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OBS Studio Virtual Camera Not Showing Up? 5 Simple Solutions

7 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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OBS Studio is one of the best screen recording and streaming software. WithWindow’s built-in recording toolsnot offering many options, users go with third-party apps like this. However, some reported that the virtual camera is not showing up in OBS Studio.

The virtual camera in OBS is a great utility since it allows us to modify the video output of the webcam, and enhance the video quality. This becomes all the more important in present times when video conferences have become a part of life.

So, let’s walk you through the OBS Studio virtual camera not showing up problem and the most effective fixes for it.

Why is the OBS Studio virtual camera not showing up?

The problem can be encountered on several apps, but generally, users talk about the following apps as being affected:

In most cases, users later realized that the Virtual Camera feature was not enabled in OBS Studio. Apart from that, if you are using an older version of the software, chances are that it doesn’t include the virtual camera feature. Updating the software is the best option in this case.

Also, if OBS Studio does not have the necessary permissions while running, you might come across the issue. This can be seen when the OBS Studio virtual cam is not showing up in Google Chrome. Besides, it could have to do with hardware acceleration as well.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the underlying causes, it’s time we head to the fixes.

What do I do if OBS Studio virtual camera is not showing up on Windows 11?

1. Restart the computer

Several users reported that OBS Studio is not showing up in Teams due to a conflict. Here it’s generally a minor bug or some background process that’s conflicting with the functioning of the software. If restart the PC doesn’t fix the issue, head to the next method.

2. Run OBS Studio as administrator

There are several permissions a program may require to run, and while some programs are good to go with just a few of these, others may require administrative privileges. So, set OBS Studio to run as an administrator and check if the virtual camera starts showing up in Windows 11.

3. Make sure the virtual camera is turned on

After you are done making the changes, the OBS Studio virtual camera not showing up in Zoom issue should be eliminated, and you should have the software effectively projecting video on other apps. If this method doesn’t work, head to the next one.

4. Update OBS Studio

As discussed earlier, the feature was not present in the previous versions of the app, and therefore, if you haven’t updated OBS Studio in a while, make sure to do that. Once done, check if the OBS Studio virtual camera not showing up with the Google Meet problem is fixed.

5. Reinstall OBS Studio

If none of the methods listed earlier worked to fix the OBS Studio virtual camera not showing up in Windows 10, you are left with no option but to reinstall the app. When you reinstall it, any issues that might have crept in during the installation process will be eliminated.

In case you are running the latest iteration, find out here how toinstall OBS Studio in Windows 11. Also, if the OBS Studio virtual camera is not showing up in the Tools menu, justdownload the OBS-VirtualCam plugin.

6. Use an alternative video recording software

If you have tried all these solutions and don’t seem to solve the issue, a quick fix would be to try an alternative software.

There are other reliable screen recording software that offer a similar feature set to OBS Studio. One of the best alternatives is Camtasia.

It comprises both a screen recorder and a video editor. You can use only this app to create videos from start to finish.

It includes everything you need to create professional-level content. It offers templates, presets, drag-and-drop video editing, built-in royalty-free music and images, web camera capture, and many more.

⇒Get Camtasia

What do I do if OBS Studio virtual camera is not showing on Mac?

Once done, restart your MacBook for the changes to fully come into effect. This method has worked for users facing the OBS Studio virtual camera not showing up in Discord issue on macOS. So if you too are unable to access the virtual camera on Discord, try this.

Though it’s not generally recommended, you can try installing an older version of OBS Studio if the problem started after an update. Many a time, it’s a bug in the current version that leads to the OBS studio camera not showing up on apps on Mac.

How do I enable the virtual camera in OBS Studio?

That’s it! A virtual camera has now been added to OBS Studio and it will appear in other apps from now on.

These are all the ways that might help if OBS Studio virtual camera is not showing up on other applications on the Windows 7, 10, 11, and macOS ecosystems.

Also, find out what to do ifOBS Studio keeps crashing in Windows.

Tell us which fix worked and your experience of OBS Studio, in the comments section below.

OBS Studio Virtual Camera Not Showing Up? 5 Simple Solutions#

Why is the OBS Studio virtual camera not showing up?#

What do I do if OBS Studio virtual camera is not showing up on Windows 11?#

1. Restart the computer#

2. Run OBS Studio as administrator#

3. Make sure the virtual camera is turned on#

4. Update OBS Studio#

5. Reinstall OBS Studio#

6. Use an alternative video recording software#

What do I do if OBS Studio virtual camera is not showing on Mac?#

How do I enable the virtual camera in OBS Studio?#