How to Connect the OBS Virtual Camera to Zoom

The short answer

To use OBS with Zoom, build your scene in OBS Studio, click Start Virtual Camera in OBS, then open Zoom's video settings and choose OBS Virtual Camera as your camera. Zoom then treats whatever OBS is showing as if it were a webcam. This is what people usually mean by a "fake webcam" in Zoom: a software camera device that passes another program's video to the call instead of feeding it directly from physical hardware.

One distinction matters. The virtual camera carries video only. Your microphone is still set separately in Zoom's audio settings. Sending OBS audio, such as music or sound effects, into Zoom requires a separate audio routing tool. That is outside the scope of this guide.

Before you start

• A recent version of OBS Studio. Current releases include the Virtual Camera built in, so no separate plugin is needed on Windows or macOS.
• The Zoom desktop app, or Zoom in a browser if your browser can see system cameras.
• At least one source in your OBS scene, such as your physical webcam, a screen capture or an image, so the virtual camera has something to send.
• On macOS, administrator access, because the first launch of the virtual camera installs a system extension that you must approve.
• On Linux, the v4l2loopback kernel module, which OBS uses to create the virtual camera device.

Step 1: Set up your scene in OBS

Open OBS Studio and, in the Sources panel, add what you want people on the call to see. For a webcam, add a Video Capture Device source and pick your camera. Arrange any overlays, text or images on top of it.

Check Settings > Video in OBS. The virtual camera sends the OBS canvas, so a widescreen canvas (16:9) matches how Zoom normally displays video. A different aspect ratio may appear cropped or letterboxed in the call.

Success check: the OBS preview shows exactly the picture you want others to see.

Step 2: Start the virtual camera

In the Controls panel, click Start Virtual Camera. On macOS, the first time you do this you may be asked to allow a system extension. Approve it in System Settings under Privacy & Security, then start the virtual camera again if needed.

Success check: the button changes to Stop Virtual Camera. This confirms OBS is outputting to the virtual device. It does not yet confirm that Zoom can see the device.

Step 3: Select OBS Virtual Camera in Zoom

• Open Zoom and go to Settings > Video.
• In the Camera menu, choose OBS Virtual Camera.
• If it isn't listed, fully quit Zoom and reopen it. Zoom often detects cameras only at launch, so a virtual camera installed or started afterward may not appear until restart.
• During a meeting, you can also switch cameras using the arrow next to the Start/Stop Video button.

Success check: the Zoom settings preview shows your OBS scene, including any overlays. Seeing OBS Virtual Camera in the list only means Zoom detected the device. Seeing your actual scene in the preview means video is flowing from OBS into Zoom.

Step 4: Confirm how it looks to others

The settings preview shows your own view only. Picture quality on the call depends on your network, Zoom's video settings and the other participants' connections. To check what others actually see, use Zoom's test meeting option, or join a short meeting with someone else and ask what they see. Ask them specifically whether text in your overlays reads correctly and whether motion looks smooth.

Evidence gap: no verified resolution, frame-rate or bandwidth targets were available for this guide, so none are recommended here. Use the OBS canvas and Zoom HD settings that look acceptable in a real test call.

Common problems and fixes

Problem | Likely cause | What to try

OBS Virtual Camera missing from Zoom's camera list | Zoom was open before the virtual camera was installed or started; on macOS the extension wasn't approved; on Linux v4l2loopback isn't loaded | Restart Zoom; approve the extension in Privacy & Security; load the module and restart OBS

Camera is listed but the preview is black or shows a placeholder | The virtual camera isn't running, or the OBS scene is empty | Click Start Virtual Camera in OBS and confirm the OBS preview isn't blank

Your webcam works in OBS but not in Zoom | Some systems let only one app use a physical webcam at a time | In Zoom, select OBS Virtual Camera instead of the physical webcam

Text looks backwards | Zoom's Mirror my video option flips only your own preview | Leave it as is, or turn mirroring off in Zoom's video settings; participants see the unmirrored image

Image looks cropped or stretched | OBS canvas aspect ratio doesn't match Zoom's display | Set the OBS canvas to a widescreen ratio and resize sources to fit

No camera at all in Zoom on macOS | Zoom lacks camera permission | Allow Zoom under Camera in System Settings > Privacy & Security, then restart Zoom

Backgrounds: OBS scene vs. Zoom effects

There are three different kinds of background. A physical background is what is actually behind you. An OBS scene can replace or decorate that picture before it reaches Zoom, for example by placing an image behind a chroma-keyed (green screen) webcam. Zoom's own virtual background and video filters are applied afterward, on top of whatever the camera sends.

Stacking a Zoom virtual background on top of an OBS feed that already has its own background can produce flickering edges or cut off parts of your overlays. In most cases, pick one place to handle the background. If OBS is building the scene, set Zoom's background to None.

When you're done

Click Stop Virtual Camera in OBS when the call ends. If you want Zoom to use your webcam directly next time, switch the Zoom camera setting back to the physical device. Otherwise, Zoom may show a blank or placeholder image when OBS isn't running.