How to Make Zoom Use the USB Camera Instead of the Laptop One
current Zoom Workplace desktop app; phone app differences noted · Last checked · Suggest an edit
https://instructions.wiki/zoom/make-zoom-use-a-usb-camera
The USB webcam is plugged in and its light is on, but Zoom still shows the picture from the laptop's built-in camera. Zoom does not switch to a newly connected camera on its own; it keeps using whichever camera it used last, and it can miss a camera that was plugged in after it opened. Pick the USB camera once and Zoom remembers it.
Select the camera in Zoom's settings
Click the gear icon in the top right of the Zoom window, then Video. Open the Camera dropdown and pick the USB camera by name. The preview above changes right away.
Switch cameras during a meeting
In a meeting, click the arrow next to Start Video or Stop Video in the toolbar. Under Select a Camera, choose the USB camera. The change is immediate for everyone on the call.
Restart Zoom if the USB camera is not listed
If the webcam was plugged in after Zoom opened, quit Zoom completely (on Windows, right-click the tray icon and choose Exit; on a Mac, use the Zoom menu, Quit Zoom), then reopen it and select the camera again.
Allow Zoom to use the camera
On Windows, go to Settings, Privacy & security, Camera, turn on camera access, and make sure Zoom is allowed under desktop apps. On a Mac, go to System Settings, Privacy & Security, Camera and turn on the switch next to Zoom, then restart Zoom.
Test the camera outside Zoom
If the USB camera does not appear anywhere in Zoom, plug it into a port on the computer itself rather than a hub or dock, then open the Camera app on Windows or Photo Booth on a Mac. If those show the webcam, Zoom lists it after a restart. If they do not, the problem is the cable, port, or driver, not Zoom.
If the camera flips back later. Zoom stores the last used camera per computer, so it stays on the USB camera unless that camera is missing when a meeting starts. Reselect it once after reconnecting the cable.
If there are extra cameras in the list. Virtual camera software such as OBS shows up in the same Camera dropdown. Pick the entry with the webcam's own name, not the virtual camera, unless that is what you want.