Mac computers have many features we adore. One feature you're likely to appreciate if you work remotely is the built-in camera.
Depending on your Mac model, you might have a 720p or a 1080p HD camera living right above your screen. You can actually activate that camera at any time and take a look at your video call set up to make sure things are looking great.
Read on to learn how to turn on that little green camera light whenever you like, and how to activate camera permissions in different apps as well!
Open a Camera App
The secret to turning on your Mac’s camera is pretty simple: You just need to open an app that uses the camera.
Head into your Applications folder and find Photo Booth or FaceTime. After double-clicking on either app, you should see the green light next to your camera switch on and your camera view should appear in the app window.
QuickTime Player can also turn your camera on if you open it and click File > New Movie Recording.
If you don’t like the default Mac apps you can also find other options in the App Store. Apps that let you do video or conference calls can be a good place to start. Looking for webcam and photo apps could also work for you.
When the green light at the top of your screen is on, it means one of the apps on your Mac is using the camera. To actually record, take pictures, or make a call with your camera you’ll have to use the options in each app.
But with the camera active, you can use it as a mirror, or to see what your camera is currently seeing in any app, which might be all you need.
To turn the camera off again, close the app that’s using your camera. The camera won’t turn on again until you open another app that uses it.
How to Enable Camera Permissions
Perhaps you have some apps you know can use your Mac’s built-in camera sitting in your Applications folder. The issue is you denied these apps permission use the camera when you first set them up.
It’s also possible that your Mac has camera permissions turned off for all apps. To enable these permissions, open System Preferences on your Mac and head to Security & Privacy.
Click on the Privacy tab. You’ll see a list of options to choose from on the left side of the window. Select Camera from that list.
Here you’ll find a list of apps that can use your camera and have previously asked for permission to access it. Before you can do anything with them, you’ll have to click on the padlock icon in the bottom-left corner of the window and input your Mac’s admin password to allow changes to these settings.
Once the preferences are unlocked, check or uncheck the boxes beside each app name to enable or disable camera access to those apps.
Hopefully, these steps help you in the future if you ever deny camera access to a new app you download or if you want to stop apps using your camera for a while.
Other Common Mac Camera Problems and Solutions
Sometimes when your camera isn’t working in an app, it’s not an issue with the privacy permissions. If you’re having that issue even after quitting and reopening the app, try opening another app that uses your Mac’s camera to see if that works instead.
If your camera is accessible in a second app, there might be a bug with the first one. Try quitting the first app and reopening it. Also, check if there are any updates for it in the App Store and install them if there are.
If you’re still having problems, try uninstalling the app and then reinstalling it. That can often fix any connection issues between your Mac and the app.
If your Mac camera doesn’t seem to be working with any apps, try restarting your Mac. You’d be surprised how many problems are rectified with a simple restart, and communication with the built-in camera is one of them.
If restarting your computer doesn’t seem to fix things, it might be worth making an appointment at the Apple Store. Apple employees there might be able to troubleshoot hardware faults for you or book your Mac in for a repair.
Enjoy Your Mac’s Built-In Camera
It’s nice to have a computer that doesn’t need an external webcam to do things like video calls and silly photos. Hopefully, the tips above help you to use and enjoy your Mac’s FaceTime camera, as well as find some creative uses for it.