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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:


  1.  Kill VDCAssistant in Terminal. It didn't work because I even can't find VDCAssistant from Activity Monitor which should control the camera.
  2. Simply restarting my Mac.
  3. Done all software updates.
  4. 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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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Mar 15, 2020 9:42 AM

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.

399 replies
Question marked as Best reply

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.

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:


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

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:

  1. Installed OS software update (10.15.4)
  2. Made sure all appropriate apps have access to the camera in preferences > privacy > camera
  3. Given all of these apps permission to control the computer in preferences > accessibility
  4. Rebooted in Safe Mode
  5. sudo killall VDCAssistant and sudo killall AppleCameraAssistant in terminal
  6. Logged into the other user account on the computer, and the problem persists.
  7. 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.


Mar 15, 2020 11:11 AM in response to lauri112

Make an appointment at your nearest Apple Genius Bar (if they are open) for a free diagnostic check.


In the meantime download and run Etrecheck. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support  to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.


Copy the report



and use the Add Text button to include the report in your reply. How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting Large Amounts of Text, i.e. an Etrecheck Report


IMPORTANT:


Before running Etrecheck assign Full Disk Access to Etrecheck so that it can get additional information from the Console and log files for the report:



ALSO IMPORTANT:




Then we can examine the report and see if we can determine the root of the problem.


Mar 28, 2020 12:04 AM in response to D.I. Johnson

Dears

I have the same problem.. due to the current situation, we are confined and I need urgently the camera to work.. It has not worked for some time and I need it for my classes.


I cannot go to any shop.

My camera shows a green light when activated but is black.


What can I do [URGENT]


I tried rebooting in safe mode… FaceTime shows [No camera available]


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. 

Apr 7, 2020 9:13 AM in response to JCohen919190

In the problem user download and run Etrecheck. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support  to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.


Copy the report



and use the Add Text button to include the report in your reply. How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting Large Amounts of Text, i.e. an Etrecheck Report


IMPORTANT:


Before running Etrecheck assign Full Disk Access to Etrecheck in the app's Privacy preference pane so that it can get additional information from the Console and log files for the report:



ALSO IMPORTANT:



Then we can examine the report and see if we can determine what might be the problem.



Apr 10, 2020 5:00 AM in response to lauri112

I, too, was having problems with my camera recently after it worked for me for the last 9 years. I tried all the things mentioned above and then I tried a mixing a few of the information. I went to Settings, then Privacy, clicked on the unlock button, then clicked on Accessibility and then at the bottom of the right hand column that says Let the Apps Below To Control Your Computer, there is a plus (+) sign. I clicked that, which opens the Applications file. Then I just clicked on Facebook, WebEx Teams, and Zoom. Clicked on the lock on the bottom lefthand corner and restarted the computer. And that worked for me.

Good luck to the rest of you, as I can completely sympathize with what you're going through.

Apr 10, 2020 6:57 AM in response to BenJam1990

Holy ****!


I tested your option and it worked for me once! I already clicked "helpful" and "solution" after everything worked perfectly but then I closed it and the second time the same problem occured and it's still not 100% permanent solution.

What's the logic behind it that you have to give app access to control your computer? At least I think that's the way how we could get it work... Hope to hear from you soon.

May 15, 2020 2:38 AM in response to Giu53pp3

See if the hardware is recognized in System Information (?)


>(Option key) System Information>Hardware>Camera


example of recognition, both model and Unique ID:



if not, you have a hardware problem—Take it in

In or out of warranty you can get a free over the counter 'Apple Service Diagnostics' test /assessment

Make an appointment for a "hardware issue"—

https://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/


Mar 28, 2020 8:59 AM in response to slim230

Have you tried the suggested fixes that have been already suggested in this topic?


1 - log into another user account, Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac and see if the problem persists. (This tells us if the problem is limited to your user account or is system wide).


2 - boot into Safe Mode (How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support) and check there to see if the problem persists.  Reboot normally and test again.

NOTE: Safe Mode boot can take up to 10 minutes as it's doing some system cache cleaning, volume verifying and directory repairing. 

3 - download and install the macOS Catalina 10.15.4 Combo Update and see if that helps.




Mar 28, 2020 10:30 AM in response to lauri112

If you have a backup of your hard drive made just prior to this happening you can revert to that system as described in this Apple document: Revert your Mac to a previous macOS version - Apple. If you have files that are newer than when the problem occurred that you need be sure to backup the drive now so you can restore them after reverting to the earlier system.



Apr 12, 2020 5:59 AM in response to SammysStuck

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314


That article will walk you through the steps of reinstalling the OS. Make sure you perform a backup before deleting. Once in the console, delete both the main partition and the “Macintosh HD- Data” partition. Both the main and the data partition will be recreated during the recovery/reinstall.


Once the installation is complete, go through the setup and run Migration Assistant which will put all your “stuff” back in place from the backup you made earlier.


This process took me 6 hours as my backup was on a network drive.

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

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