Troubleshooting
Camera Not Working in Chrome? Fixes in the Right Order
When you find your camera not working in Chrome, start with the site permission: click the icon at the left end of the address bar, switch Camera on, and reload the page. If Chrome still can't use your webcam, the cause is usually the camera picked in Chrome's settings, your computer's privacy switches, or another app holding the camera.
Work through the fixes below in order. Each one ends with a quick way to tell whether it worked, so you know when you can stop.
Quick checks that take under a minute
- Look at the right end of the address bar. A camera icon with a red cross means Chrome has blocked the camera for this site. Click it, choose the option to always allow, click Done and reload.
- Check the page is secure. Chrome only offers the camera to https pages, so a Not Secure label means no camera, whatever you allow.
- Close other video calls. Zoom, Teams, Discord or a second Chrome tab with a call can keep the camera busy.
- Try the camera outside Chrome. Open the Camera app on Windows or Photo Booth on a Mac. If it's black there too, Chrome isn't the problem; skip to the end of this page.
Fix 1: Allow the camera for the site
Most of the time Chrome is simply remembering an earlier no. On recent versions the permission prompt offers Allow while visiting the site, Allow this time and Never allow. Picking Never allow, or dismissing the prompt a few times, leaves the site blocked.
- Open the site and click the icon to the left of the address (two sliders on recent versions, a padlock on older ones).
- Switch Camera and Microphone on. If you don't see them, click Site settings and set both to Allow.
- Reload the page.
How to tell it worked: the red-crossed camera icon is gone, and Chrome shows a small red dot on the tab while the camera is in use.
Allowed the camera before and Chrome is asking again? Chrome can automatically remove permissions from sites you haven't visited for a while. Just allow it again.
For every way to grant and later remove access, see how to allow camera access in Chrome.
Fix 2: Chrome not detecting your webcam? Check the camera dropdown
If you have more than one camera, including a virtual one from OBS, NVIDIA Broadcast or a phone-as-webcam app, Chrome may be set to one that's switched off or unplugged. You get a black preview or a no-camera message even though the permission is fine.
- Go to chrome://settings/content/camera (or ⋮ → Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Camera).
- Use the dropdown at the top to choose your real webcam.
- Check that the default behavior lets sites ask to use your camera.
- If the site appears in the list of sites not allowed to use your camera, delete it with the trash icon.
- Reload the site.
How to tell it worked: the dropdown names your webcam and the page shows your face instead of black. If your webcam isn't in the dropdown at all, Chrome can't see it; the cause is your system or the device, which fixes 3 and 4 cover.
Fix 3: Let Chrome through your computer's privacy settings
Windows and macOS each have a switch that can stop Chrome from using the camera no matter what Chrome itself allows. If the site permission is on and the page still reports the camera as blocked, this is the likely reason.
- Windows 11: Settings → Privacy & security → Camera. Turn on Camera access and Let desktop apps access your camera. Chrome is a desktop app, so it has no switch of its own in the app list; the desktop-apps switch is the one that counts.
- Windows 10: Settings → Privacy → Camera, with the same desktop-apps switch near the bottom.
- macOS: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera, then switch on Google Chrome. Quit Chrome with Command-Q and reopen it.
How to tell it worked: after a restart, Chrome asks for the camera or uses it straight away. Problems below the browser, such as disabled drivers or a laptop camera key, are covered in webcam not working on Windows.
Fix 4: Free the camera from other apps and tabs
On Windows, a webcam usually works with one app at a time. If Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS or the Windows Camera app has it, Chrome gets an error instead of a picture; developers see it as 'Could not start video source'. On Omlet, the same situation shows as Camera is busy.
- Close other tabs with calls or webcam tests. Look for the red dot Chrome puts on tabs using the camera.
- Quit meeting apps from the system tray or menu bar, not just their windows.
- Turn off virtual camera and effects tools you aren't using.
How to tell it worked: press Try again on Omlet or reload, and your picture appears. If you can't find the culprit, finding what's holding your camera walks through it on every system.
Fix 5: Rule out extensions, profiles and managed settings
Privacy and webcam-blocking extensions can stop sites from reaching the camera, and some video-effects extensions swap in their own feed.
- Open an Incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N, or Command-Shift-N on a Mac) and load the site. Extensions are off there unless you've allowed them.
- If the camera works in Incognito, go to chrome://extensions and switch extensions off one at a time until you find the one responsible.
Permissions are also stored per Chrome profile, so allowing a site in your personal profile doesn't help in a work profile. If Chrome's menu says your browser is managed by your organization, open chrome://policy: an administrator may have turned off camera access, and only they can change it.
How to tell it worked: if Incognito works and your normal window doesn't, the cause is an extension or a profile setting, not your camera.
Fix 6: Update Chrome and restart it properly
Open ⋮ → Help → About Google Chrome (or chrome://settings/help). Chrome checks for updates; click Relaunch if it offers one.
Closing the window isn't always a restart. On Windows, Chrome can keep running in the background if Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed is on in Settings → System, so use ⋮ → Exit instead. On a Mac, use Command-Q.
Still a black or flickering preview? Switch off Use graphics acceleration when available in Settings → System, relaunch and test again. Turn it back on if it makes no difference.
Chrome camera problems at a glance
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Red-crossed camera icon in the address bar | Site blocked in Chrome | Fix 1 |
| Chrome never asks for permission | Site blocked earlier, or sites can't ask | Fixes 1 and 2 |
| Black preview with a virtual camera name | Dropdown set to another device | Fix 2 |
| Allowed in Chrome but still refused | Windows or macOS privacy switch | Fix 3 |
| Camera is busy, or Could not start video source | Another app or tab has the camera | Fix 4 |
| Works in Incognito only | An extension or profile setting | Fix 5 |
| Flickering or black preview, permission fine | Outdated Chrome or a graphics glitch | Fix 6 |
When it isn't Chrome's fault
If the camera fails in your system's own camera app as well, check for a privacy shutter or a camera key on your laptop, try another USB port for an external webcam, and restart the computer before assuming the hardware has failed.
Using Chrome on a phone? On iPhone, Chrome follows the same camera rules as Safari, so the iPhone Safari camera fixes apply. On any phone, video that stops whenever the display sleeps is a separate issue: see phone screen turns off during video calls.
Once your camera is back, our guide to video chat in Chrome covers setup tips, or you can start a random video chat on Omlet right away.