How to select a virtual camera in Discord

A virtual camera is software that appears to other apps as a webcam. Instead of a live sensor feed, it sends whatever the source program produces, such as a composed scene from streaming software, a filtered webcam image or a screen layout. Discord treats it like any other camera. You select it in the same camera menu you would use for a physical webcam.

The short answer

Start the virtual camera in its source program first. Then, in the Discord desktop app, open User Settings (the gear icon near your username) and go to Voice & Video. Choose the virtual camera from the Camera dropdown and use the video test button to check the preview. During a call, you can usually switch cameras from the menu attached to the camera button without leaving the call. Discord only lists the virtual camera if the device is installed and visible to the system, so the order of these steps matters.

Where you use Discord also matters. In the desktop app, Discord reads the device list from your operating system. In a web browser, the browser controls camera access, so the browser must list the virtual camera and allow the site to use it. Virtual camera software is generally a desktop feature. This guide does not confirm whether Discord's mobile apps can select one.

Before you start

• A virtual camera program is installed and its virtual camera component has been set up. With OBS Studio, for example, this is the Start Virtual Camera control.
• The source program is producing an image. In OBS, that means the active scene contains visible sources, such as your webcam or an image.
• Your operating system allows Discord, or your browser, to use the camera. On Windows this is under Privacy & security > Camera. On macOS it is under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera.
• You know whether you are using the Discord desktop app or Discord in a browser, because the fixes differ.

Step by step: selecting the virtual camera

• 1. Open your virtual camera program and start its virtual camera output. Check that the program's own preview shows the image you want to send.
• 2. Open Discord after the virtual camera is running. If Discord was already open, fully quit it, including from the system tray or menu bar, then reopen it so it reloads the device list.
• 3. Open User Settings and select Voice & Video.
• 4. Under Video Settings, open the Camera dropdown and choose the virtual camera by name, for example OBS Virtual Camera.
• 5. Click the video test button.
• Success check: the preview shows the same image as your virtual camera program, not your physical webcam's raw feed and not a blank frame.
• 6. Close settings. Join a voice channel or call and turn on your camera.
• Success check: your own video tile shows the virtual camera output.

To switch cameras in a call, open the small menu next to the camera button in the call controls and pick the device there. Menu labels and positions can change between Discord versions. If a control is not where this guide describes, look for the camera device list in Voice & Video settings.

What the preview proves, and what it doesn't

Each check below confirms something different:

• The virtual camera appears in the dropdown: Discord can detect the device.
• The test preview shows the right image: Discord can capture frames from it.
• Your video tile appears in a call: Discord is sending your video.
• Other people see clear, smooth video: depends on both connections, the image complexity and Discord's own video limits. Only someone else on the call can confirm this.

To check what others actually receive, ask a friend on the call to describe your video. Or join from a second device or account and watch the incoming feed. Look for the right image, readable text and acceptable motion. The material available for this guide includes no tested resolution, frame-rate or bandwidth figures, so no specific targets are recommended here.

If the virtual camera doesn't appear in the list

• Confirm the virtual camera is started in the source program. Many programs only register the device while the output is on.
• Fully quit and reopen Discord. Device lists are often read at launch.
• On Windows, check that camera access is on for desktop apps.
• On macOS, check that Discord is allowed under Camera in Privacy & Security. Some virtual camera software also needs a system extension approved during installation. If you skipped that prompt, reinstall the software or follow its setup step again.
• In a browser, check the site's camera permission and the browser's own camera choice. Then reload the page. Some browsers may not list certain virtual cameras at all; if that happens, try the desktop app.
• If you installed the virtual camera software recently, a system restart can help the operating system register the new device.

If the preview is black, frozen or shows the wrong image

• Black or blank preview: the device is selected, but the source program may not be outputting an image. Check that its active scene has visible content and that its webcam source isn't blocked by another app.
• Shows your plain webcam: the physical webcam is probably still selected. Choose the virtual camera's name in the dropdown instead.
• Webcam busy or unavailable inside the source program: another app may be holding the physical webcam. Close other apps that use the camera, then restart the source program's webcam source.
• Preview freezes or stutters: try lowering the load in the source program, such as fewer or simpler sources. Many people also test with Discord's hardware acceleration setting, in Advanced settings, switched the other way. Results vary by system.

Virtual cameras versus Discord's built-in backgrounds

Discord has its own video background and effect options in its video settings. These are applied inside Discord, while a virtual camera's effects are applied by the external program before Discord receives the image. Combining them can stack effects or cause unexpected cropping. If the result looks wrong, turn one of them off. Neither option changes your physical surroundings, and neither is the same as editing a background into a still photo.

Gaps in this guide

The evidence for this article did not include version-specific Discord screenshots, tested quality settings or confirmed mobile behavior. Menu names here follow the general structure of the Discord desktop app and may differ in your version. For setup details of a particular virtual camera program, follow that program's own documentation.