Test Microphone on Linux

voicetest.app

Check if your microphone works on Linux using an online browser test with instant audio feedback.

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Linux distributions handle audio through PulseAudio, PipeWire, or ALSA depending on your setup, which means microphone issues can come from several different layers at once. Before jumping into terminal commands, it's worth confirming with a quick, no-install browser test whether the hardware and permissions are actually fine. It runs instantly in Chrome or Firefox, free, with real-time level feedback.

  1. 1

    Check the sound settings panel

    Open your desktop's Settings > Sound > Input tab (GNOME, KDE, or similar) and confirm the correct microphone is selected with a visible input level meter.

  2. 2

    Inspect PulseAudio or PipeWire with pavucontrol

    Install and open pavucontrol, go to the Input Devices tab, and check that the microphone isn't muted and its volume slider isn't at zero.

  3. 3

    List devices from the terminal

    Run 'arecord -l' or 'pactl list sources' to confirm Linux actually detects your microphone hardware at the system level before blaming the browser.

  4. 4

    Grant browser microphone permission

    Check your browser's site settings and your desktop's privacy portal (common on Wayland/Flatpak setups) to ensure the browser is allowed to access audio input devices.

  5. 5

    Restart the audio service

    Run 'systemctl --user restart pipewire pipewire-pulse' or 'pulseaudio -k' to restart the sound server, which resolves many silent-input issues without a reboot.