Green Room

Fix · FaceTime on a Mac

FaceTime camera not working? Fix it on your Mac.

FaceTime picks a camera for you. When it picks your iPhone, an old webcam, or nothing at all, the Video menu is where to fix it.

Quick check first: Open the free webcam test. If you see yourself there, the camera works and the fix is in FaceTime (steps 1 to 3). If not, start with the Mac checks.

Fix it in FaceTime

  1. Pick the camera from the Video menu.In FaceTime, open the Video menu in the menu bar and choose your camera. Automatic Camera Selection lets FaceTime choose based on what's connected and what you used last; pick one by name if it keeps choosing wrong.
  2. Check for your iPhone.With Continuity Camera, your iPhone's camera can show up in the Video menu. If the call shows your phone's view, choose your Mac's camera.
  3. Check video effects.During a call, click the Video button in the menu bar. Background, Portrait, and Studio Light change your picture. Turn them off to see if the camera itself is fine.

Screen Time

If Screen Time restricts apps on this Mac, FaceTime or the camera can be turned off there. See the Screen Time step below.

No cameras in the Video menu

Apple says that if no other devices appear in the Video menu, FaceTime uses the built-in camera. If that's black too, the Mac checks below apply.

Then check your Mac

If FaceTime looks right and the camera still doesn't work, go through these in order.

  1. Check Screen Time.If you use Screen Time, open System Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy, then App Restrictions, and make sure Camera is allowed and that FaceTime isn't limited.
  2. Reconnect an external camera.Unplug a USB webcam or capture card and plug it back in. Try another port, and skip the hub or dock if you can. To see whether your Mac detects it, hold Option, choose Apple menu › System Information, and look under Camera.

Test it outside FaceTime

The free webcam test runs in your browser, with nothing to install. If your camera works there, your Mac and the hardware are fine, and the fix is in FaceTime's settings above.

Webcam testLive preview, resolution, frame rate, and lighting. Microphone testLive meter, then hear yourself back. Speaker testLeft, right, and a sweep to check every speaker.

On a Mac? Green Room checks your camera before FaceTime does.

Click the icon next to the clock for a live preview of the camera your Mac suggests to apps. When a camera you usually use goes missing, it tells you whether your Mac sees it on USB at all, or sees it but can't use it. A green dot shows when another app already has a camera open. Free, with no account.

Download free See how it works

Questions

How do I change the camera in FaceTime on a Mac?

Open FaceTime, click the Video menu, and choose a camera, or Automatic Camera Selection.

Why does FaceTime use my iPhone camera?

Continuity Camera can switch to your iPhone when it's nearby. Choose your Mac's camera in FaceTime's Video menu.

Why does my FaceTime picture look strange?

A video effect may be on. During a call, click the Video button in the menu bar and turn off Background, Portrait, or Studio Light.

Other fixes

FaceTime microphone not workingFaceTime has its own mic choice and its own Mic Mode. FaceTime audio not workingFaceTime can play to its own output, separate from the rest of your Mac. Zoom camera not workingMost of the time Zoom is pointed at the wrong camera, or macOS hasn't given zoom.us permission. Teams camera not workingTeams camera problems on a Mac come down to the Teams version, the camera Teams picked, or a permission macOS never got. Google Meet camera not workingMeet runs in your browser, so the camera has to get past two gates: the browser's permission for meet.google.com, and macOS's permission for the browser. Discord camera not workingDiscord needs the Mac's camera permission and the right camera picked.

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