Complete guide to camera privacy settings on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Fix system-level camera access issues.
This guide covers operating system settings that control camera access on Windows, macOS, and Linux. If your browser can't access the camera even after granting permission, your OS privacy settings may be blocking it.
Security software like Norton, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, or ESET may have webcam protection features that block browser access.
Open your antivirus software
Look for "Webcam Protection", "Privacy", or "Device Access" settings
Add your browser to the allowed list, or temporarily disable webcam protection to test
macOS
macOS requires apps to request camera permission, and you must explicitly grant access in System Settings.
macOS Ventura and later (13+):
Open System Settings
Go to Privacy & Security → Camera
Find your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) in the list
Toggle it ON
If prompted, quit and reopen the browser
macOS Monterey and earlier (12 and below):
Open System Preferences
Click Security & Privacy
Select Privacy tab
Click Camera in the left sidebar
Check the box next to your browser
Browser not listed? The browser hasn't requested camera access yet. Visit a site that uses the camera and click "Allow" when prompted — the browser will then appear in System Settings.
If you or an admin have set up Screen Time restrictions, camera access may be limited.
Open System Settings → Screen Time
Check Content & Privacy
Ensure Camera is not restricted under App Restrictions
If you're comfortable with Terminal, you can check camera status:
system_profiler SPCameraDataType
This shows all connected cameras and their status. If your camera isn't listed, it may be a hardware issue.
To reset camera permissions for all apps (use as last resort):
tccutil reset Camera
Warning: This resets camera permissions for ALL apps. You'll need to grant access again.
Linux
Linux camera access depends on your distribution and desktop environment.
Check if camera is detected:
ls /dev/video*
You should see devices like /dev/video0. If not, the camera may not be connected or supported.
Get detailed camera info:
v4l2-ctl --list-devices
Your user needs to be in the video group:
sudo usermod -aG video $USER
Log out and back in for changes to take effect.
Flatpak/Snap browsers:
Browsers installed via Flatpak or Snap run in a sandbox and may need additional permissions. Check the app's permission settings in your software center, or use:
flatpak permission-show org.mozilla.firefox
Still not working?
If you've checked all system settings and the camera still doesn't work, the issue may be elsewhere. Check our complete webcam troubleshooting guide for hardware checks, driver issues, and more.
Ready to test? Go back to our webcam test and try again.