Fix · OBS Studio on a Mac
OBS camera not working? Fix the black screen.
On a Mac, OBS needs the Camera permission before a Video Capture Device shows anything. After that, it's the source's own settings.
Quick check first: Open the free webcam test. If you see yourself there, the camera works and the fix is in OBS (steps 1 to 3). If not, start with the Mac checks.
Fix it in OBS
- Add the camera as a source.In the Sources box, click +, choose Video Capture Device, and pick your camera from the Device menu in its properties.
- Check the source is visible.Make sure the eye icon next to the source is on, and that the source is in the scene you're looking at.
- Check the camera's format.If you set a resolution or frame rate the camera or capture card can't do, the source can stay black. Go back to the camera's default in the source properties.
The permission prompt never showed up
If you dismissed the first prompt, macOS may not ask again. Turn on OBS by hand in Privacy & Security › Camera, then quit and reopen OBS. If you started OBS from Terminal, macOS may have given the permission to Terminal instead.
OBS Virtual Camera in other apps
OBS can also show up as a camera in Zoom or Meet. That's OBS's output, not your webcam, and it's black until you start the virtual camera in OBS.
Then check your Mac
If OBS looks right and the camera still doesn't work, go through these in order.
- Allow OBS Studio on your Mac.Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera, and turn on OBS. If it's already on, turn it off and on again. Quit and reopen OBS after.
- Check Screen Time.If you use Screen Time, open System Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy, then App Restrictions, and make sure Camera is allowed.
- Watch for Continuity Camera.Your Mac can switch to your iPhone's camera when the phone is nearby. If OBS shows your phone's view, or a camera you didn't expect, pick your Mac's camera in OBS.
- 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 OBS
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 OBS's settings above.
On a Mac? Green Room checks your camera before OBS 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. When OBS starts recording, Green Room also checks your camera's resolution and frame rate, your mic, disk space, and power, and speaks up only if something would spoil the take. Free, with no account.
Questions
Why is my OBS Video Capture Device black on a Mac?
OBS likely doesn't have camera access. Turn on OBS in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera, quit OBS fully, and open it again.
Why doesn't OBS list my camera?
Check it's connected and the Mac sees it in System Information › Camera. Then remove and add the Video Capture Device source again.
Why does Zoom show OBS as a camera?
That's OBS Virtual Camera. It sends OBS's output to other apps and only works while you start it in OBS.