An app is missing from the Camera list in Privacy & Security

Why it happens

Your Mac doesn't list every app that could use the camera. An app joins the Camera list in Privacy & Security only after it has asked for access the first time. Until then the list stays empty or the app simply isn't in it, and there's nothing to switch on.

How to fix it

1. Open the app you want to use with the camera.

2. Start the part that uses the camera, for example a video call, a camera preview or a profile photo.

3. When your Mac asks whether the app can use the camera, click Allow.

4. To check, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera. The app should now be listed with its switch on.

   Privacy & Security›Camera

5. No question popped up? Quit the app fully with Command-Q, open it again and retry the camera feature.

Still not fixed?

1. If the app is in the list but switched off, you said no earlier. Turn its switch on, then quit and reopen the app.

   Privacy & Security›Camera

2. Using the camera on a website? The web browser is what asks and what appears in the list, not the website. Allow the browser, then allow the site when the browser asks.

3. If the app still never asks, restart your Mac and try once more. Then check the app's own settings for a camera choice, or ask its maker whether it supports your Mac's camera.

4. If your Mac is managed by a school or company, camera access may be set for you. Ask whoever manages it.

5. If no app at all can see the camera, even after a restart, contact Apple Support or a repair shop. A camera that nothing can find may be a hardware fault.