No Camera Available Error on macOS Catalina

I upgraded my Catalina to the newest version and still have the same problem despite there being an address of camera issues in the update description. Ridiculous to think Apple will not own up to the software issue

I have the same issue with my the camera in my Thunderbolt Display, no matter whether I connect the Mac mini (2018), my 2017 MBP or the previous Macbooks, appearing since one of the last upgrades. I tried all suggestions that I could find on the net.

Salient detail: the camera works perfectly when I boot into Bootcamp Windows 10. So, that excludes any hardware issues that are suggested: same hardware with a different OS works fine.

When is Apple going to address this? I cannot go in to have my computer sent in for a new screen in a work from home environment, nor do I want new hardware just because of a software issue they are not fixing.

This could not have happened at a worse possible time. I'm having video calls a few times a week and I've been doing them from my phone (Brutal).

Perhaps with Big Sur it'll be fixed? But that's still months away.

Yes, it's pretty annoying to say the least.

Especially considering the fact that I moved to Apple products about 18 years ago mainly because of the seamless integration between the OS and hardware and stayed with them mainly for the way all the other devices work together. (Macs, Macbooks, phones, tablets and watches, iCloud).

But nowadays, the only solution that I have found to work for me to be able to work from home office (apart from using my phone) is running Windows as my primary OS to make my pieces of Apple hardware work together. It's really a shame!

No, it does (did) not.

That's why I thought that probably the camera itself was broken. That's why I tried several MacBooks and they had the same problem with the built in Thunderbolt camera. But then I found out that it worked well in Bootcamp Windows, both the camera function and the LED, so I concluded it must be a driver/OS problem.

The LED did light up every time I booted into Catalina but extinguished again within a fraction of a second. No camera was listed in the system overview. So, it behaved like some driver crashing every time.

But, suddenly, this morning (European timezone) when I switched on my Mac again I decided to have another look in system overview first. The camera was listed and remained on the list, so I tried a few apps and the camera seems alive and kicking again. There were no upgrades in between, I did not change anything myself, just booted up normally like every morning and suddenly it's there.

Strange, but it seems to work for now, and continuous to do so even after several reboots.

Just visited the Genius Bar. They ran a bunch of diagnostics. Took it to the back and made sure the cables were well connected. Nothing worked. The gentleman was very helpful but his only solution was to replace the entire screen which would cost me $650CAD.

This is extremely frustrating because I haven’t done anything to my Mac beyond just updating the OS and now they only way to fix the camera and light sensor is to spend a bunch of money.

Feeling helpless.....

did you get the chance to visit any apple store ? what they are saying it's hardware issue or software issue because its stop working after updating macos 10.15.6. it was working before in macos 10.15.4 catalina

I am having exactly the same issue. I have MacBook Pro 2017 and my camera was working fine until I updated to macOS Catalina 10.15.6... I contacted Apple and tried everything but no solution. They suggested to send it in for technical service. I am pretty sure that this is not a hardware issue... If anyone finds a solution please post it in here.

Any update on this? My camera was working fine 3 days ago and suddenly stopped last night. I have done everything that every article has told me to do.

Spent at least an hour on the phone with Apple Support. The told me just to reinstall OS which Im holding off doing since it didn't seem to help others.

Need a fix for this asap.

Bad news folks: if you're experiencing this issue you're pretty much boned. Since I work at a big tech company that has an enterprise relationship with Apple I had the privilege of speaking with one of their highly knowledgable, very intelligent (and very kind) tech support specialists (not just "some guy" that's gonna tell you to turn it off and back on again).

The problem is likely due to the T2 security chip incorrectly serializing the serial number of the camera. Fixing it will require some fresh firmware which an Apple tech will have to do and it will also require wiping your hard drive (at least it will for me since mine is encrypted). It also will likely require a new logic board and/or display. If your machine is covered under warranty Apple should take care of this -- after all, it's entirely their issue since they make the hardware and the software and this issue occurs on a fresh install, which I did on a new partition -- but will probably entail wiping your hard drive in the process. If you can make a Time Machine backup beforehand you should be able to go right back to the way things were afterward though.

The camera worked fine for years until just recently perhaps after using it for a zoom call a while ago. I have heard that it relates to the latest version of Catalina. If this is true, can't a revised update from Apple fix this? Otherwise a $20 webcam will have to be the solution. I certainly am not willing to spend more than that.

I solved the problem with video camera not working with Catalina operating system., Both the integrated camera in the machine and an accessory camera. When I checked the virus system, Koperski, I found aCheck area that had turned off the video camera. Yes no

IrvLaskoe Said:

"Look at this setting in the Kaspersky Internet Security settings: I had this set to "BLOCK". As soon as I UnBlocked it the camera started working! Finally!!"

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Interesting Report:

I have my own way of disabling the camera - but your way makes it upfront. Thing is - it's something I would never install: Security Software

IrvLaskoe Said:

“Please explain why you don’t want/like security software for your Mac?”

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Why I don’t Use Security Software on Mac:

Based on my own personal experiences, it just gets in the way on a Mac, and it undesirably goes about performing it’s own stuff in the background. Multitasking comes up, and scanning in the background slows the Mac down. When visiting sites, the VPN dos not all me to log in to Apple, and ultimately, you’ll never find a virus on a Mac. Apple is pretty picky about it’s own product’s interactions with a Security Software. Find My does the job.

Malwarebytes for Mac:

Malwarebytes for Mac is created by longtime user of these forums, making it the only trustworthy security software on a Mac. And apps can get installed that will affect your Mac. Malware (Malicious Software) is software that makes your Mac act in a mislead manor, typically behind your back. So, I install it, scan with it, and then uninstall it. It can get on a Mac, unexpectedly.

Ultimately, it all comes down to it making my Mac run slow and disallowing connectivity.

I Use it on a Windows Virtual Machine:

On a Windows Virtual Machine (VM), though, I have Security Software. (Why? Because it’s Windows).