Set the default camera in macOS

The short answer

macOS doesn't have a single system-wide setting for a default camera. System Settings has no menu where you pick one webcam for every app. Each app that uses video keeps its own camera choice, so you select the camera inside the app you're using. Many apps remember that choice for later sessions.

This differs from the microphone. For audio input, macOS does offer a system-level default under Sound settings. Apps that follow the system default will use that microphone unless you choose a different one inside the app.

Conditions that change the answer

• You may be thinking of the microphone. To set the default audio input, open System Settings > Sound > Input (on macOS Ventura and later) or System Preferences > Sound > Input (on earlier versions) and select the device. This setting does not affect which camera an app uses.
• Your camera may not be detected at all. If an external webcam doesn't appear in any app's camera list, the Mac may not be detecting it. You can check under System Information > Hardware > Camera, or under the USB section for USB webcams. Detection problems need a different fix than choosing a camera.
• The app may lack camera permission. On recent macOS versions, apps need permission to use the camera, managed in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera. On earlier versions it's in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Camera. Granting permission lets an app use the camera. It doesn't pick which camera the app uses.
• An iPhone may be taking over as the camera. On macOS Ventura and later, Continuity Camera can make a nearby iPhone available as a webcam, and some apps may switch to it automatically. If that's not what you want, select your preferred camera in the app or turn off Continuity Camera in the iPhone's settings under General, in the AirPlay and Continuity section. The exact name of that section varies by iOS version.
• In a web browser, the browser makes the choice. Websites get the camera through the browser, so the camera is selected in the browser's settings or in the site's own settings, not in macOS.

Where to choose the camera in common places

Menu names can change between app versions, so treat these as typical locations rather than exact paths for every release.

Where you're using the camera | Where the camera choice usually lives

FaceTime | The Video menu in the menu bar lists available cameras

Photo Booth | The Camera menu in the menu bar

Zoom | Settings > Video > Camera

Microsoft Teams and similar meeting apps | The app's device or video settings, often also available during a call

Google Chrome | Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Camera, then pick the device from the drop-down

Safari and other browsers | The site usually offers a camera picker in its own settings; browser options vary by browser and version

What to do next

• Open the app you want to use and find its video or camera settings. Select your preferred camera there.
• If the camera you want isn't in the list, check that the app has camera permission. Then check that macOS detects the camera in System Information.
• If a camera that was working disappears, quit and reopen the app after reconnecting the camera, since some apps only list devices at launch.
• Repeat the selection in each app you use. There is no built-in macOS setting that applies one camera choice to all apps at once.

Limitations: this guide doesn't cover third-party utilities that claim to set a system-wide camera, because no verified information on them was available. It also doesn't cover how every individual app stores its camera preference. If an app keeps switching cameras unexpectedly, check that app's own documentation.