Guitar Tuner
Tune your guitar in the browser. This free online guitar tuner listens through your microphone, names the note you play, and shows how many cents sharp or flat you are. Standard tuning loads by default, and every drop, open, and downtuned preset is one click away.
Reference pitch: 440.0 Hz
Detected
Target
82.4 Hz
Strings
Standard (E A D G B E) • 6 strings
How to Tune a Guitar With an Online Guitar Tuner
- 1
Start the tuner and allow mic access
Press Start Listening and approve the microphone prompt. Pitch detection runs on your device, so the audio itself never leaves it — only anonymous usage stats, such as which note you tuned, are sent on.
- 2
Play one string at a time
Pluck the low E string and let it ring. Muting the other five gives the tuner a clean signal to read.
- 3
Follow the needle and the cents
Left of center means flat, so tighten the string. Right means sharp, so loosen it. Inside about 5 cents of zero counts as in tune.
- 4
Work 6th to 1st, then check again
Tightening one string pulls on the neck and drags the others out. Run a second pass before you play anything.
Standard Guitar Tuning: String Notes and Frequencies
Standard guitar tuning is E A D G B E, thickest string to thinnest. Each string sits a perfect fourth above the one below it, apart from the B string, which is a major third above G. These are the pitches the tuner targets while the Standard preset is selected.
| String | Note | Frequency (A4 = 440 Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| 6th (low E) | E2 | 82.41 Hz |
| 5th | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| 4th | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| 3rd | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 2nd | B3 | 246.94 Hz |
| 1st (high E) | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
Playing with an instrument that is not at concert pitch? Move the A4 slider in the tuner and every target shifts with it — more on Hz, cents, and reference pitch.
Acoustic and Electric Guitar Tuner
Acoustic
An acoustic guitar tuner has the easier job, because the soundhole throws plenty of signal at the mic. Sit somewhere quiet and keep your phone or laptop within arm's reach of the soundhole. Acoustics react to humidity and temperature more than solid-body electrics do, so check the tuning again once the guitar has been out of its case for a while.
Electric
An electric guitar tuner targets the same E A D G B E notes. Play unplugged and let the mic hear the strings, or run into an audio interface when the room is loud. New strings stretch for a day or two, so expect to retune between songs until they settle — full electric guitar tuning walkthrough.
Chromatic Guitar Tuner for Alternate Tunings
A chromatic guitar tuner reads any pitch you play and names the nearest note, instead of snapping to the six notes of standard tuning. That is what makes it work for drop and open tunings, where strings land on notes standard tuning never asks for. Pick a preset and the tuner targets those notes instead.
- Drop DD2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4
- Drop C (C G C F A D)C2 G2 C3 F3 A3 D4
- Drop C# (C# G# C# F# A# D#)C#2 G#2 C#3 F#3 A#3 D#4
- Drop B (B F# B E G# C#)B1 F#2 B2 E3 G#3 C#4
- Half Step Down (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb)Eb2 Ab2 Db3 Gb3 Bb3 Eb4
- Open GD2 G2 D3 G3 B3 D4
- Open D (D A D F# A D)D2 A2 D3 F#3 A3 D4
- DADGADD2 A2 D3 G3 A3 D4
Guitar Tuner FAQ
How do I use this online guitar tuner?
Press Start Listening and allow microphone access, then pick your instrument and tuning from the selectors above. Play a string and the tuner names the note it hears and shows how far off you are in cents — the needle turns green once you are in tune. Click any string button to hear its reference tone, and move the Reference Pitch (A4) slider if you need something other than 440 Hz.
How do I tune my guitar with a guitar tuner?
Work one string at a time, starting on the low E and finishing on the high E. Tighten the string when the reading is flat and loosen it when the reading is sharp, and try to arrive at the target from below — coming up to pitch helps the string settle in the tuning peg. Tuning one string changes the tension on the rest, so run a second pass once you have been through all six.
What setting should my guitar tuner be on?
Standard tuning with a reference pitch of A4 = 440 Hz covers almost everything you will play. Change the preset only when the song calls for a drop, open, or downtuned setup, and change the reference pitch only when you play alongside an instrument that is not at 440 Hz.
How accurate is an online guitar tuner?
This tuner reads pitch in cents, where one cent is a hundredth of a semitone, which is finer than most players can hear. Accuracy depends on the room more than the software: background noise, a fan, or a nearby speaker can pull the reading around. Tune somewhere quiet and let one string ring at a time.
Can I use this guitar tuner on my phone?
Yes. Open the page in Safari on iPhone or iPad, or Chrome on Android, and allow microphone access. There is no app to download. Hold the phone near the soundhole of an acoustic, or near the strings of an electric, and tune one string at a time.
Should I use a chromatic tuner or a guitar tuner?
A chromatic tuner names whatever note it hears, so it handles any tuning you throw at it. A guitar tuner targets the six notes of the tuning you picked, which makes it harder to tune a string to the wrong note by mistake. This page gives you both: pick a preset for guided tuning, or read the note name for a chromatic check.
Can I use it as a bass guitar tuner or for ukulele?
Yes. Switch the instrument selector to Bass or Ukulele and the tuner targets that instrument instead. Browse the full preset lists in the bass tunings and ukulele tunings catalogs.