Macbook Pro camera doesn't work. "No Video".

Question

Level 1

115 points

Macbook Pro camera doesn't work. "No Video".

For some months already, I have been facing a problem where I can't use the Mac built-in camera. It doesn't work with Facetime, Skype and either Photo Booth.

The message that I get after opening Facetime is "No video. FaceTime has not received any video from the connected camera. Restarting your computer may fix this issue". Only green light is blinking every couple of seconds.

I have been using this laptop for 2 months and it doesn't have any damages that could affect the hardware. Camera and other minor problems started in January 2020 after additional Catalina updates.

I have Googled solution for this problem and tried different solutions but none of them didn't work. Here is the list of solutions that I have tried:

Kill VDCAssistant in Terminal. It didn't work because I even can't find VDCAssistant from Activity Monitor which should control the camera.
Simply restarting my Mac.
Done all software updates.
Run First Aid option in Disk Utility

Could anybody suggest any other solutions that can be done at home buy general user?

Thanks in advance!

MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.15

Posted on Mar 15, 2020 9:06 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

gunnarsweden

Level 1

4 points

Jan 10, 2021 12:49 PM in response to wojtek49

Wojtek49, I had a camera hardware error on my MacBook pro 2016 model, but after finding out that there is a replacement program for defect screen backlight I took a very close look at my screen and saw minor issues that actually were enough to qualify for the replacement. Which also sorted the camera problem. Maybe worth checking? Actually, I also managed to replace the keyboard through an equivalent replacement program, just by finding out that two of my keys were not perfectly responsive. If you qualify for that, your keyboard backlight problem will get solved as well. Good luck!

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Answer 2

Feb 9, 2021 1:05 AM in response to nrg162

At last at last my camera work and it has been for the last 3 days.

after 2 years I tried something new. I did a search for ”applecamera.plugin” and then backed up my MacBook pro them deleted all instances of this plugin and then restarted the mac and it works it really is fixed!

finally!!!!!!

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Answer 3

iamnmtd

Level 1

4 points

Jan 8, 2021 1:37 PM in response to EspeciallyUpset

A member of my family had this today. High Sierra on a 2011 iMac. Camera suddenly stopped working whilst in Google Classroom.

Under System Information the built in camera was no longer listed - "No video capture device is installed". Rebooting / Shutdown / etc etc from official advice/other posts all did not work.

What worked was creating a new admin user, logging off current user, logging into the new user and proving that in hardware terms that the camera was working - via Google Meet. Camera now listed in System Information.

Logoff from the new user, and logged back on to original account. Hey presto! Camera now working and listed in System Information.

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Answer 4

etopia

Level 1

9 points

May 28, 2020 7:29 AM in response to dbaum

Given up the fight I'm afraid - took the suggestion of going 'back in time' on my mbp > wiped the whole thing, went back to mojave and time machined to Feb, when I didn't have any issues (have all my current work on my other macs). I now at least have a computer I can conference with. Won't update anything until Apple come clean and get this fixed.

As for trying to get Catalina 'video' working properly on my other Macs - one minute it see everything and connects but then won't connect to the call or video starts/ microphone doesn't or... or...

Good luck everyone.

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Answer 5

petermrr

Level 1

4 points

Jan 17, 2021 11:00 AM in response to lauri112

recently my MBpro (early 2011) had the same problem. When I start facetime, the inbuilt camera is working propely, but as soon as touch the screen, (ie for adjusting the picture) the camera is switched off. Other applitations such as Zoom, Photobooth have the same problem.

A SMC reset willl help to resolve the problem, but when you join a video meeting its a bit lousy to

restart the MBP for a SMC reset.

Which software feature/configuration setting is responsible for this problem?

