Fix webcam not working on Mac

If your webcam is not working on your Mac, check its physical controls and connection, select the correct camera in the affected app, and check camera permissions. Then test video again in that same app. If the camera works elsewhere, focus on the failing app or website. If it fails across apps, investigate the connection, system access or camera itself.

Check what is actually failing

Device detection, permission and camera selection are separate checks. A camera appearing in an app’s device list means the app lists it; that alone does not establish that it can deliver video. Permission allows access, while the app’s camera selector determines which available camera it tries to use.

• Camera missing from the app’s list: check its connection and whether another app lists or can use it.
• Camera listed but access blocked: check macOS permissions and, for a website, browser permissions.
• Wrong picture or unexpected camera view: check the selected video input.
• Black picture or capture error: check any lens cover, camera-off control and other apps using the camera, then compare with another app.

These steps diagnose webcam video. Working video does not establish that microphone audio works. If you can see yourself but others cannot hear you, check the microphone input and microphone permissions separately.

Check the camera and its connection

Open any physical privacy shutter and check for a camera-off switch on your webcam, if it has one. In the affected app, turn video on and inspect the local preview. A covered lens can explain a dark image even when the camera is detected.

For an external webcam, reconnect its cable. If it runs through a hub or dock, try a direct connection to the Mac where the connectors allow it. You can also try another suitable port. Retest after each change so you can identify which change affects the symptom.

If a direct connection works, that points toward the previous connection path, including the hub, dock or cable; it does not identify which part is faulty. These connection checks do not apply to a Mac’s built-in camera.

Select the correct video input

Open the affected app’s video or camera settings and select the camera you intend to use. A Mac may have multiple video inputs available, so permission alone does not ensure the app uses the right one. For a browser-based call, check the camera selector inside the meeting page as well.

If selecting a different input restores the expected preview, the selection was the immediate issue. Recheck the original call or recording before changing anything else.

Check macOS and browser camera permissions

On macOS Ventura and later, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Camera. Allow access for the app you want to use. For a website, check access for the browser. On older macOS versions, look in System Preferences, Security & Privacy, Privacy, then Camera.

If the app is absent from the camera permissions list, open its camera feature to trigger an access request. After changing permission, quit and reopen the affected app if prompted, then test again.

A website can also have a separate camera permission in the browser. Open the browser’s site permissions or website settings for the affected page and allow camera access if you want that site to use it. Reload the page and rejoin the session if necessary; doing so can interrupt an ongoing call.

Browser controls vary by browser and version, so exact menu labels cannot be specified without those details. A Mac permission setting does not, by itself, establish that the website has access or has selected the intended camera.

Compare with another camera app

Quit other apps that might be using the camera, then reopen the affected app and retry. If the problem remains, quit it and try a second camera-capable app, such as Photo Booth, selecting the same camera where a selector is available.

• The same camera shows video in another app: it can deliver video in that test. Focus next on the original app’s input selection, permissions or session state.
• The built-in camera works but an external webcam fails: continue checking the external webcam and its connection. The built-in camera test does not validate the external webcam.
• The same camera fails in both apps: the cause remains unresolved. Check each app’s access before treating the result as evidence of a broader problem.

A successful local preview confirms capture in that app at that moment. It does not test whether a meeting service transmits your video or whether another participant receives it.

Restart, retest and know when to get help

If the earlier checks do not restore video, save your work and restart the Mac. Restarting interrupts open apps and calls. After signing back in, open only the affected app, select the intended camera and repeat the action that originally failed.

Stop troubleshooting once the original task works. If the camera works elsewhere but one app still fails, contact that app’s support with the error message and the comparison result. If the same camera remains unavailable across apps after the applicable checks, contact Apple support for a built-in camera or the webcam manufacturer for an external model.

Record your Mac model, macOS version, camera model, affected app or browser, exact error and which tests succeeded. Those details are missing here, so a hardware fault cannot be established and no model-specific driver, firmware or reset procedure can be recommended.