MacBooster

Nov 22.2019 - by MacBooster Team

Most of Apple's desktops and laptops today come with a built-in camera, which often referred to as the FaceTime camera. It has a small green indicator light when you turn on the camera to take photos, record videos or make video calls. However, the camera does not always function well, like displays as disconnected or unavailable when attempting to access it. Here's what you can do to try and get it back up and running.

Simple External Inspection

It can be frustrating when "There is no connected camera" window show up. But don't panic and jump to the conclusion that your Mac is broken. Here are some simple tips for you to have a quick external inspection and troubleshoot.

1. Check the camera: Check if the camera surface is damaged.

2. Check the network: Check if the network is connected. Check if the network cable and cable interface is connected properly. If you are using WiFi, check if the connection is lost due to a weak WiFi signal.

3. Check the application(especially the third party apps):

Ø First check if the app you are trying to connect to your Mac camera is set to allow the camera to be connected.

Ø Then check if the application is up to date, and some older versions may have some obstacles to connecting to the camera, upgrading the app to the latest version if so.

Ø Finally, check whether other apps have the same issue or just the specific app problem. Uninstall or re-install the problem app.

Check for Applications Using the Camera 

You don't need to open the Mac camera manually because it will automatically be opened by the application that uses it. However, only a single Mac app can utilize the camera at a time. So please make sure that the application you're trying to use isn't being denied access to the camera because some other application is utilizing it at the present moment. You can check the Activity Monitor to see if there are other applications are using the camera.

1. Launch Activity Monitor from Applications. (Applications ➙ Utilities ➙ Activity Monitor)

2. Quit all other open apps or utilities that might be using the camera (e.g. Skype, FaceTime, and Photo Booth)

3. If you're not sure which applications might be accessing your camera, just close all the running apps.

Use Terminal to Force Quit all Camera-dependent Apps

If closing all the running apps in Activity Monitor isn't helping, there is another trick that seems to fix the problem. That is to use Terminal to force quit all camera-dependent apps.

1. Launch Terminal from Applications. (Applications ➙ Utilities ➙ Terminal)

2. Enter the following command: sudo killall VDCAssistant

3. Hit enter and type in your password and press Enter if prompted.

4. Continue to enter the following command: sudo killall AppleCameraAssistant

5. Hit enter again.

Once you've stopped both processes, relaunch the app to see if the issue of webcam not working on Mac is resolved.

Restart Your Mac

After you have done all above and relaunch the app still have the camera not working issue. It's time to restart your Mac. If any process is using the camera in the background, a restart may resolve the issue and you can fully access the camera again. After turning on the computer, check that the webcam is functioning properly.

Use MacBooster to Optimize Your Mac Performance

The new Mac camera always works and runs smoothly. But with the constant use of the Mac, Mac began to show various problems after accumulating more and more junk files and caches. You need a professional Mac maintenance tool to keep your Mac in good shape.

Your one-stop Mac maintenance tool to clean up 20 types of junk files and remove Mac malware and virus to protect your Mac, Besides, MacBooster can optimize your Mac hard disk, memory and manage your startup items effectively. Speed up your Mac like new.

A. Download MacBooster.

B. Scan your mac.

C. Clean and boost your Mac to peak performance.

If none of the proposed solutions above can restore your Mac's webcam, it might be the hardware problem and you can go to Apple technician to have your Mac fixed or replaced.

Check out more useful tips:

How to Clean Up Junk Files on Mac

How to Free Up Mac Memory

How to Remove Adware, Malware, Spyware and Virus from Mac