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Answer 6

Jan 10, 2021 11:45 AM in response to iamnmtd

A few Apple computer owners have fixed their built-in cameras via the many ideas shared here and suggested by Apple (e.g. terminal kill, safe boot, new user, sms, nvram, reinstall os, etc. ). But make no mistake, this particular issue is caused by software and not hardware, is not fixable by computer owners, and is solely Apple's responsibility. This is evidenced by the thousands communicating their shared problem and their many attempts to fix it. After offering-up obvious fixes and corporate pleasantries - essentially, Apple's response is tough luck - your computer's a brick - replace your display. Thousands of Apple computer owners' built-in cameras have been disabled by code changes made and implemented by Apple. Apple should get in front of this and help their customers by communicating that a problem exists and then developing and implementing a real solution.

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Answer 7

Giu53pp3

Level 1

13 points

Apr 24, 2020 12:24 AM in response to lysandroc

You problem with the cameras is different from the one related to post, even if I think are more or less linked ins somehow.

This is the error message many people are getting as well:

"FaceTime has not received any video from the connected camera. Restarting your computer may fix this issue."

The Camera of my Macbook Pro is not working. When I start the Facetime for example it shows a black screen for about 30 seconds and then displays this message:

The camera seems to be correctly installed

The camera also does not work with any other apps. When I start these apps, the green light does come on, but turns off after about 30 seconds and the camera never works.

I have tried the following methods to fix the issue, but none have worked:

Installed OS software update (10.15.4)
Made sure all appropriate apps have access to the camera in preferences > privacy > camera
Given all of these apps permission to control the computer in preferences > accessibility
Rebooted in Safe Mode
sudo killall VDCAssistant and sudo killall AppleCameraAssistant in terminal
Logged into the other user account on the computer, and the problem persists.
Checked to see that System Report recognizes the camera

I have been told to bring the laptop in assistance because it could be an hardware issue, but I am not really convinced of this. Too many users are having the same issue at the same time.

Is Apple aware of this issue? Are they working on it?

I have raised Aldo a bur report here https://www.apple.com/feedback/

In the current time, it is really frustrating having a laptop without the camera and I am wondering if and when this will be resolved.

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Answer 8

lauri112 Author

Level 1

115 points

Jun 3, 2020 12:09 PM in response to lauri112

Hi guys!

So here is a major update from my side. So today I was contacted by AppleCare because they saw this thread and I have once sent official feedback to them about this as well. I had an hour-long call with a lovely technician from Apple's engineering team and we went through everything on my laptop. She could see my whole screen and after showing, explaining and sending different reports about my laptop, she is sure that it's Apple's own software issue. The issue is not known yet but it's probably related to some kind of driver(s). As it was the first call today, they will work through everything I will have sent to them after the second call. Hopefully, I am smarter after that.

So everybody whose Mac recognises the camera and are identified that it's not a hardware issue in another way, be known that from today I am actively working with Apple engineering team to solve this issue. I have another call scheduled already to tomorrow and hopefully, we will get it fixed soon!

So if you are sure that it's not a hardware issue, please don't go to your local Apple store to fix your display. Of course, there are cases in this forum which are related to hardware and I encourage everybody to let their laptop to be checked by a professional technician. I will keep you updated.

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Answer 9

lauri112 Author

Level 1

115 points

Jun 10, 2020 9:46 AM in response to lauri112

Hi, guys!

So Apple finished investigation on my case. In total, I had 4 calls with them. The first call was very positive and gave some hope that this problem might be solved very soon but unfortunately, the last two ones were not that positive. Customer support sent my reports to the engineering team and they told that it's a hardware issue because everything works normally. I tried to explain how it's possible that after three months, my camera started working for a moment when I added camera apps under "Security & Privacy" --> Accessibility (one user suggested this solution earlier this year). Customer support asked engineers to dig into this question even more but today they called me back and told me that they think it's still a hardware issue (not giving any other specific details about why) and I should let my laptop to be checked at local Apple Care. However, I asked them whether they have had any experience with cases where next major update (I mean Sierra, Mojave, Catalina) may fix the problem and they told me that there have been several cases where next major update solved the issue.

