If your camera is not working or your video is not working, in your Kara Connect session, please take the following troubleshooting steps.
💡 Note: These instructions also apply to microphone issues. Make sure they are also enabled when relevant. For more information about microphone issues go here.
Allow your browser to access your camera
You can start by clicking 🔒 or 📹 icon the address bar. There you can see if the browser settings are blocking your video camera. If you are not sure if the camera is set to allowed or you are having trouble finding the options, please check out these browser and OS specific guidelines:
👋 Caution: Check out if your browser is compatible and try searching for a detailed tutorial on how to enable the camera.
🚀 Mac OS 10.14 (or higher) user?
Apple has introduced some system-level privacy controls for your mic and camera. These are great for privacy, but it is possible that your browser was mistakenly blocked from accessing your mic and cam. You can check on this and allow your browser to access your mic and cam from the Security & Privacy section in your System Preferences. To configure trace the following steps:
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Click on the apple in the top left > select System Preferences
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Click on the Security & Privacy section
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Click on Camera or Microphone in the list of options, and tick the box next to your browser to allow access
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Do the same for your microphone
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After doing this, restart your browser for the updates to take affect
Test your camera and microphone
You can use this free tool to test your camera settings or your microphone Click here
If your camera and/or mic do not work during the test, the problem is likely with your browser settings or your device locally.
- ✅ Check your browser's cam and mic permissions
- ✅ If you're using an external camera/mic, check for software driver updates from the manufacturer.
If your cam and/or mic do work during the test, then the try:
- ✅ Reload your browser
- ✅ Update your browser
- ✅ Restart your browser
- ✅ Restart your computer
Check your browser permissions
Some operating systems (for example, the Mojave version of MacOS), require you to grant browser access to your camera and microphone. These changes are made in your computer's system settings.
Make sure your browser has permission to use your camera and microphone. You can make these changes in your browser's site settings.
On Chrome or Microsoft Edge:
- Open the menu (the three dots ⋮) in the top, right-hand corner of your browser
- Select Settings > Privacy & Security > Site Settings
- Ensure that your Camera and Microphone both have Ask before accessing set to ON
- Check that Kara Connect is not listed under the blocked section.
Check for driver updates (external camera and microphones)
A driver is software that allows your computer to communicate with hardware devices. Without drivers, the devices you connect to your computer—for example, an external camera or microphone—won't work properly.
- If you use MacOS, ensure that you have the latest system software updates
- If you use WindowsOS, you can allow Microsoft to automatically check for driver updates.
Otherwise, visit the online support portal for your device's manufacturer. Use your device's serial or identification number to check for software updates.
Unblock your browser camera inputs
Your browser may be blocking your camera and microphone inputs. If a "broken camera" symbol appears at the end of the browser's address bar, click on it to manage permissions.
Check your external camera device (if applicable)
It's important to understand whether your camera and microphone work across different applications. If a program like FaceTime & Photobooth (MacOS), Skype (Windows) or Zoom is available, use one of these programs to test that your camera and microphone are functioning properly.
Check firewalls and corporate networks
If you work for a company that uses a firewall or other network configurations across corporate machines and devices, access to the camera or microphone access may be blocked internally. Check with your company's IT or security team to understand if a firewall or internal network setting is preventing the use of your camera or microphone.
Re-install your browser completely
Check your system settings
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Windows: Go to Settings > System > Sound. Make sure the microphone is connected and try the troubleshooting if necessary.
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MacOS: Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Microphone. If needed make sure your browser is allowed access.
💡 Note: If you are using an older operating system like Windows Vista or XP, these no longer have support from Microsoft or browser teams like the Chrome team; so they won't be able to run an up-to-date browser. We highly recommend you update your operating system to a more current version.
Before joining a video session, please do the following:
Right before you join the session, please check that your microphone and video are switched on.
1. Click the microphone and camera symbols in the screen.
Are you in the same session as your client/professional?
Please check that you are both definitely connected to the same session - you can see this by checking if the Session ID is correct.
This can be easily identified in the URL of the session, such as in the GIF below:
https://pro.karaconnect.com/session/233272/live
In the URL above, the Session ID is 233272 - this should be the same for both you and your client/professional.
If the Session ID for both of you is not the same, this means that you are not both in the same session!
Outdated browser or conflicting with other video programs
In some cases Kara won't detect a camera and the device settings can't help. In these cases, there are a few things you can do get everything working again!
For some users, we've found that having another video conferencing program open like Skype or Google Hangouts can cause Kara to be unable to access the camera. This is sometimes a sign of an outdated browser. You can check if it is compatible to Kara.
💡 Note: If you are using an older operating system like Windows Vista or XP, these no longer have support from Microsoft or browser teams like the Chrome team; so they won't be able to run an up-to-date browser. We highly recommend you update your operating system to a more current version.
Other options
There are multiple quick fixes that most often do the trick. Try going through the checklist below.
Other Action points:
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Make sure your computer’s camera is physically connected, turned on, pointing towards you and unobstructed.
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Close any other applications that might be using the camera, then reload Kara connect (CTRL + F5 or Cmd and Shift + R).
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Check if your camera is functioning in other applications, such as FaceTime in MacOS or the Camera app in Windows 10.
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Restart your browser.
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Restart your computer ( 🚀 Pro tip: You can try clearing your cache before you restart the computer).
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Try another browser (we recommend Chrome).
Still not working?
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Are there strict networks or firewalls? Try another browser or contact your administrator.
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Are the browser extensions interfering? Try using Kara connect in an Incognito or Private browsing mode.
Unfortunately it can be difficult to get to the bottom certain device related errors. If the guidelines here did not help please use the chat in the bottom right corner and we will do our best to support you. Or simply fill out the form below.