When using Zoom, you can add an external camera in place of your Mac’s built-in webcam.
The display quality for the built-in camera is not the best, or you prefer using an external camera for other reasons.
Whatever the case, Zoom allows you to use an external camera on Mac for your videoconferencing sessions.
We will see how to achieve that in this post.
Ensure the external camera is connected to your Mac and placed in a stable position. Open your Zoom app on the menu on your Mac and tap on the “Preferences” option from the dropdown options. Click on the option for “Video” on the left. Next, locate the section for “Camera”, tap on the dropdown button, and select your external camera.
We will dig in on the steps for connecting an external camera on Mac. Next, we will see how to use the connected external webcam as our camera source on Zoom. Lastly, we will address commonly asked questions about using Zoom on Mac with an external camera.
Can You Add an External Camera to Zoom?
Zoom is a videoconferencing application that requires camera access to broadcast your camera feed when on a call.
By default, Zoom uses the built-in camera for Mac when in a Zoom call.
However, Zoom allows you to select which webcam to use as the camera source.
Thus, you can comfortably add an external camera to your device and use it with Zoom.
The only catch is that you must know how to connect your external webcam to your device.
For instance, if you plan to use a Logitech webcam, check for the instructions on connecting it to your desktop.
Once connected, Zoom will recognize it and add it to the available webcams you can use for your Zoom camera.
How To Use External Camera on Mac for Zoom
Zoom has become so popular that you can’t evade it when conducting your activities. It could be you have a Zoom meeting or a scheduled conference.
In that case, you should have the best webcam for your Zoom call.
Suppose you bought an external webcam and connected it to the USB ports on your Mac.
You can test if the webcam is working using applications like Facetime.
Let’s see how to use the external webcam for your Zoom call:
- Open the Zoom app on your Mac.
- Tap on the Zoom.us option in the menu bar to open a dropdown.
- Click the option for “Preferences”.
- Locate the “Video” category on the left sidebar and click on it.
- Find the section for “Camera” and tap on the dropdown button on the right.
- A list of the available webcam on your Mac will appear.
- Tap on the webcam you wish to use.
Once you’ve selected your external webcam, Zoom will use it for videoconferencing. Depending on your goal, you can access the same section and switch between the available webcam.
That’s all needed to use an external camera for Zoom on Mac.
Conclusion
Zoom allows users to select the webcam they prefer for their camera feed.
When using Zoom on your Mac, connect your external camera, then open your Zoom app.
Locate Zoom on the main menu and tap on it.
On the dropdown list, click the option for “Preferences”.
Next, select the “Video” option on the left and click on the “Camera” section to select the webcam you want to use for Zoom.
We’ve covered the steps in detail in this post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it does. Zoom lets users select the camera source they want to use from those connected to their desktops. So, if you have an external webcam, you can select it from the list and use it as your webcam for Zoom.
Start by connecting the external camera to your Mac. Open the Zoom application and tap on it from the main menu. Click on “Preferences” from the menu and tap the option for “Video”. Next, select the webcam you prefer to use for your Zoom from those listed.
