How to Turn on the Camera on a Mac: Step-by-Step Guide

You can only activate the iSight camera by opening an application that uses it. In other words, you can't decide whether to turn on or off the iSight camera yourself.

Note : These instructions apply to devices running macOS 10.10 or higher.

How to Turn on the Camera on a Mac

Follow the steps below to use the Mac application and turn on your computer's iSight camera.

1. In Finder , open the Applications folder .

Note : If the Applications folder is not in the side menu, you can access it by following Macintosh HD> Users> [your account name]> Applications .

2. Select an application using iSight camera. Some preloaded applications that use the camera include:

• PhotoBooth
• FaceTime

Select one of these applications to open it.

Note : You can also choose another application downloaded from the Mac App Store that you know uses iSight camera.

3. As soon as you open PhotoBooth , FaceTime or another iSight compatible application, the iSight camera will automatically activate and turn on. You will know it turns on and works when you see a green indicator light above the screen.

Note : A green light does not necessarily mean that the iSight camera is recording anything, it simply indicates that the camera is active. Now the camera is ready if you decide you may need to take a photo, record a video or video chat with someone.

Tips for Using ISight Camera of Mac

Using iSight camera is quite simple and easy to understand. Here are a few tips to make the experience of taking photos or videos look great:

• Minimize the application to access other programs while keeping the iSight camera ready. Select the yellow minimize button in the top left corner of the application to temporarily hide it without closing or turning off the camera.
• The green indicator light turns off when the application is closed to turn off the iSight camera. If the green indicator light is still on, you have not closed the application properly and the iSight camera is still on. The application can be minimized in the Dock or maybe somewhere on the desktop, hidden behind other Windows.
• Use another app to notify you when the app is using iSight camera. You can use an app like Oversight, to let you know when the camera and micro iSight are active, as well as which applications are using them. Oversight works on all Macs running OS X 10.10 and above.
• Keep iSight compatible apps in the Dock for easy access. Instead of going to the Applications folder every time you may need to open the iSight application, simply add the application to the Dock to select and open it from there. Open the app, right-click the app icon in the Dock, scroll the cursor over Options, and click Keep in Dock .