I still doubt that it's a hardware issue because how lagging and not properly working Facetime (left panel doesn't open in normal mode) is related to camera issue. Even if I open Quicktime player and try to record a new movie, I can start recording but it freezes and it doesn't count seconds. Of course, I understand that every one of us has different things that are a bit different but it feels like the core issue is still the same. After certain updates (was it 15.2, 15.3 or 15.4) camera just stopped working.

So my next steps probably would be going to local Apple Care to check the issue and test the external camera. If they find that all cables are working properly then I won't allow changing my display/camera. If next major update still doesn't fix the issue, probably will change it then or buy a new device (not sure if it's going to Apple anymore). Before my Pro, I used Dell Vostro for 7 years. It dropped to the ground at least 5 times during this time and everything worked well until the end despite the major external damages. Now some guys in Apple say that my Pro may have hardware issue although in two years it never dropped down or got any other damages (dust, liquids etc.)

All in all, I still have hope that someday this problem is going to be solved. The last update showed that Apple has some problems with cameras. I will keep posting to this thread if I find anything useful or if indeed it was a hardware issue. Hope you are guys doing the same. If anybody finds anything, I appreciate a lot if you share your experience. We are on the same boat. Good luck!

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Answer 10

Jan 30, 2021 6:04 PM in response to EspeciallyUpset

I was told by a third party authorize repair they have to run a system update to register the camera. Any non Apple replacement display the camera will not work.

I have a A1708 2017 and A2289 2020 both I replace with non Apple screens and the camera doesn't work. Odd thing is I put back the OEM screen and the camera doesn't work. I did the SMC, PRAM reset and reinstall the OS.

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Answer 11

lauri112 Author

Level 1

115 points

Mar 28, 2020 10:23 AM in response to Old Toad

Hi all!

I am pretty sure that my problems started with an 10.15.3 or .2 update as well. Here is a list of new things that I have tried so far after starting this discussion here:

Booted in safe mode (didn't help)
Tried another account (didn't help either)
Reinstalled 10.15.3. No success.
Updated OS couple of days ago. Didn't solve a problem as well.
Tried to reset all SMC & NVRAM/PRAM settings. Didn't help either.
Made sure that it's not a hardware problem. System Report recognizes the camera.
Found out that I am not the only one who's facing this kind of problem in past two months.

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Answer 12

a brody

Level 10

85,296 points

May 31, 2020 5:44 AM in response to lauri112

689 people marked "I have this same problem." Apple ships over half a million of these notebooks over the course of the year.

I would not say that's a majority, even though not everyone who has the problem is aware of this thread. Even so, the more who report it to AppleCare, the more that increases the chance of Apple finding a solution for it.

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Answer 13

Mar 15, 2020 9:42 AM in response to lauri112

Hello, Laurii112.

Sorry to know you're having this problem with your MacBook Pro.

If you haven't rebooted into safe mode anytime recently you should try that to see if it helps. Let the Mac OS do drive directory repair, cache clearing and other misc housekeeping. Often just booting into safe mode and logging in, then immediately rebooting normally will resolve an issue. You should do this with all your external peripherals disconnected but the keyboard and mouse.

Booting into Safe Mode…

Use safe mode to isolate issues - Apple Support

What Safe mode does:

Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed
Loads only required kernel extensions
Prevents startup items and login items from opening automatically
Disables user-installed fonts
Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

Restarting in Safe mode can often eliminate a problem or help identify the cause.

You can verify that you have started in Safe mode by clicking the Apple () menu > About This Mac > System Report. Then find >Software< in the left column and look at >Boot Mode: Safe vs Normal< in the right pane.

Note– starting up in Safe mode could take 10 minutes or more. Be patient.

Does the problem persist while in Safe mode?

Restart your Macintosh and re-evaluate the issue.

