Your MacBook laptop has a pretty decent camera tucked into the top of its screen, considering the lens is so small you can't see it without leaning in for a close look.
If you have a MacBook Air or 13" MacBook Pro, your computer comes with a 720p camera. But if you have a 14 or 16" MacBook Pro, your laptop comes with a higher-definition 1080p camera.
Fortunately, a little green light appears next to the Mac's camera when it's switched on, so you should be spared any awkward accidental recordings or shared video clips.
Here's how to make sure that green light turns on when you want it to, or troubleshoot your Mac's camera if it's not turning on.
How to turn on the camera on a Mac computer
To turn on the camera on a Mac, start using an app that calls for photo or video, like Zoom or FaceTime. Other examples include Photo Booth, Skype, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and so on.
When you commence a Skype call or FaceTime session, or when you open the Photo Booth app, the camera will switch on automatically.
Close the program that's using the camera, and it will turn off.
How to troubleshoot a Mac camera that won't turn on
If your Mac camera is not turning on like it should when you launch an app, the first thing to do is try a different program.
If the camera comes on with the other program, then try uninstalling and reinstalling the app that gave you trouble.
If the camera is not coming on with any app, check your system preferences to make sure you don't have its permissions denied. And finally, shut down the computer and then turn it back on.
If that still fails, it's time to head to the Apple store or some other licensed service shop.
