Your Mac's camera is allowed but the picture is black or frozen

Why it happens

Another app may be using the camera, or may have got stuck holding it after a call. The camera software itself can also get stuck after sleep or a long video call. Either way you see a black box or a frozen frame even though permission is fine, and quitting the apps, or restarting, clears it.

How to fix it

1. Look for the green dot near the right end of the menu bar. Open Control Center to see which app is using the camera right now.

   Menu bar›Control Center

2. Quit that app and any others that might use the camera, like FaceTime, Photo Booth, browsers and video-call apps. Press Command-Q in each one so it fully closes, not just its window.

3. Open the app you need again and try the camera. In FaceTime, check the Video menu has the right camera ticked, especially if an iPhone or external camera is nearby.

   FaceTime›Video

4. Still black? Restart your Mac from the Apple menu. This resets the camera software completely.

   Apple menu›Restart…

Still not fixed?

1. Check the lens. A cover, sticker or case flap over it gives a black picture. On a MacBook with the lid closed and an external display, the built-in camera is off.

2. Make sure the app is still allowed in Camera settings. Turn its switch off and on again, then quit and reopen the app.

   Privacy & Security›Camera

3. Open Photo Booth as a test. If the camera works there, the problem is the other app's own settings, so check its video or camera options.

   Photo Booth

4. Install any waiting macOS update, since camera fixes often come that way.

   General›Software Update

5. If the picture is black in every app, including Photo Booth, after a restart, the camera itself may have failed. That's hardware, so contact Apple Support or a repair shop.