How to Fix Camera Not Available Error on Mac

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Errors like “No camera connected” or “No camera available” on Mac go away as quickly as they come. So, there is no need to panic whenever you face such an error during an important video call. In case your Mac’s built-in camera is facing trouble, you may try one of the easy fixes that we are about to discuss in this article.

Is the Camera in Use By Another App?

The camera can be used by one app or program at a given time on your Mac. Most of us generally forget about this fact and get hassled when the error message pops up on the screen. That said, always examine whether any camera-based applications like Skype, Photo Booth, FaceTime, or another app is running either in the foreground or background of your Mac. If yes, then close the ones that are not required at the moment.

To check whether one of those applications is running in the background, you may go to the Activity Monitor by pressing Command + Space. If you see any extra apps running, you can close it from the Activity Monitor by selecting the application in the list, and then clicking “x” at the top left corner.

Force Quit VDCAssistant and AppleCameraAssistant

Restarting the processes like “VDCAssistant” and “AppleCameraAssistant” can fix this error right away. VDCAssistant and AppleCameraAssistant are camera-based programs running in the background whenever you use the built-in camera in your Mac. If these processes face any complications, several applications like FaceTime, iMovie, Messages, and Skype will be affected.

Follow the steps below to force quit VDCAssistant and AppleCameraAssistant:

Step 1. First of all, close all the camera-based applications running on your Mac.

Step 2. Click the Spotlight Search icon, type Terminal, then hit Enter to launch it.

Step 3. Type: “sudo killall VDCAssistant,” then press Enter.

Step 4. Now, type: “sudo killall AppleCameraAssistant,” hit Enter again.

This will stop both the processes. Once done, you may launch a camera-based application to see if the problem is resolved.

Adjust Your Camera Settings

System preferences of a Mac does not have a camera section to adjust settings directly through your PC. However, you can adjust the camera settings from the applications, as most of the camera-based apps allow modifications in their settings. Apps like FaceTime and Skype ask which camera you want to use for video calls. In such cases, you should make sure that the built-in camera is selected.

Reboot Your Computer

Rebooting your Mac could be another quick fix for you. While doing so, consider shutting down your Mac completely rather than choosing the Restart option. Shutting down your Mac while rebooting is always preferred because this way, Mac will be able to clear the RAM and end all processes. This will also end the processes that might be interfering with your camera.

Update Your Software

There is a possibility that your camera might not be working with a specific camera-based app. If this is the case, then it is probably because the affected application is not compatible with your camera. For example, if you are unable to make video calls using the Skype app, then either you or the person you are contacting has an outdated version of Skype. That said, both parties must use an updated version of the app.

The same could be a problem with your operating system. If you haven’t updated your Mac to the latest version available, it is likely to face such issues. So, consider updating your Mac at the earliest possible.

We hope that you are now able to connect to your camera and family over video calls on your Mac.

Source : https://the-grabber.com/how-to-fix-camera-not-available-error-on-mac/