How to Allow, Block, or Restore Camera Access in Chrome

Essential answer: Chrome camera permissions are site-specific

Chrome does not have one global camera setting for every website. Camera access is controlled per site, and the most important condition is whether the site has already asked for camera permission. If you allowed or blocked a site in the past, changing that decision is quick and does not affect Chrome as a whole. The message that the camera is blocked to protect your privacy means the site currently lacks permission to use your camera on that page, not that your camera is broken or that Chrome cannot see it. Video capture is separate from microphone audio capture, so fixing camera access does not automatically change microphone access.

How to allow or restore camera access for one site

To make sure you are changing the right site, first open the page that needs camera access. Then complete these steps.

• Click the tune or site-information icon in the address bar, to the left of the web address.
• Look for Camera in the panel that opens.
• If it says Block or Ask, change it to Allow.
• Reload the page, then select your camera when the browser permission prompt appears.

How to block or turn off camera access for one site

If you need to stop Google Chrome from providing camera access to a specific site, use the same site control.

• Open the page where you want to disable camera access.
• Click the site-information icon in the address bar.
• Look for Camera and set it to Block.
• Reload the page. The site should now receive a denied camera result instead of using your webcam.

How to reset camera decisions in Chrome settings

If the site information panel does not show the control you expect, or you want to remove an old decision and make the site ask again, use Chrome's camera access settings.

• Open Chrome settings.
• Select Privacy and security, then Site settings, then Camera.
• In the list of sites with stored camera decisions, find the site.
• Remove the stored permission so the site asks again on the next visit, or change it to Allow or Block.

How to check the result after changing the permission

The observable completion check is the permission prompt. When access is allowed or restored, a page that requests the camera should open a prompt inviting you to choose a camera and allow it. If the page already had camera access revoked and you set it back to Allow, refreshing the page should either show the prompt again or use it directly if the prompt was already accepted. If you chose Block, the site should not receive camera input after a reload. Keep it as a site-specific permission unless you intend to change it; there is no separate requirement to enable the physical camera inside Chrome first.