Apps not showing up in Microphone/camera access list in system preferences

Try opening Finder and Go to ~/Library/Preferences, locate and delete the com.apple.systempreferences.plist file, restart your computer, and then try opening the App you need to add and hopefully it will send you to the Privacy Settings to enable it. (Detailed Steps for Deleting .plist files: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4301)

I work as a Help Desk Technician and one person just reported a similar issue and the steps above worked.

They had no option to enable the application they needed to use in the Privacy settings.

I noticed the "+" button was missing on my machine as well (Catalina 10.15.4).

From my experience if System preferences is acting wonky, deleting the .plist file may fix the issue. Trying to create a new user account is another good troubleshooting step to test if it's a profile issue. If no resolve then I might try wiping and reinstalling MacOS and start from scratch.

OMG I have been having this issue for WEEKS and I completely erased everything and started over and it STILL DID NOT WORK.

*****HOWEVER I found on another thread that resetting the PRAM works AND IT WORKED!!! Here's how: Restart your Mac and hold down CMD+OPT+P+R as it boots. That's it! IT WORKS!!!

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063

@shafferw - I know you resolved this issue with a reset of your hard drive. I ran into the issue today, whereby the Security and Privacy settings for Zoom and Skype were there yesterday, but gone today.

After rebooting and full shutdown and restart, the Security and Privacy settings would not return! I figured that if the settings were correct before, then there maybe some corruption in the settings file or elsewhere on the hard drive. After running, Disk Utility > First Aid, then Rebooted, the Security and Privacy settings returned.

Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, etc settings re-appeared and worked just like the previous day.

I hope this easy solution helps someone. Also, I recommend running Disk Utility > First Aid at least once a month, to keep Mac OS running happy.

I was having this problem too, where the camera access list wasn't showing my Citrix application. I went through all the suggestions regarding system integrity, screentime, etc, but none of this worked.

I was finally able to get Citrix added to the camera access list by going to an application within Citrix that requested the use of the camera, and then it was added. It seems that for the camera, there is no "+/-" options because the application needs to request access.

Incredibly annoying but I fixed it by uninstalling and reinstalling the app that I wanted to grant access to. It appears that if you don't give it permission the first time around then you can't add it back for some reason. Anyway, it's a quick fix and it worked for me!

I had this happen to me, but for screen sharing. The zoom.us app wasn't showing up as an option in System Preferences > Security & Privacy. I performed an NVRAM reset and now it's there.

If it doesn't work the first time for you, try it again. I had to reset twice before it finally showed up. Hope this helps!

Please refer to this Support article for steps on how to do an NVRAM reset - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063

Hello. I have just ironed out the same bug - Zoom was not appearing in the list of apps asking for a microphone access. Search for Restrictions in Settings and make sure, that the apps can "Allow change" in the Microphone (and Camera) subitem. Then the Zoom can add itself to the Privacy/Microphone list.

The current MacOS, Catalina, needs an application to request a resource before the user can grant access. Usually, you get a popup asking if you will allow that access the first time you launch that app. However, once the app requests access, it will also be listed in System Preferences so that you can grant or remove access. There is no way to manually add an app to the access list. Perhaps there should be.

In my case, the app I wanted to grant access to, vlc, was asking for access to my cam but not to my microphone. Someone asked if there was an update I had not installed. I checked. There was. I installed it. After installing the update, vlc asked for microphone access and I granted it. Problem solved. So, there are two issues here. First, there has been some kind of change in Catalina. Second, apps need to update to accommodate that change. I strongly doubt that Apple will reverse or modify whatever changed in Catalina, though it would be a nice enhancement to give us a plus sign (+) which allows us to grant access manually. You are more likely to get results if you ask the developer of the app to fix the issue from their side.

I had the same problem with Zoom. It didn't show Microphone/camera access list in system preferences. I solved it by erasing the app and reinstalling it with safe mode (pressing shift while booting system). After install and giving proper access in preferences, reboot system and Zoom works just fine.

I made sure that parental controls were off for my user account and change the account from standard to administrator account. Then I went into each app, zoom, skype, whatsapp and slack and used the camera or audio. Each one asked for and was granted permission.

I had the same problem on my ipad, and I realized that I had restricted camera access for my kids using the "Screen Time" settings long ago. So here's how I fixed it: Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps > then toggle Camera to "On". That fixed it!

Are you running the laptop closed?

It may seem like a silly question, but I just had the same issue and it turns out that, if you open the laptop then the apps will prompt you to use your microphone like you would expect (and appear in the security preferences list).

This is true, even if you are using an external microphone (Airpods, for example).

I had this issue with GoToMeeting. Requesting access to the Microphone was easy, and the app showed up in the list so I could add it to the preferences, but trying to add the camera navigated to preferences without adding the app to the list.

Tried rebooting, uninstalling, deleting preferences, etc. Eventually I left the meeting and opened the app preferences (app name > preferences in the toolbar), and when I went to change the video settings the request popped up again to update privacy settings, only this time it added the app to the list in preferences (previously it would go to the list, but no app, no box to check).

Seems like there is something keeping the app from requesting access to the camera and adding its name to the list, given the range of apps that experience the issue. Eventually I was able to add it to the list, but it took over an hour of troubleshooting before the app finally showed up, and I don't believe any of the common troubleshooting (reboot, uninstall) had any impact.

I had this problem for a while and tried a ton of these solutions. The one that worked was the easiest just run First Aid in your Disk Utility and then restart. And apps like Skype should begin to ask for permissions again.

btw i’m running Catalina 10.15.6

My solution was actually different. Apple support asked me if there was an update to the application. There was. When I updated, I got a dialog asking if I wanted to grant access to the microphone. I said yes, and the app appears with permission. Of course, the app doesn't work and save a file now, but that's a different issue.