Troubleshooting
Camera Not Working on Mac? Fixes for Safari and Chrome
If your camera is not working on Mac in a browser, the cause is almost always a permission: either macOS hasn't let your browser use the camera, or the browser has blocked the website. Allow both, in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and in the browser's own site settings, then reload the page.
Permissions on a Mac are per browser, so allowing Chrome does nothing for Safari or Firefox. The fixes below run from the most common cause to the rarest, including Screen Time limits and Continuity Camera quietly picking your iPhone instead of the built-in camera.
30-second checks before you change settings
- Is the page secure? Browsers only offer the camera to HTTPS pages. If the address bar says Not Secure, the site can't use your camera at all.
- Is the lid open? The built-in FaceTime camera can't be used while a MacBook is closed and running on an external display.
- Did you click Don't Allow or Block? Browsers remember that answer, and the site won't ask again. Go straight to fix 2.
- Is another tab using the camera? Close other video calls or webcam test pages, then reload.
- Does the camera work anywhere? Open Photo Booth or FaceTime. If you see yourself there, the camera is fine and the problem is a permission. If not, jump to the hardware section.
Fix 1: Let your browser use the camera in macOS
macOS asks your permission before any app can use the camera or microphone. If you dismissed that pop-up the first time Chrome, Firefox or Edge asked, the browser is locked out even when the website is allowed.
- Open the Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera. On macOS Monterey and earlier it's System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Privacy → Camera, and you may need to click the lock to make changes.
- Turn on the switch (or tick the box) next to your browser.
- Do the same under Microphone, so the people you talk to can hear you.
- Quit the browser completely with Command-Q and open it again. macOS may offer a Quit & Reopen button that does this for you.
Don't worry if Safari isn't in the list. Safari's camera access is normally handled inside Safari itself, website by website, which is fix 2.
If your browser doesn't appear in the list at all, it has never asked for the camera. Open a site that uses the camera in that browser and macOS should show its permission pop-up. Click OK.
Fix 2: Allow the website in Safari, Chrome or Firefox
Each browser keeps its own list of sites that may use the camera. A single Block click earlier is enough to stop it.
Safari
- With the site open, click Safari in the menu bar and choose the settings item for this website (it reads Settings for This Website… or shows the site's name, depending on your version).
- Set Camera and Microphone to Allow, then reload the page.
- To review every site, open Safari → Settings → Websites (Preferences on older versions) and select Camera in the sidebar.
For the full walkthrough on Mac, iPhone and iPad, see how to allow camera access in Safari.
Chrome
- Click the icon at the left end of the address bar (two sliders on recent versions, a padlock on older ones) and switch Camera and Microphone on.
- Or open chrome://settings/content/camera, remove the site from the not-allowed list, and check that the dropdown at the top shows your FaceTime camera.
- Reload the page.
In Firefox, click the permissions icon left of the address and clear the block. Microsoft Edge on Mac behaves much like Chrome; if you use it, the Edge camera fixes have its exact menus.
Fix 3: Quit apps that are holding the camera
Macs can often share the camera between apps, but a frozen or misbehaving app can still keep hold of it. The green light next to the camera is your clue: if it's on and you're not in a call, something is still using it.
- On macOS Monterey and later, open Control Center from the menu bar. Apps using the camera or microphone are shown at the top.
- Quit Zoom, Teams, FaceTime, Photo Booth, OBS or any webcam utility with Command-Q. Closing the window often isn't enough.
- If an app won't quit, use Force Quit (Option-Command-Esc).
- Still stuck? Restart the Mac. It's the fastest way to free a camera that no app admits to holding.
Fix 4: Check Screen Time and work profiles
Screen Time can switch the camera off for every app at once. Open System Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy and look for a Camera option among the app restrictions; make sure it's allowed. The exact labels vary between macOS versions.
On a Mac managed by your employer, a device-management profile can block the camera or particular browsers. Type Profiles into the search field in System Settings to see whether one is installed. If it is, your IT team controls that setting.
Fix 5: Stop Continuity Camera picking the wrong device
On macOS Ventura and later, a nearby iPhone can become your webcam automatically. If the browser grabs the iPhone, or a camera that's no longer connected, you'll see the wrong view or nothing at all.
- In Chrome, choose your built-in camera in the dropdown at the top of chrome://settings/content/camera.
- Move the iPhone away, or turn off the feature on the phone: Settings → General → AirPlay & Handoff (AirPlay & Continuity on newer iOS) → Continuity Camera.
- Unplug external webcams you aren't using, and quit virtual camera apps you don't need.
Our guide to changing the camera your browser uses covers device selection in every major browser.
Mac camera symptoms, causes and fixes
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The browser never asks for the camera | Site blocked earlier, or the page isn't HTTPS | Allow the site in the browser's settings (fix 2) |
| Permission error in Chrome, Firefox or Edge only | Browser switched off in macOS privacy settings | Privacy & Security → Camera, switch it on, restart the browser (fix 1) |
| Black preview, green light off | Camera never started or is held by another app | Quit other camera apps, reload, restart the Mac (fix 3) |
| Your iPhone's view or the wrong camera appears | Continuity Camera or another device selected | Pick the built-in camera (fix 5) |
| Works in Safari but not Chrome, or the other way round | Permissions are separate per browser | Repeat fixes 1 and 2 in the failing browser |
| No camera in any app, even Photo Booth | Screen Time, a work profile, or hardware | Check fix 4, then the section below |
When the Mac camera itself is at fault
If Photo Booth and FaceTime also show no camera after a restart, and Screen Time isn't blocking it, the problem sits below the browser. Install any pending update from System Settings → General → Software Update, restart again, and if nothing changes, contact Apple Support.
In the meantime, an external USB webcam works with any browser on Mac. You also don't need video to talk to people: our Mac setup guide for random video chat shows how to use Omlet in Safari or Chrome, and on Omlet you can still chat by text with your camera off.
Using a Windows PC as well? Its privacy switches work differently; see webcam not working on Windows.