Chrome · Camera
How to allow camera access in Chrome on a computer and Android
Short answer
When a site asks, choose Allow while visiting the site or Allow this time. If you blocked it earlier, go to More, then Settings, Privacy and security, Site settings, Camera, find the site under the sites that aren’t allowed, and change it to Allow. On Android it’s More, then Settings, Site settings, Camera.
The choices in Chrome’s camera prompt
On a computer, the first time a site asks for your camera or microphone, Chrome gives you three options:
| Choice | What it means |
|---|---|
| Allow while visiting the site | The site can use the camera while you’re on it. |
| Allow this time | Gives the site access this time. |
| Never allow | The site is blocked until you change it in settings. |
Allowing doesn’t hand the site your camera for good. Google points out that a site can’t start recording while you’re on a different tab or in a different app.
Unblock a site on a computer
- Open Chrome, select More (the three dots at the top right), then Settings.
- Select Privacy and security, then Site settings.
- Under Permissions, select Camera, or Microphone.
- Find the site in the list of sites that aren’t allowed, select it, and change the camera or microphone permission to Allow.
The same page sets the default for every site, and you can delete an old exception so the site asks you again.
Chrome on Android
- When a site asks, tap Allow.
- To change it later, tap More (to the right of the address bar), then Settings, then Site settings, then Camera or Microphone.
- Turn access on. If the site is listed under Blocked, tap it and choose Allow.
If the camera or microphone is switched off for Chrome in your phone’s own settings, the site still won’t get it. Turn it back on in Chrome’s app permissions in Android settings.
When Chrome says yes but the camera still won’t start
Chrome can only pass the camera on if the computer lets Chrome use it in the first place.
- Mac: choose Apple menu, then System Settings, click Privacy & Security, then Camera, and turn access on for Chrome. Check Microphone the same way.
- Windows 11: select Start, then Settings, Privacy & security, Camera. Turn on Camera access and Let desktop apps access your camera. Browsers such as Chrome count as desktop apps, so they don’t appear in the list of individual apps; that second switch covers them.
- On a work or school computer, the administrator can set camera and microphone permissions, and you might not be able to change them.
- Still stuck: restart your call and your computer, then try again.
Chrome on iPhone
On an iPhone there are two switches. First the phone’s: Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Camera, and turn Chrome on. Then the site’s: tap Allow when it asks in Chrome. Our iPhone guide walks through both, along with Safari.
Using LustMatch in Chrome
LustMatch runs in your browser, Chrome included, with nothing to install. The mode you choose decides what it asks for: video wants the camera and the microphone when you enter matching, so your own preview shows while you wait; voice needs only the microphone; text needs neither.