Troubleshooting
How to Allow Camera Access in Chrome (Desktop and Android)
Here's how to allow camera access in Chrome: when a site asks, choose Allow (or Allow while visiting the site). If you blocked it earlier, click the site icon at the left end of the address bar, switch Camera and Microphone on, and reload the page.
Chrome keeps two layers of permission: one per website inside Chrome, and one that your operating system gives to Chrome itself. This guide walks through both, on desktop and on Android, plus how to reset a blocked site so Chrome asks again. Menu names may differ slightly by version.
Answer Chrome's camera prompt
The first time a site wants your camera, Chrome shows a small box under the address bar saying the site wants to use your camera and microphone. Nothing reaches the site until you answer it.
Older versions show two buttons, Allow and Block. Recent versions offer three choices instead, and some also show a live preview with a menu to pick which camera and microphone to use.
| Button | What Chrome remembers | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Allow while visiting the site | The site keeps camera access for future visits | Sites you use often |
| Allow this time | Access ends once you leave or close the site | Trying a site for the first time |
| Never allow (or Block) | The site is blocked and won't be able to ask again | Sites you don't trust |
On Omlet, your own video tile says Waiting for your camera… until you answer. If you don't see the prompt, look for a collapsed camera icon at the right end of the address bar, or check that the browser window isn't hiding it behind another window.
If you close the prompt several times without answering, Chrome may start blocking that site's request automatically for a while. Answer it once, or allow the site manually as shown below.
Allow or block the camera for one site
Every site has its own camera and microphone switch. Changing one site leaves all the others alone, which is usually what you want.
- Open the site, for example omlet.site.
- Click the icon at the left end of the address bar. On recent versions it looks like two sliders; older versions show a padlock.
- Turn on Camera and Microphone.
- Click Reload when Chrome offers it, or refresh the page yourself.
For a fuller view, click Site settings in that same panel. You'll see a dropdown for each permission with Ask (default), Allow and Block. Setting Camera to Allow means the site won't need to ask again.
Unblock a site you blocked by mistake
A blocked site shows a camera icon with a small red cross at the right end of the address bar. Click it, choose the option to always allow the site to access your camera and microphone, click Done, then reload.
Reset a site so Chrome asks again
In the site panel, click Reset permissions (it may sit under Site settings). The site goes back to Ask, and the prompt appears on your next visit. This is handy when you want to pick a different camera from the prompt's menu.
Change Chrome's camera setting for every site
Chrome also has a default that applies to all sites you haven't set individually. Paste chrome://settings/content/camera into the address bar, or go to Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Camera.
- Default behavior: choose Sites can ask to use your camera. If Don't allow sites to use your camera is selected, no site can even ask, so you'll never see a prompt.
- Not allowed to use your camera: sites you've blocked. Click the bin icon next to one to remove it from the list; it goes back to asking.
- Allowed to use your camera: sites you've allowed. Remove any you no longer use.
- Device menu at the top: picks which camera Chrome offers to sites, useful if you have a webcam and a built-in camera.
The microphone has a matching page at chrome://settings/content/microphone. Allow both if you want people to see and hear you.
Don't be surprised if a site you allowed months ago asks again. Recent versions of Chrome can automatically remove permissions from sites you haven't visited in a while, as part of Safety Check.
Give Chrome camera access in Windows, macOS and ChromeOS
If Chrome says the site is allowed but the camera still won't start, the operating system may be blocking Chrome itself. Recent Chrome versions sometimes say so in the site panel.
- Windows 11: Settings → Privacy & security → Camera. Turn on Camera access, Let apps access your camera and Let desktop apps access your camera. Chrome counts as a desktop app. Repeat under Microphone.
- macOS: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera. Switch on Google Chrome, then quit and reopen Chrome. Do the same under Microphone.
- ChromeOS: Settings → Security and privacy → Privacy controls → Camera access (the exact wording varies by version). If it's off, no app or site can use the camera.
On a Chromebook, there's more in the guide to the camera not working on Chromebook.
Enable the camera in Chrome on Android
Android adds its own layer: Chrome needs Android's permission before any site can get it. The first time, you'll see two prompts in a row, one from the site and one from Android.
- Tap Allow on Chrome's prompt for the site.
- When Android asks whether Chrome may take pictures and record video, choose While using the app (or Only this time). Do the same for audio.
- If you blocked the site, tap the icon left of the address, open Permissions, and switch Camera and Microphone on.
- For all sites, tap ⋮ → Settings → Site settings → Camera. Make sure the main switch is on, then tap any site in the Blocked list and choose Allow.
If Chrome itself was denied, open the phone's Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions → Camera and pick Allow only while using the app. Samsung and other brands word these menus a little differently.
Android 12 and later have Camera access and Microphone access tiles in Quick Settings. If either is turned off, every app gets a blank feed, so swipe down and check them first.
Chrome on iPhone and iPad follows Apple's rules instead: open Settings → Apps → Chrome and turn on Camera (on older iOS, Settings → Chrome). Safari users can follow how to allow camera access in Safari.
Where each Chrome camera setting lives
| What you want | Chrome on a computer | Chrome on Android |
|---|---|---|
| Allow one site | Site icon in the address bar → Camera on | Site icon → Permissions → Camera on |
| Unblock one site | Red-crossed camera icon → always allow → Done | Settings → Site settings → Camera → Blocked → site → Allow |
| Let every site ask | chrome://settings/content/camera → Sites can ask | Settings → Site settings → Camera → switch on |
| Reset one site | Site icon → Reset permissions | Site icon → Permissions → Reset permissions |
| Let Chrome use the camera | Windows or macOS privacy settings | Android Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions |
Check that it worked
Reload the page and look for your own picture. On Omlet you'll see yourself in the small tile, and you can start a random video chat straight away. Our guide to using Omlet in Chrome covers the rest of the setup, including installing it as an app.
Allowed everything and still see a black tile or an error? Permissions are fine at that point, and the cause is something else, such as another app holding the camera. Work through camera not working in Chrome next.
If your camera works but calls never connect, that's a network problem rather than a permission one. A VPN is a common cause; see VPN causing video chat problems. And when you want to take access away again, here's how to revoke camera access from websites.