewed 2026-05-22. "Camera check" is the everyday synonym for "camera test" - the in-browser workflow that asks your operating system for the webcam feed, shows a live preview, and confirms the lens is open and the device is not held by another app. The actual check runs at Camera Test Online; this page explains the synonym mapping and what the three end-states mean.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Implementing tool | Camera Test Online |
| Browser API used | MediaDevices.getUserMedia({ video: true }) |
| Upload required | No - the preview is rendered in your browser |
| End-states | 3: allowed, blocked / denied, ignored |
| Time to run | Under 30 seconds for the basic check |
What people mean by "camera check"
The phrase "camera check" appears in search queries from readers who want to confirm the webcam works before a video call, after plugging in an external camera, after a browser update, or before sending a recording. The reader is not asking for a calibration test or an image-quality benchmark; they are asking the simpler question, "does the webcam turn on, and do I see myself in the preview?" That is the same question "camera test" answers. The tools on this site treat the two phrasings interchangeably and route both to the same in-browser preview.
Run the check
The check itself takes one click. Open Camera Test Online, accept the permission prompt the browser shows in the address bar, and a live preview of your webcam should appear in the page. If the preview activates and you see yourself, the camera is allowed and working. If the preview stays dark or empty, the page hit one of the two failure modes the next section covers. No frame is uploaded, no recording is saved, and stopping the test releases the camera so the indicator light goes off.
Three end-states you might see
Allowed. The browser surfaced a permission prompt the first time the page called getUserMedia, you clicked Allow, and the preview activates. A small camera icon (no slash through it) sits in the address bar showing the site holds an active grant.
Blocked / denied. Either you clicked Block on the prompt earlier, or the per-site setting is set to Block by policy. The browser silently rejects future getUserMedia calls and the preview stays dark. The address-bar icon shows a camera with a slash through it. Camera test permission blocked: how to allow camera access walks the per-browser allow path.
Ignored. The prompt appeared but you closed it or switched tabs without responding. The browser treats this as no-decision and re-prompts on the next page load. Refreshing the camera test page triggers a fresh prompt; click Allow this time.
If something is not working
A dark preview with no permission prompt usually means the browser remembered a prior Block decision against this origin - read camera-test permission blocked for the per-browser allow path. A preview that activates but shows a black frame usually means the lens is covered, another app holds the device, or a driver is at fault - read camera-test shows a black screen: four fixes. If you are running a full pre-meeting check, before a video call: which tools to run walks the sequence (camera, microphone, screen, keyboard) in under a minute.
Privacy posture
The camera test on this site runs entirely in your browser. The page calls navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia({ video: true }), attaches the resulting video stream to a hidden <video> element, and reads frames into a canvas only for display. No frame is uploaded, no recording is saved, and the stream is released the moment you leave the page or stop the test. The Privacy Policy documents the no-upload, no-recording contract for the camera-test surface in plain language.