BlogGuide9 October 20265 min read

How to check your webcam before a call on your Mac

The meeting starts in a minute. Is your hair doing something odd? Is the window behind you blowing out your face? Is the camera even pointed at you? Your Mac has a few built-in ways to check, and a quicker one if you'd rather not open another app.

Five ways to see your camera on a Mac

• Photo Booth: open it from Launchpad or Spotlight and you're looking at yourself straight away. It mirrors the image like a real mirror.
• FaceTime: opening FaceTime shows a camera preview before you call anyone.
• QuickTime Player: choose File › New Movie Recording for a preview window. Nothing is recorded until you press the record button.
• Your call app's preview: Zoom has a video preview in Settings › Video, and Google Meet and Microsoft Teams show one on the screen before you join.
• A camera mirror in the notch: covered below. It shows you without opening a window.

All of these turn on the green light next to the camera, which is your Mac telling you the camera is in use. When the light is off, the camera is off.

Why your preview looks mirrored

Most apps flip your own preview horizontally, so it behaves like a bathroom mirror: you lean left and the image leans left. That feels natural, but it isn't what anyone else sees. They get the unmirrored picture.

It matters in two places. Text, like a logo on your shirt or a book spine on a shelf, looks backwards to you but reads correctly for everyone else. And a parting or a lopsided collar looks different the other way round. If you want to know how you'll actually look on the call, flip the preview once and check.

A 30-second check before you join

• Light: face a window or a lamp. With a bright window behind you, the camera exposes for the window and your face goes dark.
• Framing: keep your eyes about a third of the way down the frame, with a little space above your head. Raise the laptop on a stand or a few books so the camera is near eye level rather than looking up at you.
• Background: glance at what's behind you, including anything you'd rather not share.
• The lens: a fingerprint on the camera makes everything look hazy. Wipe it with a soft cloth.
• You: hair, teeth, collar. That's what the mirror is for.

A mirror in the MacBook notch

NotchDude has a Mirror widget, so checking yourself is a hover instead of an app. (Disclosure: I make NotchDude.) Here's how it works:

1. Hover the notch to open it, then choose Mirror in the tab bar. Choose Allow Camera Access the first time.
2. The live preview is mirrored, like a real mirror. While your pointer is over the notch, a button in the top-left corner flips it, so you can see yourself as others will on the call.
3. Pinch on the trackpad to zoom up to 3×, and swipe with two fingers or drag to look around, the way you would in Maps. Handy for checking your teeth or a stray hair. While you zoom, −, +, and the zoom level appear at the bottom; click the level to go back to 1×.
4. Move the pointer away and the notch closes, and the camera turns off with it.

To change which way the preview faces by default, use Mirror the image in Settings › Mirror. NotchDude remembers your choice.

What happens to the camera

The camera is only on while Mirror is open, and nothing is recorded, saved, or sent anywhere. You can turn off camera access for NotchDude at any time in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera. The privacy policy lists everything the app reads.

Pair it with the teleprompter

If you present on calls, the notch is also a good place for your notes. NotchDude's teleprompter scrolls your script just under the camera, so you keep eye contact while you read. Check yourself in Mirror, switch to Teleprompter, and join.

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