Chrome webcam not working: diagnose camera access problems

The short answer

When a webcam works on your computer but not in Chrome, the cause is almost always in one of four places: another app or tab is already using the camera, Chrome or the website has been denied camera permission, your operating system is blocking Chrome from the camera, or Chrome is set to use a different camera. If the camera also fails outside Chrome, the problem is more likely the device, its connection or its driver, and Chrome settings will not fix it. The quickest way to tell these apart is to read the exact error and test the camera in another app, as described below.

Keep the camera and the microphone separate while you check. They are separate devices with separate permissions. A video call can fail because the microphone is blocked even when the camera is fine, and the reverse is also true. Also keep three questions separate: is the camera detected at all, is Chrome allowed to use it, and is Chrome actually selecting it?

Start with the error message

Websites get a specific error from the browser when camera access fails. Some sites show it directly, some show it in their own words, and some show only a blank preview. If you can see the wording, use it to pick your first check.

What you see | Most likely layer | Check first

Could not start video source, camera in use, or an error named NotReadableError | The camera is busy or the operating system could not open it | Close other apps and tabs that use the camera (Check 2)

Permission denied, camera blocked, or an error named NotAllowedError | Chrome, the site or the operating system is refusing access | Site permission in Chrome, then OS privacy settings (Checks 3 and 4)

No camera found, or an error named NotFoundError | Chrome cannot see any camera | Connection, privacy shutter and whether the camera works elsewhere (Check 1)

Preview works but shows the wrong view, an IR camera or a virtual camera | Input selection | Camera choice in Chrome and in the site (Check 5)

Black preview with no error | Could be a shutter, a busy camera or a selection problem | Physical controls, then Checks 1 and 2

Treat the error as a pointer, not proof. A NotReadableError, for example, commonly means another program holds the camera, but the browser reports the same error for other hardware or system-level failures. The checks below confirm which explanation fits.

Check 1: Does the camera work outside Chrome?

First rule out the simple physical causes: a closed privacy shutter or cover, a camera on/off key on some laptop keyboards, or a loose USB cable or hub. Then open a built-in camera app, such as Camera on Windows or Photo Booth or FaceTime on macOS.

• If the camera shows video in the other app: the hardware, connection and basic driver are working, so focus on Chrome, the site and the OS permission for Chrome.
• If the camera fails there too: the problem is below Chrome, in the device, connection, driver or a system-wide privacy switch. Try another USB port (for an external webcam), restart the computer, and check the OS privacy settings in Check 4.
• Either way, close the test app completely before you return to Chrome, or it may keep the camera busy.

This test tells you about detection and hardware. It does not test Chrome's permissions or which camera Chrome has selected.

Check 2: Is something else holding the camera?

Camera busy errors are common on Windows in particular, where a webcam is often available to only one application at a time. Anything that opened the camera and did not release it can block Chrome.

• Close video-call and meeting apps, including ones still running in the system tray or menu bar after you closed their window.
• Close other browsers that might have a call or camera test open.
• Look through your Chrome tabs. Chrome marks tabs that are using the camera or microphone, and a forgotten meeting tab is enough to cause the error.
• Quit virtual camera, streaming and recording software, and any manufacturer camera utility.
• Quit Chrome completely and reopen it. On Windows, Chrome can keep running after its windows close if Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed is turned on under Settings, then System.
• If the error remains, restart the computer. A restart releases any process that was still holding the camera.

If the camera works after you close a specific app, you have found the cause. Keep that app closed during calls in Chrome, or check whether it has a setting to stop it from starting the camera automatically.

Check 3: Chrome's permission for the site

Chrome stores camera and microphone permission separately for each site. With the site open, click the icon at the left end of the address bar and look at the Camera and Microphone entries. If either is blocked, allow it and reload the page.

For a wider view, open Chrome Settings, then Privacy and security, then Site settings, then Camera. Here you can see the default behavior, sites you have blocked, and which camera Chrome uses. Microphone has its own page in the same section.

• If the site was blocked and allowing it fixes the problem, you are done.
• If Chrome shows that the setting is managed by your organization, a policy on a work or school device controls it. Only the administrator can change it.
• If the site never asks for permission, check that the page is loaded over a secure (https) connection. Browsers only allow camera access on secure pages, apart from local development addresses.
• If the site is allowed but still fails, move on to the operating system settings.

