---
title: "Camera not working on a Mac"
description: "Fix a camera that will not start on macOS. Covers per-app permissions, the VDCAssistant reset, Screen Time limits and the green indicator light."
url: https://www.test-webcamp.com/fix/camera-not-working-mac.html
site: Webcamp
updated: 2026-08-28
---

# Camera not working on a Mac

_Mac cameras rarely fail as hardware. Nearly every case is a permission, a stuck camera process, or another application holding the device._

Start with the [camera test](https://www.test-webcamp.com/). If it works there, the hardware is fine and the problem is in whichever app is failing. If it fails everywhere, work through these in order.

## 1. Check the per-app permission

Open **System Settings, Privacy & Security, Camera**. Every application that has requested the camera appears with a toggle. Your browser must be enabled for web tests, and Zoom, Teams and Skype must each be enabled separately.

The step people miss: **macOS only applies the change when the app is relaunched**. Closing the window does nothing. Quit with Command-Q, then reopen.

## 2. Quit everything holding the camera

FaceTime, Photo Booth, Zoom, Teams and Discord all hold the camera while running, and some continue after their window closes. Quit each with Command-Q rather than the red button. Check the dock for apps still running, indicated by a dot beneath the icon.

## 3. Reset the camera process

macOS runs a background process that manages camera access. When it gets stuck, apps report the camera as in use even when nothing is using it.

Open Terminal and run:

| Command | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| sudo killall VDCAssistant | Restarts the camera assistant process |
| sudo killall AppleCameraAssistant | Same, on some macOS versions |

You will be asked for your password. Nothing is deleted; the process restarts automatically the next time a camera is requested. Retest immediately afterwards.

**The green light cannot lie.** The LED beside a Mac camera is wired to the camera's power supply and cannot be controlled by software. If it is off, no application is using the camera. If it is on and you did not start anything, something is running that you have not noticed.

## 4. Check Screen Time restrictions

Open **System Settings, Screen Time, Content & Privacy**. If camera access is restricted there, it is blocked system-wide and no per-app permission will override it. On a work or family Mac this may have been configured by someone else.

## 5. Restart

macOS has no equivalent of Device Manager for resetting a camera driver by hand, so a restart is the blunt instrument that clears most remaining stuck states. It is worth doing before anything more drastic.

## 6. Test in Photo Booth

Photo Booth is the simplest camera application on a Mac. If the camera works there, the hardware and system permission are fine and the fault is specific to another app. If Photo Booth also fails after everything above, the camera has probably failed and the machine needs service.

## Apple silicon and Intel Macs

The steps are the same on both, with one exception: older Intel Macs sometimes respond to an SMC reset, which is not applicable to Apple silicon machines. On an Apple silicon Mac, a normal restart performs the equivalent reset automatically.

## Related

- [Webcam test on a MacBook](https://www.test-webcamp.com/webcam-test/macbook.html)
- [Camera in use by another app](https://www.test-webcamp.com/fix/camera-in-use-by-another-app.html)
- [Webcam shows a black screen](https://www.test-webcamp.com/fix/webcam-black-screen.html)

## Common questions

What does sudo killall VDCAssistant do?

It restarts the background process macOS uses to manage camera access. Nothing is deleted and the process comes back automatically. It clears the common state where the camera reports as in use when nothing is using it.

Why is the green light on when I did not open anything?

Some application has the camera. The light is wired to camera power and cannot be faked. Check for apps still running in the dock, indicated by a dot below the icon.

There is no camera option in System Settings.

The Camera entry under Privacy & Security only lists apps that have requested access. If your app is missing, launch it and trigger a camera request, then check again.

Photo Booth fails too. Is the camera dead?

Possibly, but try a restart and the VDCAssistant reset first. If both fail and Photo Booth still shows nothing, the hardware likely needs service.