Your camera in meetings — setup and troubleshooting

promptpov adds a camera to your Mac called promptpov Virtual Camera. It shows your real camera with your widgets on top, and your meeting app uses it like any other camera. If it doesn't show up, or your video is black or stuck, the steps below fix almost every case.

Pick promptpov in your meeting app

In your meeting app, choose promptpov Virtual Camera as the camera:

• Zoom: zoom.us menu → Settings → Video → Camera
• Teams: ⋯ → Settings → Devices → Camera
• FaceTime: Video menu → promptpov Virtual Camera
• Google Meet: in a call, ⋮ → Settings → Video → Camera

Other apps that let you choose a camera (Webex, Photo Booth) list it the same way.

First-time setup

promptpov walks you through this when you first open it. If you skipped a step, here it is:

1. Keep promptpov in your Applications folder. macOS only lets the camera run from there. If you open promptpov from somewhere else, it offers to Move to Applications for you.
2. Approve the camera extension. Open System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions, click ⓘ next to Camera Extensions, and turn on promptpov's camera extension. macOS asks for your password.
3. Allow camera access. When macOS asks, click Allow. If you clicked Don't Allow earlier, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and turn on promptpov.
4. Check it works. Open Preview Widgets… (see below). If you see yourself with your widgets, every meeting app will too.

See what others see

1. In the promptPOV menu, the menu bar icon or the Dock icon's menu, choose Preview Widgets…. (It's also in Settings → Video.)
2. The Preview Your Widgets window turns your camera on and shows exactly what people in your meeting see.
3. Close the window to turn the camera off again.

If the window says promptpov Virtual Camera not found, the camera extension isn't approved yet — go back to step 2 above.

Run the diagnostic

promptpov can check its own setup and tell you what's wrong.

1. In the promptPOV menu (or the menu bar icon), choose Run Diagnostic….
2. The promptpov Diagnostic window lists each check with a status and, when something needs fixing, a button that takes you straight there — for example Open Login Items & Extensions or Request Access.
3. Click Re-run All after you fix something.

For your camera, it checks that:

• the camera extension is installed and turned on,
• the extension matches the version of promptpov you're running,
• promptpov Virtual Camera is visible to your apps,
• promptpov has camera permission,
• no old versions are waiting to be removed at your next restart,
• the old "VCWS" camera extension isn't still turned on.

If a check fails when promptpov starts, the diagnostic may open by itself. Need help? Copy Report copies the results, and Email Support starts an email to support@promptpov.com with them included.

If the camera is missing after an update

An update can include a new version of the camera extension, and macOS swaps it in the background. If your meeting app no longer lists promptpov Virtual Camera, or your video is black or frozen:

1. Quit your meeting app completely and open it again. Apps read the list of cameras when they start.
2. Run Diagnostic… and follow what it says. If it offers Quit and Relaunch, click it — that reopens promptpov so the new camera can start.
3. Restart your Mac if the diagnostic says a version is pending until reboot, or if the camera still doesn't appear. A restart clears old camera versions that macOS holds on to, and fixes most stuck cases.

If the diagnostic says the camera is turned on but not listed, logging out of your Mac and back in can also fix it.

The old "VCWS" camera

promptpov used to be called VCWS. On some Macs the old camera extension is still turned on, and it can keep your camera light on. If the diagnostic shows No old VCWS camera extension with a warning:

1. Click Open Login Items & Extensions.
2. Click ⓘ next to Camera Extensions.
3. Turn off VCWS Camera Extension. Leave promptpov's extension on.

promptpov can't remove the old extension for you — macOS only lets you do it here.

Which camera promptpov uses

promptpov picks your real camera for you:

1. An external USB webcam, if one is connected.
2. Otherwise, your Mac's built-in camera.
3. Otherwise, any other camera, like an iPhone used as a webcam.

It never uses another virtual camera, so it can't film itself.

Sharper video: Prefer 1080p

Your video is 720p unless an app asks for more. To send 1080p:

1. Open Settings → Video.
2. Under Virtual Camera Output, turn on Prefer 1080p output.

1080p makes your video and widget text sharper but uses about twice the processing power. Microsoft Teams already asks for 1080p, so you don't need this setting for Teams. Some meeting apps choose their own size each time they turn the camera on, so this setting may not change what they send.

Tips

• Seeing a black square in a meeting? Open Preview Widgets… first. If the preview works, the problem is the meeting app's camera choice — pick promptpov Virtual Camera again.
• Only one camera picture is shared by all apps. If two meeting apps are open at once, they get the same video.

Admin passwords and work Macs

Setup needs an administrator's password twice: once to put promptpov in Applications (if your Mac account isn't an administrator) and once to approve the camera extension. These are macOS rules for any app with a camera extension. After setup, promptpov runs without admin rights.

On a Mac your company manages, your IT team can install and approve promptpov for you — point them to promptpov.com/it. You'll still click Allow for camera access yourself.