How to Manage Camera Permissions in Chrome on a Computer

Chrome decides which websites can use your camera, and your operating system decides whether Chrome itself can use it. Both have to allow access before a site can show your video. This guide covers how to allow, block and reset camera access for sites, how to choose which camera Chrome offers, and what to check when the camera still does not work.

Before you start

• Use the desktop version of Chrome on Windows, macOS or Linux. Menu names can differ slightly between Chrome versions, so look for the closest matching label if yours is not exactly the same.
• Connect the camera you plan to use, or confirm that the built-in camera is turned on. Some laptops have a physical privacy shutter or a keyboard key that disables the camera.
• Open the website that needs the camera over a secure connection. Chrome only allows camera access on secure pages, so a site that is not served securely cannot request it.
• If a work or school organization manages your browser, some camera settings may be locked. Chrome shows that the browser is managed in its menu or settings.
• Close other apps that might be using the camera, such as video call programs. On some systems only one app can use a camera at a time.

Camera permissions are stored in your Chrome profile on the computer. The permission itself does not send video anywhere. What happens to the video after you allow access depends on the website: some process it locally in the browser, while others send it to their servers. Check each site's own privacy information to confirm how it handles your video and any recordings or images.

Step-by-step instructions

Respond to the permission prompt

When a site first asks for the camera, Chrome shows a prompt near the address bar. Recent versions usually offer options such as allowing access while you are on the site, allowing it only this time, or never allowing it. Older versions show simpler Allow and Block buttons. Choose the one-time option if you only need the camera briefly; Chrome will ask again on a later visit.

Change camera access for one site

• Open the website whose camera access you want to change.
• Click the icon at the left end of the address bar. Depending on your Chrome version it looks like a padlock or a pair of adjustment sliders.
• Find Camera in the panel. Turn the toggle on or off, or choose Ask, Allow or Block if a menu is shown. If Camera is not listed, open Site settings from the same panel and change it there.
• Reload the page so the site picks up the new setting.
• To undo every permission you gave that site, use the Reset permissions option in the same panel, if your version shows it.

Manage camera access for all sites

• Open the Chrome menu (three dots in the top-right corner) and choose Settings.
• Go to Privacy and security, then Site settings.
• Under Permissions, choose Camera.
• Select the default behavior: let sites ask to use your camera, or don't allow sites to use your camera. Blocking by default stops all prompts, including on sites you trust.
• Review the lists of sites that are allowed or not allowed to use your camera. Click a site to change its setting, or use the trash or remove icon to delete the entry so the site has to ask again.

Choose the selected camera

At the top of the Camera settings page, Chrome shows a drop-down list of detected cameras. The one you pick there is the camera Chrome offers by default. Many video call and camera test sites also have their own device selector, and that choice can override the default for that site. If you have a built-in camera and an external one, check both places.

Allow Chrome in operating-system permissions

If the operating system blocks Chrome, site permissions in the browser have no effect. Check these settings when Chrome does not list your camera or the video stays black.

• Windows 11: open Settings, go to Privacy & security, then Camera. Make sure camera access is on, and that the option letting desktop apps access your camera is on, because Chrome is a desktop app.
• Windows 10: open Settings, go to Privacy, then Camera, and check the same two options.
• macOS Ventura and later: open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, then Camera, and turn on Google Chrome. On earlier macOS versions the same list is under System Preferences, Security & Privacy, Privacy, Camera.
• Linux: most distributions have no separate camera permission for regular installs. If Chrome was installed as a Flatpak or Snap package, check that package's permissions in your system's software or permissions tool.

On macOS, Chrome may need to be fully quit and reopened after you change the setting. Restarting Chrome is also a reasonable step on other systems if the change does not take effect.

Check the output

Open the site again and start the camera. While a site is using it, Chrome shows a camera icon in the address bar, and the tab may show an indicator. Click that icon to see which site has access and which camera is in use. If you see video from the wrong device, switch cameras in the site's own settings or in Chrome's Camera settings.

Permissions only control access, not image quality. The resolution and frame rate you get depend on the camera, the site's request and your connection if the video is sent online, so the same camera can look different on different sites. Lighting has a strong effect on picture quality: a camera in a dim room often lowers its frame rate or produces a noisy image. Use a camera test page or the site's preview to see the actual result before an important call.

Common problems and next steps

The site never asks for the camera

The site may already be blocked, or camera access may be turned off for all sites. Check the address bar for a crossed-out camera icon and open it, or review the not-allowed list in Chrome's Camera settings. Also confirm the page is loaded securely.

Access is allowed but the video is black

Check the operating-system permissions described above, look for a privacy shutter or disable key, and close other apps that may be using the camera. Then reload the page.

The camera is missing from the list

Reconnect an external camera, preferably to a different port, and restart Chrome. If the operating system's own camera app also cannot see it, the problem is with the device or its driver rather than with Chrome settings.

A permission disappeared on its own

Recent Chrome versions can remove permissions from sites you have not visited for a while, and one-time permissions expire after you leave the site. Allow access again when the site asks.

Settings are greyed out

A managed browser can have camera rules set by an administrator. Contact whoever manages the device if you need a change; these settings cannot be overridden from the browser.