Runs in your browser: nothing you enter or choose is uploaded.

This speaker test plays sound in your left channel, your right channel or both, so you can check that headphones and speakers are the right way round and equally loud. A bass-to-treble sweep from 20 Hz to 20 kHz shows how low and high your speakers go, and reveals rattles.

Turn your volume down before you start. All sounds are made in your browser: there’s nothing to download, and nothing is uploaded.

Protect your ears and your speakers: lower your device volume first, start with the test volume where it is, and raise it slowly. Never put headphones on while a test is already playing loud.

How to use the speaker test

Connect the headphones or speakers you want to check, and lower your device volume.
Choose a test sound. Rushing noise (pink noise) makes it easiest to tell where sound comes from. Beep (440 Hz tone) is a plain musical note.
Select Left. The sound should come only from the left ear cup or the left speaker.
Select Right, then Both. With Both, the sound should seem to come from straight ahead, between your ears or between the speakers.
Select Bass to treble sweep and listen for 10 seconds. The readout shows the pitch playing right now.
Use Test volume to make the test louder or quieter, and Stop to end any sound at once.

Can’t tell which earbud is which? Most are marked with a small L and R. Wear them that way round, then run the Left and Right checks.

How to read your result

What you hear	What it likely means	What to try
Left plays on the right, and right on the left	Headphones are on backwards, or the channels are swapped	Check the L and R marks; for speakers, swap the cables
Left and Right both play in both ears	Mono audio is turned on, or the device has a single speaker	Turn off mono audio (see the fixes below)
One side is quieter on Both	The balance setting is off center, or one side is blocked or damaged	Center the balance, clean the earbud, test another pair
One side is silent	A loose plug, a broken cable, or a Bluetooth earbud that dropped out	Reseat the plug, charge and re-pair the earbuds
Nothing at all	Sound is going to another device, or something is muted	Check the output device and volume mixer
A buzz or rattle at one point in the sweep	A loose part, a damaged speaker, or something nearby vibrating	Move objects away and run the sweep again

What the bass to treble sweep tells you

The sweep is a pure tone that glides from 20 Hz, a very deep rumble, up to 20 kHz, a very high whistle. It rises in equal musical steps, so each octave gets the same amount of time. That is why the number climbs slowly at first and fast at the end.

Small laptop and phone speakers often can’t play the deepest bass. Silence for the first few seconds is normal for them.
Many adults can’t hear the top of the sweep, and the range you hear narrows with age. A sweep that fades out before 20 kHz is not a sign of broken speakers.
What matters most is a smooth sound. A buzz, rattle or crackle that appears at the same pitch every time points to a problem.

Why a left and right speaker test matters

Stereo sound uses two channels. Music mixes put instruments in different places, films move sounds across the screen, and games use direction to tell you where footsteps come from. If your channels are swapped or one side is weak, you miss that information, and voices can sound thin or off to one side.

The tool uses your browser’s built-in audio engine. Left and Right are panned fully to one side, and Both sends the same sound to each channel at equal level. Nothing is streamed from a server, so the test also works on a slow connection once the page has loaded.

No sound or one ear quiet? Fixes for Windows 11, Android, iPhone and Mac

Windows 11

Pick the output. Microsoft says to select the Speakers icon on the taskbar, then the arrow next to the volume slider, and check that sound is going to the speakers or headphones you want.
Check for mutes. Open the Volume mixer from the same menu. An “x” next to a volume control means it is muted.
Center the balance. Microsoft’s fix for audio in one channel: go to Settings → System → Sound, select your device, and make sure the Left and Right levels under volume are the same.
Turn off mono audio. Go to Start → Settings → Accessibility → Audio and switch off Mono audio, or Left and Right will both play in both ears.
Check the format. On the device’s page in Sound settings, Microsoft suggests choosing 2 channels, 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality) under Format for stereo output.
Try without enhancements. In the device’s Advanced settings, set Audio enhancements to Off.
Bluetooth earbuds: check their battery in Settings → Bluetooth & devices. If one bud stays silent, remove the device and pair it again with both buds out of the case.
Update the driver. Search for Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers, right-click your audio device and select Update driver → Search automatically for drivers.

Microsoft also offers an audio troubleshooter in the Get Help app that runs checks for you. More Windows fixes are on our Windows hub, and our list of Windows 11 settings to change covers other defaults worth a look.

Android and Samsung Galaxy

Press a volume button and raise the media volume, or open Settings → Sound & vibration and raise Media volume.
If your phone is connected to more than one Bluetooth device, Google’s help says you can choose where media plays with Play media to under Media volume.
For one quiet ear, look in your Accessibility settings. Google says the audio adjustment features there can change the balance or combine the channels into mono. Names vary by phone, so on a Galaxy you can search Settings for “balance” or “mono”.

More phone help is on our Android hub.

iPhone

Apple puts the stereo controls in Settings → Accessibility → Audio & Visual (called Audio/Visual on older versions). Make sure Mono Audio is off for a stereo check, and drag the Balance slider back to the middle if one side is quieter.

More iPhone guides are on our iPhone hub.

Mac

Choose Apple menu → System Settings, click Sound in the sidebar, then click Output. Select the device you want, and check the Output volume, the Balance slider (keep it centered) and the Mute option. More Mac guides are on our Mac hub.

Privacy and safety

The test sounds are generated by your browser as you press each button. The page doesn’t use your microphone, doesn’t download audio files and doesn’t upload anything. Closing the tab stops every sound.

The test volume starts low on purpose. Raise it a little at a time, and keep the sweep quiet: high tones can be piercing on headphones, and very deep tones played loud can strain small speakers.

For more on keeping your devices and accounts safe, see our security hub.

Related free tool: our mic test.

FAQ

How do I know if my headphones are on the right way?

Select Left. If the sound plays in your left ear only, they are the right way round. If it plays in your right ear, swap them.

Why do I hear the Left sound in both ears?

Mono audio is probably on, which plays the same sound in both ears. Turn it off in your device’s accessibility audio settings, then test again.

Why can’t I hear the end of the sweep?

Many people can’t hear the very highest notes, and small speakers may not play them. That is normal and not a fault.

Is this speaker test safe for my speakers?

Yes, at a sensible volume. Start low, raise the volume slowly, and stop if you hear distortion.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. Open the page in a current mobile browser and connect your headphones. If you hear nothing, check that the phone is not on silent and the media volume is up.

Speaker Test: Left and Right Headphone Check