Setup guide
Get LoopCam fully working.
LoopCam needs three things from macOS: an approved camera extension, camera access,
and (optionally) microphone access. Each one has a failure mode that looks like a dead
app. This page walks every screen, and every recovery path when a step goes sideways.
1. Enable the camera extension
The virtual camera is a macOS system extension. LoopCam installs it, but macOS insists
that you personally approve it once in System Settings.
- Make sure LoopCam.app is in /Applications and open it. macOS refuses to
activate system extensions from anywhere else.
- In the control bar checklist, click Install.
- Approve it in System Settings. The path depends on your macOS version:
macOS 15 (Sequoia) and later
System Settings opens to General → Login Items & Extensions. Scroll to
Camera Extensions, expand it with the info button if it is collapsed, and turn
LoopCam Camera Extension on. macOS asks for your password.
macOS 13 and 14 (Ventura, Sonoma)
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the message
that system software from LoopCam was blocked, and click Allow. macOS asks for
your password.
How to verify it worked: open your meeting app's camera picker. "LoopCam"
should be listed. Selecting it shows your live webcam or your loop while the LoopCam
app is running.
If it still says "Virtual camera off"
- Quit and reopen LoopCam. An app that was already running when you approved
the extension can miss the new camera appearing. A relaunch always resolves it.
- Some macOS versions require a restart after the first approval. LoopCam
tells you when that is the case; everything works after the reboot.
- Not in /Applications? Move the app there and relaunch. Running from
Downloads or the desktop makes the install fail with a cryptic error.
- Extension missing from the System Settings list? Reinstall from the
checklist's Install button, then check the list again.
- Managed Mac? On work machines an MDM profile can block system extensions
entirely. Your IT admin has to allowlist LoopCam.
2. Grant camera access
The first time LoopCam starts your webcam, macOS shows one prompt:
"LoopCam.app would like to access the Camera." Click Allow and you are
done. macOS shows this prompt exactly once, which is why recovering from
Don't Allow confuses everyone:
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera.
- Turn LoopCam on.
- Quit and reopen LoopCam. The permission change only fully applies to a
freshly launched app.
The checklist in LoopCam's control bar has an Allow camera access step. Its
button either shows you the real macOS prompt (if macOS still owes you one) or takes
you straight to the right System Settings pane.
Toggling does nothing? If the Camera toggle is on but LoopCam still says
access is denied, or the toggle seems to have no effect, macOS is holding a stale
permission record. Jump to
section 4 and reset it: one command,
then a fresh prompt.
3. Grant microphone access
Microphone access is optional. LoopCam asks for it only when you enable
"Record microphone audio with recordings" or the LoopCam Mic
passthrough (gear → Microphone). Without it, recordings stay video-only and the
virtual mic stays silent: nothing else breaks.
Denied it once and changed your mind? Same recovery as the camera:
System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, turn
LoopCam on, then quit and reopen the app. The Microphone section of LoopCam's
settings shows an Open System Settings shortcut whenever access is denied.
4. Make the prompts appear again
macOS remembers every permission answer per app. When a stored answer is wrong, or
seems stuck, you can make macOS forget it and ask again. Open Terminal
(Applications → Utilities) and run:
tccutil reset Camera dev.kalkidan.loopcam
And for the microphone:
tccutil reset Microphone dev.kalkidan.loopcam
Then quit and reopen LoopCam. The next time it needs the camera or mic, the original
macOS prompt appears again, and this time you can click Allow.
This is completely safe: it only clears LoopCam's own permission records. Other apps
are untouched.