Webcam not working? How to fix it on Windows 11 and Mac

Test your webcam first

Open the webcam test and press Start camera. What happens next tells you where to look:

• You see yourself. The camera, its driver and your browser all work. If one app still can't use the camera, go to Pick the right camera in your meeting app.
• The test says access is blocked. A permission is off, in your browser or in your system. See Allow the camera in your browser, then the steps for Windows 11 or macOS.
• The test says no camera was found. Your computer doesn't see the camera at all. Start with Check the camera itself.
• The test says the camera couldn't be started. Another app is probably using it. See Close apps that hold the camera.
• The picture is black. Look for a privacy shutter or a camera key, also under Check the camera itself.

Fix it on Windows 11

Turn on camera access

1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Camera.
2. Turn on Camera access. While it's off, no app can use the camera.
3. Turn on Let apps access your camera, and check that the app you want is turned on in the list below it.
4. Turn on Let desktop apps access your camera. Browsers, the Zoom desktop app and many other programs count as desktop apps, so they need this switch even though they don't appear in the list above it.

Check that Windows sees the camera

1. Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Cameras. Your webcam should be listed there.
2. Select it. If Windows says the camera is disabled, choose Enable. The page also shows a preview, which tells you whether the camera works outside the browser.
3. If the camera isn't listed, right-click Start and open Device Manager. Look under Cameras, and under Imaging devices for older cameras.
4. Right-click the camera and choose Update driver. If that doesn't help, choose Uninstall device, then unplug the camera and plug it back in, or restart, so Windows sets it up again.
5. If the camera doesn't appear at all, choose Action → Scan for hardware changes and try another USB port.

Close apps that hold the camera

On Windows, a webcam often works with only one app at a time. If the test says the camera couldn't be started, close the apps that might be holding it: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Discord, OBS, the Camera app, and other browser tabs or windows. Some of these keep running after you close their window, so check the notification area at the right end of the taskbar too. Then press Start camera again.

Check your security software

Some security apps include a webcam protection feature that blocks programs from using the camera even when Windows allows them. Open your security app, look for a setting such as webcam protection or camera protection, and allow your browser or meeting app.

Fix it on macOS

Allow the camera for your browser or app

1. Choose Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera.
2. Turn on the app you're using, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Teams or zoom.us. If it isn't in the list, open it and try to use the camera, so that macOS asks you.
3. Quit the app and open it again, so the change takes effect.

Safari asks for each website instead: with the page open, choose Safari → Settings for This Website and set Camera to Allow.

Check Screen Time and work settings

Screen Time can turn the camera off, for example when a parent has set it up. Open System Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy and check that the camera is allowed. On a Mac managed by your school or employer, a profile may block the camera; ask whoever manages the Mac.

External cameras on a Mac

1. Plug the camera straight into the Mac, not into a hub, a dock or a monitor's USB port.
2. Try another cable or adapter. Some USB cables only charge and don't carry data.
3. Hold Option, choose Apple menu → System Information, and look under Camera and USB. If the camera isn't listed there, the Mac can't see it, so the fault is in the cable, the port or the camera.

If you have an iPhone nearby, the Mac may offer it as a camera (Continuity Camera), and some apps switch to it on their own. Choose your webcam again in the app's camera menu.

Allow the camera in your browser

Browsers ask before a website can use your camera, and remember the answer for that site. If you chose Block once, the site stays blocked until you change it.

Chrome and Edge

1. On the page that needs the camera, click the icon at the left end of the address bar, next to the web address.
2. Set Camera to Allow, then reload the page.
3. To see every site's setting and pick the camera sites get by default, go to chrome://settings/content/camera in Chrome or edge://settings/content/camera in Edge.

Firefox

1. Click the crossed-out camera icon in the address bar and remove the block.
2. Reload the page and choose Allow when Firefox asks. If you have more than one camera, pick yours in that same prompt.
3. To review all sites, open Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to Permissions and select Settings next to Camera.

Safari

1. With the page open, choose Safari → Settings for This Website.
2. Set Camera to Allow or Ask, then reload the page.
3. To review all sites, choose Safari → Settings, select Websites, then Camera.

Browser extensions that block trackers or scripts can also block the camera. If nothing else helps, try a private window, where most extensions are off.

Pick the right camera in your meeting app

If the test shows your picture but a meeting app doesn't, the app is probably using another camera, such as a laptop's built-in one, a virtual camera from OBS or a phone. Each app keeps its own choice:

• Zoom: open Zoom's settings, select the video tab and pick your camera. During a meeting, select the arrow next to Start Video or Stop Video. More in How to test your camera and mic in Zoom.
• Microsoft Teams: open Settings → Devices and pick your camera under Camera. More in How to test your camera and mic in Microsoft Teams.
• Google Meet: before you join, use the camera menu under your preview; during a call, open the settings from the more options menu.
• Discord: open User Settings → Voice & Video and pick your camera under Camera.

Desktop apps also need the system permission from the Windows 11 or macOS steps above, and browsers need their site permission on top of it.

Check the camera itself

• Privacy shutter. Many laptops and webcams have a small slider over the lens. A black picture while the camera's light is on usually means the shutter is closed.
• Camera key or switch. Some laptops turn the camera off with a key that has a camera icon, often one of the F keys, or with a switch on the side. When it's off, the computer may report no camera at all.
• Cable and port. Plug a USB webcam straight into the computer, try another port, and avoid unpowered hubs. A webcam that keeps disconnecting usually has a cable or port problem.
• Another computer. If the camera doesn't work on a second computer either, the camera itself is probably faulty.
• The maker's software. Some webcams have an app from their maker for updates and settings. If yours does, get it from the maker's website.

Still not working?

• Restart the computer. It frees a camera that an app didn't let go of.
• Install updates for Windows or macOS and for your browser. Camera fixes often arrive with them.
• Try the camera in another app, such as the Camera app on Windows or Photo Booth on a Mac. If it fails there too, the problem is the camera, its driver or the system, not the browser.
• If the camera is new and fails on more than one computer, contact the maker's support or check your retailer's return policy. The report from the webcam test shows them what you tried.