How to Allow a Site to Use Your Camera in Chrome

A video call or ID check says the camera is blocked, and no permission prompt appears. Chrome only asks once per site, so a block chosen earlier by accident becomes permanent and silent. There are two permissions in play: Chrome's, per site, and the operating system's, for Chrome as a whole.

Set the permission from the address bar

On the site, click the tune icon or lock icon at the left of the address bar, open Site settings or the permission list shown there, and set Camera to Allow. Then reload the page so the site asks again.

Check the site list in Settings

Go to Settings, Privacy and security, Site settings, Camera. Set the default to Sites can ask to use your camera, then check the Allowed and Blocked lists below and move the site to the right one.

Pick the correct camera

At the top of that same Camera page, a dropdown lists every connected camera. With a laptop camera and a plug-in webcam both attached, the wrong one is often selected, which looks like a black picture rather than a blocked one.

Allow Chrome at the system level

Chrome cannot grant what the operating system denies. On Windows, open Settings, Privacy & security, Camera, and make sure camera access and desktop app access are on. On a Mac, open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Camera, and switch Chrome on, then restart Chrome.

Reload and test

Return to the site and reload. Most video services have a device or preview screen in their own settings where the picture can be confirmed without joining a call.

When Allow still does not work. A site can only ask for the camera over https, so check the address does not start with plain http. Video apps such as Zoom or Teams also keep the device open in the background, which makes Chrome show a blank or failing camera, so quit those fully and reload.

On a phone. Grant the camera to the Chrome app in the phone's own app settings first, then set the per site permission in Chrome under Settings, Site settings, Camera.

Sources. Use your camera and microphone in Chrome - Computer - Google Chrome Help, Change site settings permissions - Computer - Google Chrome Help.