check microphone online
https://realtimewaveformindex.novacrestiq.com/posts/how-a-real-time-waveform-visualizer-improves-audio-diagnostics
I needed to see if my laptop mic was working before a meeting, so I used a website that checks your microphone online. It just asked for permission to access the mic, then played back what it heard. Simple, no software to download, just a quick test to make sure sound levels were good.