How to test your camera in Teams without joining a meeting

Employers, students, and other Microsoft Teams users will need to use a working camera and audio equipment. Without brute forcing it and trying it in the meetings you need to take part in, users should know that there are a few things you could do to check if your camera functions properly.

You can try a couple of methods on Microsoft Teams to test your camera before joining a meeting; these can all be done in your own time before the meeting starts. These methods can only be done on the desktop app version of Teams, but it works on Mac and Windows.

How to check your camera on a test call

  • Start the Microsoft Teams desktop app or web app.
  • Click on the “…” icon that is next to your profile
  • Go to “Settings.”
  • Click on “Devices.”
  • Find “Make a test call.”
  • Check if your camera works.

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We’ve also created a video to help guide you through the steps:

Berrycast – Record Your Screen & Share

Record your screen, camera, and audio to send quick video messages to your colleagues or clients via MS Teams.

How to use a test call to test your camera

If you are an employee or a student who needs to use Microsoft Teams for regular meetings, it would be essential to check that your equipment still works on your computer. This is because it is almost guaranteed that you will have to turn your camera and microphone on when taking part in an important meeting. This shouldn’t be an issue most of the time, as whatever platform you are using, Microsoft Teams should remember the video options and the output and input choices you have used before.

Testing your camera is straightforward, just like testing the input and output devices you would use for Microsoft Teams. I have made a step-by-step guide for this article that showcases how to go through this and check if your camera works correctly. Using a test call to test your camera works on Mac and Windows but only in the desktop app.

How to use a test call to test the camera

  • The first thing you should do is start Microsoft Teams.

You can download the Microsoft Teams desktop app directly, or download all the available apps by signing into Office.com. Once there, click “Install apps” in the top right, and select “Premium Microsoft 365 apps” from the dropdown list.

Once Microsoft Teams has loaded, move your mouse over to the icon of your profile picture, then press the “…” button, which will lead you to the option called “Settings.”

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  • After you click “Settings,” it will open a new page that covers all of Microsoft Teams’ options, it will open in the “General” section, and you will need to go to “Devices” for options that can affect your device equipment.
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Once you are in “Devices,” this is where you can find options that you can set for Teams to take on, which is where you can change your audio device choices as well as go down the list to see your camera options, and it will show what it looks like in the meeting.

  • We want to use the “Make a test call” option on this page as it will create a fake call because it puts you into a situation like a video call. When you click this, it will put a bot in it with you that gives you instructions for recording a message, and it allows you to turn your camera on to see if it works well enough.
  • After clicking this option, you can press the camera or mic button to turn them on and off; this is how it will appear when you join a meeting or a call in the future; then, you can record a voice clip and hear it back if you want to check your audio too.

How to test your camera in a private meeting

Alternatively, there is another way that you can use Microsoft Teams to test your camera and audio settings. You can do this by opening Microsoft Teams and creating a meeting for you or anyone else to join if you want to test your equipment with other people if you agree to do so before an actual meeting.

  • For the next step, go to the “Calendar” section of Teams, as this allows you to use the “Meet now” or “+ New Meeting” options. If you try this in other sections like chats, it will show “call now” or something similar.
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  • Once you are in the calendar section, press “Meet now” if you want to test your equipment before you need to do an actual meeting. Alternatively, if you want to test your equipment with other members of staff or users, then you can press “+New meeting.”
  • If you press “+New meeting,” you can add any information and details about this test meeting to it, which will be added to your calendar. You can include required participants, the date the meeting will take place, as well as any other details you want to include.
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This will then add the meeting to your calendar; you should note that it won’t start the meeting after setting it up; it will just give you the notification for when it should happen. You would then have to create the meeting when the data comes around.

  • Next, start the meeting, and you can then allocate the settings for what you want.

Once you have made sure that the camera and audio options are what you want them to be, press “Join Room,” you have the option here to add users to the meeting as well as copy a meeting link that you can share with other people that want to be there.

  • Assuming you have chosen the correct device options, the meeting you have created will show your camera and let you talk; if it doesn’t show it by default, press the “Camera” button on the top right, making you appear.

Conclusion

There are a few ways to test your camera in Microsoft Teams, one that involves creating a meeting of your own, which you and others can use to test equipment. There is another that involves going into the settings to use a test call, which will let you record a message so you can hear it back for audio quality. Both of these methods work to test your camera before you need to go into an actual meeting.

Siddra Afzal

Siddra Afzal has been a researcher and content writer at Business Tech Planet since 2021. Siddra formerly wrote newsletters for the NHS and was a PR and Communications Officer. She now combines her passion for photography and video editing with her knowledge of communications, writing, and research to the art of crafting the perfect tech guides for BTP. You can connect with Siddra on LinkedIn.

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