How to Use a Webcam on Discord

The short answer

To show your webcam on Discord, join a voice channel in a server, or start a call in a direct message or group DM. Then select the camera button, usually labeled Video or Turn On Camera. Before your first call, pick your camera and check the preview in User Settings under Voice & Video.

One detail matters when you search for how to stream your webcam. Discord has two separate sharing features. The camera button sends your face-cam video. Go Live shares your screen, a window or a game. If you want other people to see you, use the camera button, not Go Live. You can use both at the same time.

Before you start: what needs to be in place

• A webcam that your computer or phone detects, either built-in or connected by USB.
• Permission for Discord to use the camera at the operating-system level. If you use Discord in a web browser, the browser also needs camera permission.
• No other app holding the camera. Many webcams can be used by only one program at a time, so close other video-call or camera apps.
• In a server, permission to use video in that voice channel. Server admins control this, and some channels turn video off.

Step 1: Allow camera access on your device

Discord can't see the camera until your system allows it. Menu names vary between operating system versions, so look for the camera entry in the privacy settings.

• Windows: open Settings, go to Privacy & security, then Camera. Make sure camera access is on and that desktop apps are allowed to use the camera.
• macOS: open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, then Camera, and turn on the switch for Discord. If Discord was open when you changed this, quit and reopen it.
• Web browser: when Discord asks to use your camera, choose Allow. If you blocked it earlier, open the site permissions from the icon next to the address bar and change the camera setting to Allow. Then reload the page.
• iPhone, iPad or Android: allow camera access when Discord asks. If you denied it earlier, turn it on for Discord in the phone's Settings app.

How to know it worked: Discord appears as allowed in the camera privacy list, and Discord stops showing a camera-blocked or no-camera message. Permission only lets Discord reach the camera. It doesn't prove the camera is sending an image. The next step checks that.

Step 2: Choose your camera and test the preview

• 1. Open User Settings, the gear icon near your username.
• 2. Under App Settings, select Voice & Video.
• 3. In the Video Settings area, open the Camera dropdown and choose your webcam. This matters if you have more than one camera, such as a laptop camera and an external one.
• 4. Select Test Video, or check the preview window.

How to know it worked: you see a live, moving image of yourself in the preview. This shows that Discord can capture video from the camera. It doesn't show whether other people will receive a smooth, clear picture. That depends on your connection, their connection and the call itself, so check it during a real call (Step 4).

If the preview stays black or shows an error, check these in order. First, confirm the right camera is selected. Next, close any other app that might be using the camera. Then recheck the permissions from Step 1. Finally, unplug and reconnect an external webcam, or restart Discord. Some cameras have a physical privacy shutter or a camera on/off key, so make sure the shutter is open and the key isn't turning the camera off.

Step 3: Turn on your webcam in a server or a call

In a server voice channel (desktop or browser):

• 1. Open the server and select a voice channel to join it. Text channels don't support video.
• 2. In the voice panel near the bottom left, or in the call view, select Video or Turn On Camera.
• 3. If Discord shows a preview first, check it and confirm.
• 4. To stop, select the camera button again.

In a direct message or group DM, start a video call with the camera icon at the top of the conversation. You can also start a voice call and turn the camera on afterward.

On mobile, join the voice channel or call, then tap the camera icon in the call controls. On a phone you can usually switch between the front and back cameras from the same controls.

Step 4: Confirm other people can see you

• Your own video tile appears in the call view and shows a live image.
• In a server's channel list, a camera icon usually appears next to your name under the voice channel.
• The best check is to ask someone in the call whether your video is clear and smooth and whether it lines up with your voice.

A live tile on your screen shows that Discord is sending your video. Only another participant can tell you how it actually looks on their end. Keep your microphone checks separate from your camera checks. Your mic can be detected and showing activity while your voice still sounds unclear, and the opposite can happen too. The input-sensitivity and test tools in Voice & Video help with audio. No verified input-level targets were available for this guide, so judge by a test call instead of a specific number.

If the camera button is greyed out or missing

• You're in a text channel instead of a voice channel. Join a voice channel first.
• The server or channel doesn't allow video for your role. Ask a server admin or moderator to enable the Video permission for that channel.
• The channel already has the maximum number of video participants. Discord limits how many people can share video in one call, and the limit can change, so try again later or use another channel.
• You're using a browser that doesn't fully support Discord's video features. Try the Discord desktop app or a different up-to-date browser.

Optional: blur or replace what's behind you

Discord offers video background effects in the camera settings and the camera preview, such as blurring your surroundings or using a preset image. Uploading your own custom image has generally required a Nitro subscription. Check what your account currently offers, because features and plans change. These are virtual effects that Discord applies to your live video. They don't change your actual room, and they're unrelated to editing a photo's background. A tidy physical background with even lighting on your face often looks more natural than a virtual effect. Virtual effects can also flicker around your hair and hands.

What this guide couldn't verify

No confirmed figures were available for Discord's video resolution, frame rate, the exact number of people who can share video at once, or recommended audio input levels, so this guide doesn't give any. Discord also renames buttons and moves menus between updates. If a label here doesn't match your screen, look for the camera icon in the call controls and the Voice & Video section in settings.