Check 4: Operating system privacy settings

Windows and macOS can block Chrome from the camera even when Chrome allows the site. In that case the site usually reports a permission error, or Chrome may say the camera is blocked by system settings.

• Windows 11: Settings, then Privacy & security, then Camera. Turn on Camera access and Let apps access your camera, and make sure Let desktop apps access your camera is on, because Chrome is a desktop app. Windows 10 has the same controls under Settings, then Privacy, then Camera.
• macOS Ventura and later: System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Camera, and turn on Google Chrome. Earlier versions use System Preferences, then Security & Privacy, then Privacy, then Camera. macOS may ask you to quit and reopen Chrome before the change takes effect.
• For microphone problems, check the Microphone section in the same place. It is a separate switch.

If Chrome is missing from the macOS list, it has not asked for camera access yet. Open a site that requests the camera and accept the system prompt when it appears.

Check 5: Is Chrome using the right camera?

A computer can have several video inputs: a built-in webcam, an external webcam, an infrared camera used for face sign-in on some Windows laptops, a dock or monitor camera, and virtual cameras from software. If Chrome or the site picks the wrong one, you may see a black, frozen or unexpected image even though nothing is blocked.

• In Chrome Settings, under Site settings, then Camera, choose the camera you want from the list at the top.
• In the site itself, open its audio and video settings and choose the same camera. Many calling sites keep their own device choice.
• If the camera you want is not in Chrome's list at all, Chrome cannot detect it. Go back to Check 1.

Check 6: Rule out extensions and your Chrome profile

Extensions that change video, add virtual backgrounds or manage privacy can interfere with camera access. Open the same site in a Guest window or an Incognito window, where extensions are normally off, and allow the camera when asked. If it works there, turn extensions off one at a time in your normal profile to find the one causing the problem. If it fails there as well, extensions are unlikely to be the cause.

What to change, in order, and how to confirm it worked

Match each fix to what your checks found, and start with the changes that are easy to undo. After each change, retest the same way: reload the same site and try the same camera action that failed before. A camera that works in a different site or app does not prove the original problem is fixed.

• 1. Busy camera: close the app or tab holding it, quit Chrome fully, and restart the computer if needed.
• 2. Site blocked: allow Camera (and Microphone if the site needs it) from the address bar icon, then reload.
• 3. OS blocked: turn on camera access for Chrome or desktop apps in the system privacy settings, then quit and reopen Chrome.
• 4. Wrong input: choose the correct camera in Chrome Settings and in the site's own settings.
• 5. Extension conflict: turn off or remove the extension you identified.
• 6. Outdated browser: open Settings, then About Chrome, let it update, and relaunch.
• 7. Not detected anywhere: reconnect the camera, try another port, restart, then consider driver steps as described below.

Driver updates and resetting Chrome: what to know first

Only consider driver changes if the camera fails outside Chrome as well. On Windows, Device Manager shows whether the camera is detected and whether it reports a problem, and it has options to update, roll back or uninstall a driver. Follow the instructions from Microsoft and from your computer or webcam maker rather than downloading drivers from third-party sites. Uninstalling a driver can leave the camera unusable until Windows or the maker's software reinstalls it, so make sure you can reinstall it before you start.

Resetting Chrome (Settings, then Reset settings, then Restore settings to their original defaults) is a last step for problems limited to Chrome. According to Google, it resets your startup page, new tab page, search engine and pinned tabs, turns off extensions, and clears temporary data such as cookies, which will sign you out of many sites. Bookmarks, history and saved passwords are kept. It also clears site permissions, so you will need to allow the camera again.

When to stop and get help

• The camera fails in every app after a restart, another port and a correct driver: the hardware is the likely cause, so contact the computer or webcam maker.
• Chrome or the system says the setting is managed by your organization: contact your IT administrator, since policy overrides your own settings.
• The camera works in other apps and in a Guest window but not in one site: the site itself may be the problem, so check its own help or support.
• The camera works in other browsers but not in Chrome after a reset and update: report it to Google through Chrome's built-in feedback option.

Limits of this guide

This guide covers Chrome on Windows and macOS in general terms. Menu names and locations change between Chrome and operating system versions, and laptop camera keys, shutters and utilities differ by manufacturer. Treat the paths above as typical rather than exact for every version. No device-specific test results or compatibility data were available for this article.