If there’s one piece of hardware that’s become essential in recent years, it’s the webcam, or, as Apple calls it, FaceTime HD camera. All MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros come with a built-in camera, as does the iMac. But what do you do when you try to use that camera with FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype, and you get an error telling you there’s no connected camera on your MacBook or iMac? We’ll answer that question here.
What does ‘there is no connected camera on Mac’ error mean?
The good news is that in almost all cases, the error ‘no connected camera’ means that there is a software rather than hardware problem, and that can usually be fixed quite easily. It may mean that an application that was using the camera still appears to macOS to be using it or, more likely, that the app that wants to use it doesn’t have the necessary permission. One other possibility is that Screen Time is preventing the camera from being used.
If there is a hardware problem, the green light that indicates the camera is in use may flash. If that happens, you should contact Apple.
How to fix it when the camera is not working
The first thing to check is that the app you’re trying to use with the camera and macOS itself are up to date. Then, check that the app has permission to use your camera.
But before you do these, restart the camera process. Run these two commands in Terminal:
sudo killall VDCAssistant
sudo killall AppleCameraAssistant
You will need to enter your admin password.
If it did not help, follow the steps below one by one.
1. Update software
The first thing to do when you have any kind of problem, like the camera not working on your Mac, is to check that both macOS and the application you are using are up to date.
To check macOS, click on the Apple menu and choose System Settings > General > Software Update.
To check the app, if it’s one you downloaded from the App Store, find it in the Store, and it will tell you if there is an update.
If not, click on the application’s name in the menu bar and choose Check for Updates.
You can also use CleanMyMac’s Performance feature to run maintenance tasks that can fix lots of problems on your Mac, including issues with the camera. You can test it at zero cost — get your free trial here.
2. Check Permissions
Sometimes, you may see this error message due to corrupted permissions. Here’s how to check app permissions:
- Click on the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security.
- Click Camera in the list.
- Make sure the toggle for the application you want to use is enabled.
- You might be told you have to quit the application and reopen it to use the camera. If so, do that.
3. Check Screen Time settings
If you use Screen Time, it may be preventing the camera from being used. If you don’t use Screen Time, the options below will be greyed out, and it won’t be the cause of the problem.
To check Screen Time settings:
- In System Settings, go to Screen Time.
- In the list, choose Content & Privacy.
- In the App & Feature Restrictions section, make sure Allow Camera is turned on.
- Now, return to Screen Time and choose App Limits.
- If there’s an app in the list that you need to use with the camera, make sure to remove the limit for this app.
4. Reset the SMC
Resetting the system management chip (SMC) may fix the problem if you have an Intel-based Mac. The method for resetting the SMC depends on whether you have a desktop Mac with a T2 security chip, a MacBook with a T2 chip, or a Mac without a T2 chip. You can find detailed instructions on Apple’s website here.
If you have a Mac with Apple silicon, simply restart it.
It may be alarming when you see a message telling you that there is no connected camera on your Mac. But if you follow the steps above, you should be able to fix it and get up and running again with your camera very quickly.
