You open the webinar, but can’t get your webcam to work. A total shame, because you’re looking your best today! Make sure the following aspects are in order to ensure a smooth webinar.

In or next to your address bar you will find a camera icon, if you also see a red square, it means WebinarGeek is not allowed to access your webcam and microphone.

If you do not see a camera icon, you can also give permission through the "lock" icon. Both methods are demonstrated in the GIF below (Google chrome). For Firefox see this GIF.

Recent updates for Windows and Mac OS made it harder for software to use a webcam.

Before going live, make sure you select the right camera. You can do this before entering the webinar. If you’d like to e.g. use an external webcam, it’s possible your computer activates your internal camera by default.

If you do not see the selection screen and you have connected more than one camera, you will have to change your browser's settings.

Copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar:

chrome://settings/content/camera?search=camera

Then at the top where you see a dropdown with cameras, choose the camera you want to use. Then, reload WebinarGeek.

Copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar:

edge://settings/content/camera?search=camera

Then at the top where you see a dropdown with cameras, choose the camera you want to use. Then, reload WebinarGeek.

Refresh the page. Select the right webcam in the dropdown menu and click “allow”. If you already blocked camera access by accident, you can reset the permission by clicking the crossed out camera icon. Both methods are demonstrated in the GIF below.

Check if your webcam isn’t currently being used by any other application or tabs. This could be Skype, Zoom or OBS, for example. If this is the case, close the application and restart the webinar from WebinarGeek.

It can help to completely restart your browser. This is especially useful for people that don’t turn off and restart their computer a lot. In your browser on the right hand side, click on the three dots and choose 'exit'. You can now restart your browser.

Don’t skip this step! When restarting the browser doesn’t solve your problems, shut down the computer completely. Software that’s running in the background will also be closed. Make sure to open WebinarGeek first when restarting your computer, so other software can’t start using your webcam first.

Try it in incognito mode. Your browsers history won't be saved so you have a clean slate to start without any extensions or plugins.

You can open an incognito window in the side menu of the browser. Be sure to give access to the camera again.

Make sure your browser is always up to date. This might sound trivial, but it can make a world of difference. We’re using WebRTC, for which new developments are released constantly. Developers are hard at work to improve streaming experiences for all, so it’s essential to keep updating your browser whenever a new version is released.

Google Chrome

Microsoft Edge

Mozilla Firefox

Double check your webcam works elsewhere. Try, for instance, Skype or a test page like this one (click ‘Open camera’) to see if your webcam actually works. If not, it might be broken!

WebinarGeek only works with webcams that use a 16:9 (widescreen) resolution, so square cameras won’t work. Check your camera specifications to make sure the resolution requirements are met.

Some anti-virus software does not allow applications such as browsers to access your camera. Disable your antivirus software temporarily, close your browser (or open an incognito window) and try again. If it works, then something in your anti-virus software is blocking access and you need to contact them to find out how. For Kaspersky for instance you can find the instructions here.

Some webcams have a protective hood for privacy reasons, check if this is opened. Some built-in webcams have a sticker for the same reason, make sure you don’t have one on your camera.

Especially on older computers, it’s sometimes required to install or update your drivers, this is the software on which your camera runs. Follow the instructions of the camera producer to do this. Often, a quick Google search with your camera brand and type, combined with the word "drivers" will also help you find the instructions quickly.

Open your task manager by right clicking your Windows taskbar and open task manager, then close all services, processes and apps related to your browser. On Mac click the Apple menu and force close the browser. After this restart your browser and try again.

Older operating systems sometimes cause issues when using (modern) cameras. Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 (released in 2013) often no longer work well for modern webcams and are not supported by Microsoft either. Update your Windows or other operating system to the most recent version to exclude any issues related to this.

Chat with us using our live chat and we’ll help you solve the problem.