2 Ways to Change Camera and Mic Source in Chrome

If you use an external webcam or headset on your computer, you might have encountered an issue where Google Chrome is unable to detect the external devices on websites and uses the default webcam. So in this article, we will show you how to change your camera and microphones input source in Google Chrome and also discuss some troubleshooting tips.

Table of Contents

Change Camera and Mic Source in Google Chrome

Let’s be honest, the webcam and microphone built into laptops are usually not good enough for streaming, zoom meetings, or even video calls. The picture is blurry, and the sound is often muffled, which is why several people opt to use an external webcam and headset mic.

But to use them on Chrome by default, you will have to change your camera and microphone source in settings, be it on Mac or Windows PC. Read on.

How to Change Video Camera in Google Chrome

Step 1: On Chrome, click on the three vertical dots at the top right corner.

Step 2: From the list of options, select Settings.

Step 3: Now, click on Privacy and security from the left sidebar.

Step 4: Next, go to Site Settings.

Step 5: Click on the Camera option.

Step 6: Click on the drop-down menu as shown below and select your preferred webcam.

This will change the current camera source. If you have selected an external USB or wireless camera, the same will be used by default on all websites in Google Chrome.

How to Change Microphone Input in Google Chrome

Step 1: Open Chrome and click on the three vertical dots at the top right corner.

Step 2: Go to Settings.

Step 3: Select Privacy and security and click on Site Settings.

Step 4: Now, select the Microphone option.

Step 6: Click the drop-down menu and select the microphone source you want to use.

Once the source is changed, you can use your external headset or microphone on all websites in Google Chrome. This will also work for websites that do not let you choose the audio and video source upfront, such as credit card or bank video KYC calls, web video recording for insurance, and more.

Camera Source Not Changing in Google Chrome? Tips to Fix

If, for some reason, the website is still unable to detect your camera source on Google Chrome, then you can try out these troubleshooting tips to fix the issue:

Make sure you have allowed the website permission to access your camera.
Check if your external webcam is connected properly to your computer.
Close all browser windows and relaunch your web browser.
Clear Cookies and cache data using the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + Shift + Delete.
Try using your external webcam on other websites.
Restart your computer as there could be some system files that might be causing the issue.

Bonus- Switch Camera and Mic Source in Google Meet and Zoom

Google Meet and Zoom are exceptional video conferencing services that allow you to change the camera and microphone source while on the call. This makes it quite easy to change sources without having to visit settings. Let’s see how you can change the camera and mic sources in both these services.

How to Switch Camera and Microphone in Google Meet

Step 1: During a Google Meet call, click on the three vertical dots in the bottom toolbar next to the hangup button.

Step 2: Open Settings.

Step 3: To switch the microphone source, select Audio from the left sidebar.

Step 4: Click the drop-down menu under Microphone and select the external device or headset.

Step 5: To switch camera sources, select Video from the sidebar.

Step 6: Click on the drop-down menu under Camera and select your webcam source.

You can also set the maximum camera resolution from the webcam.

How to Switch Camera and Microphone in Zoom

Step 1: During an active Zoom session, click on the arrow on the Stop Video button.

Step 2: A menu will open up. Under Select a Camera, you can choose your preferred camera source.

You can also use the keyboard shortcut Alt + N to switch camera sources.

Step 3: To change the mic source, click on the arrow on the Mute button.

Step 4: Under Select a Microphone, click on the microphone you want to use.

This is how easily you can switch sources during a Zoom session.

Wrapping Up

This is how you can change the camera and mic source on Google Chrome. Having a good webcam and mic is crucial, especially for streaming or presentations, so I hope you found this guide useful and learned something new today. Stay tuned to Browser To Use for more such articles, guides, and How To’s.