Home Issue How to Manage Camera Access on Mac

How to Manage Camera Access on Mac

Posted: April 2, 2021

Both Apple desktops and laptops come with integrated Web cameras, which users can rely upon without needing to install 3rd-party drivers. This great feature, however, raises some privacy concerns, especially since many users are unaware of how to configure the privacy settings and access permissions of their Apple device's camera properly. If you also have some privacy concerns related to the camera, then you should learn how to manage camera access on Mac. Below, we will teach you how to manage the camera privacy settings easily, as well as the camera permissions of specific applications.

Controlling Camera Permissions through the System Settings

You can go to the Apple Menu -> System Preferences -> Security and Privacy menu to access the camera's application-specific permissions. You need to select the 'Camera' service on the left and then select which applications are allowed to use the camera.

Controlling Camera Permissions of Websites

If you are using the camera in your Web browser, then you may want to configure this setting as well. For example, to access Google Chrome's camera settings, you need to go to Chrome Settings -> Advanced -> Privacy and Security. Select Site Settings -> Camera, and make sure to set the permissions to 'Ask before accessing.' This way you will always see a prompt whenever a site tries to use your camera.

Turning off the Camera Entirely

If you do not wish to use the camera, then you can do so through the 'Parental Controls' menu of your Apple device. Go to System Preferences -> Parental Controls, and enable them for the current user. After this, make sure that the 'Allow use of camera' checkbox is disabled.

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