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Answer 14

modelck

Level 1

14 points

Mar 28, 2020 7:20 AM in response to lauri112

@Laurii112

First let me share my MBP specs:

16" (Purchased in Late Feb/Early March 2020)

2.3GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9

64GB DDR4 RAM

1TB SSD

AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 4 GB/Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

The fluff:

I have a beast of a machine based on my previous 2015 Macbook Pro. I upgraded because I needed to and because of the current global climate, I have had to become a livestreamer. I have used various different program combos to achieve the goal of staying connected. I use a combination of the built-in FaceTime camera and an external Logitech HD 1080p webcam.

The meat:

Ok, so this issue popped up for me after an OS update from 10.15.3 to .4. It seems there was some issue in how the graphics drivers were packaged. I had all my peripherals attached which included, 2 USB-C hubs, Thunderbolt3 to HDMI, & USB-C to USB3.0 adapter with an iLok dongle. After disconnecting all the peripherals and then "docking" the Macbook back sometime later (roughly 5 hours), the built-in display FREAKED OUT after I plugged the Thunderbolt3 to HDMI cable back in. This caused a kernel panic and prompted a restart. After that restart, it went into Safe Mode. I rebooted into Normal. Reconnected the Thunderbolt3 to HDMI adapter which seemed to work and went through to make sure everything else was fine. So, I brought up my web conferencing app and lo and behold...

...No pretty green light. No FaceTime camera access. No external USB camera either. This happened 2 hours before I was going live. Nothing worked. So I did what I could and touted "technical difficulties" as one should to maintain an air of professionalism, waited until the stream ended and went to bed after 3 hours of frustrated troubleshooting and a glass of whiskey. The next day I initiated an Apple support chat along with 4 hours of continued troubleshooting on my end. SMC & NVRAM/PRAM resets did nothing. The process for the current line of 16" MBP's is not user friendly. Not easy to accomplish unless you are a freaking clock.

I also tried the sudo killall VDCAssistant about 10 times and it didn't work. Atleast when I pulled up Activity Monitor, it did show that process only after I selected "All Processes" from the "View" menu. I tried killing the process that way too, then retried my cameras which still didn't display anything. Also note, the issue was not that macOS couldn't find or locate the cameras because they were all selectable from every program I used. Just no video output or any other indication they were working properly.

Here's what worked for me:

(I had a TimeMachine Backup right after the OS update. If you have that, you might be able to continue on. Even if you don't try this process. It's going to take time no matter what. It is a better alternative than sending it in to get serviced.)

1. Reboot/Restart from Apple menu.

2. Run Diagnostics. (Press "D" on your keyboard immediately upon starting up.) Allow the program to run. Mine told me there were no hardware issues. Not surprised.

3. Wild goose chase trying to reinstall macOS Catalina from my Time Machine Backup which failed twice. Rebooted. Tried again.

4. Went into macOS Recovery Mode: Command (⌘)-R. I deleted the ENTIRE Macintosh HD drive structure. (Macintosh HD - Data needs to go bye-bye as I believe it contains the culrpit or some software/hardware handshake has failed)

5. Reinstalled a fresh macOS Catalina 10.15.4 (won't allow downgrade to .3)

6. Once that was finished, I tried both my cameras. They each worked once and only once. This essentially showed me there was something wonky in the way macOS handles a driver. (Mac experts please correct me if I'm wrong)

7. I then decided to use Migration Assistant to install my last saved and known good backup from Time Machine Backup. This process took roughly 3 hours from start to finish.

8. Went into Disk Utility to run "First Aid" on the drive. No errors were reported.

9. I rebooted once it was done to help settle things into place.

10. I logged back into the OS and tried everything again and both FaceTime and my Logitech HD c920 camera were both working again.

11. Crossed my fingers, held my tongue just right, said a little prayer, shut down all applications and tried them again.

12. Both cameras still worked. Albeit, the built-in FaceTime camera seems a little more "grainy" than it originally did.

As of right now (3/28) everything is still working. I'll be happy to respond to any questions you may have as I believe my experience is going to be anecdotal at best.

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