About Broken or Not

Is It Broken, or Not?

You know that moment when something just stops working? A key on your keyboard won’t type. Your mic doesn’t pick up your voice. Your controller starts moving on its own.

You unplug it, plug it back in, restart your laptop and search online for answers. But you’re still not sure if the device is actually broken, or if the problem is something else.

That’s why I made Broken or Not. It’s a free website where you can test your devices in a few seconds and find out if they’re really broken, or not.

I’m Dipesh Deuja, a software engineer, and I love building websites and web apps.

I spend most of my day at my laptop, with my keyboard, mouse, mic, headphones and sometimes a controller. I use them every day, so when something goes wrong, I notice right away.

One day my mouse started double-clicking by itself. I would click once and it would open things twice, and dragging files became really annoying. I didn’t know if the problem was the mouse, my laptop or some setting. I restarted, changed settings and tried different things. In the end, I tested the mouse on another computer, and it did the same thing there. So the mouse was the problem: the switch inside that clicks had worn out.

It took me way too long to figure that out, and it wasn’t the first time I’d been confused like this. Most test websites I found were full of ads, asked me to download something or didn’t really explain the results.

So I decided to build my own: something simple, fast and honest.

What Can You Test?

You can test the everyday things you use with your computer. For example, you can check if all your keyboard keys work, if your mouse is double-clicking, if your mic picks up sound, if both sides of your headphones play sound, if your webcam shows a clear picture, if your screen has dead pixels or if your controller has stick drift.

I keep adding new tests over time. If you have a device that’s acting strange and there’s no test for it yet, just tell me. I might build one for it next.

How Does It Work?

Everything runs right in your web browser. You don’t need to download anything or make an account.

Your browser can already talk to your keyboard, mouse, mic, speakers, webcam, screen and controller. That’s how video calls and online games work. Broken or Not uses that same connection to check if your device responds the way it should.

If a test finds a problem, its page also explains the common reasons for it, like a loose cable, a bad USB port or a setting that needs changing. That way you can try a quick fix before buying something new.

Is My Data Safe?

Yes. The tests run only on your own computer, inside your browser. Nothing you type, click, say or show your camera is uploaded or saved. The mic test can record a short clip so you can hear yourself, but it stays in the page and is gone when you close it.

Your browser asks for permission before the mic test can use your microphone or the webcam test can use your camera, and you can turn that permission off anytime.

I use Google Analytics to count visits and see which tests people use, but it never sees anything a test reads from your devices. The Privacy Policy has the details.

Why Trust This Site?

I build and test every tool on this site myself, using real devices and different browsers. When browsers change, I update the tests.

I’m not paid by any company to recommend their products. My only goal is to tell you the truth about your device. Sometimes that means your device is fine and you don’t need a new one. And sometimes, like with my old mouse, it really is broken. Either way, you’ll know.

Contact Me

Found a problem on the site? Want a new test? Or just want to say hi? I’d be happy to hear from you.

Send me a message through the contact form, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.