Camera not working on 2019 MacBook Pro

Question

Level 1

8 points

Camera not working on 2019 MacBook Pro

Hello,

Lately the camera on my 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro (running Big Sur 11.1) has not been working - it is not detected by applications nor in the "Camera" section of the system report. However, it displays in the "USB" section, albeit with "?" as its serial number. (See this image: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/619389784342659100/817279095783686164/unknown.png) I've tried reinstalling the operating system and several other tricks, but nothing works. Apple Hardware Test does not report a failure.

Does anyone have any advice?

Posted on Mar 4, 2021 10:13 PM

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Answer 1

SnickZ.

Community Specialist

Mar 7, 2021 1:10 PM in response to annika134

Hello, annika134!

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities, it's great to have you here.

We're happy to give you a hand with this. Being able to utilize the camera on your MacBook Pro is definitely important It can be hard to say exactly what you've done so far, so if we have you repeat any steps, please free to let us know.

To start, there is a resource here which should help: If your built-in camera isn’t working on your Mac

Another good step would be to try booting your Mac into Safe Mode, to see if the camera is able to work there. If it does work in Safe Mode, reboot normally and test it again. Here's how: How to use safe mode on your Mac

We hope that this information is helpful.

Have a great day!

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Answer 2

annika134 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2021 1:24 PM in response to SnickZ.

I've tried all of that (resetting my SMC, safe mode, checking Screen Time, etc); none of it helps. Perhaps it's related to the fact that the serial number for the FaceTime camera is displayed as a question mark in system profiler?

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Answer 3

Eric--F

Community Specialist

Mar 9, 2021 2:02 PM in response to annika134

Hey, annika134,

You could definitely be right about that. The troubleshooting you've done so far is really good so it's possible that this is showing a potential hardware issue. From here, the best thing to do may be to have your Mac inspected in person to see if a repair may get you back up and running.

You can use the following link to contact Apple Support directly. An Advisor will be able to provide you with specific options available in your country for having your MacBook Pro inspected and repaired, if need be:

Contact Apple Support

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities!

Have a great day.

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Camera not working on 2019 MacBook Pro

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