Troubleshooting Teams Camera, Microphone and Screen Sharing Issues in macOS

If you are still having issues with Teams video or audio after verifying that the camera and microphone please call the IT Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.

Troubleshooting Teams Camera, Microphone and Screen Sharing Issues in macOS

Question

This knowledge base article answers the following questions:

• Why can't Microsoft Teams access my camera on my Mac?
• Why can't Microsoft Teams access my microphone on my Mac?
• Why is my screen sharing not working in Microsoft Teams on Mac?
• Why does Teams show a black screen when I try to turn on my camera on a Mac?
• Why can other people in a Teams meeting not hear me when I am using a Mac?
• Why does Teams ask for permission to access my camera or microphone on macOS but nothing happens?
• Why does screen sharing in Teams show a blank or black screen on my Mac?
• How do I give Microsoft Teams permission to use my camera, microphone, or screen on a Mac?
• How do I fix Microsoft Teams when it cannot detect my microphone or camera on macOS?
• Why did Teams permissions stop working after I updated macOS?

Environment

This article applies when all of the following conditions are true:

• Device: Apple Mac computer (MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, or Mac Pro)
• Operating System: macOS (any currently supported version, including macOS Ventura, macOS Sonoma, and macOS Sequoia)
• Application: Microsoft Teams desktop app (downloaded and installed on the Mac, not the version that runs in a web browser)
• Problem Type: One or more of the following features in Teams is not working correctly:
  • Camera: The camera does not turn on, shows a black screen, or Teams says it cannot find a camera
  • Microphone: Other people in a meeting cannot hear the user, Teams says it cannot find a microphone, or the microphone appears greyed out
  • Screen Sharing: When attempting to share the screen, the other participants see a black or blank screen, or the option to share the screen is not available

Important Context: macOS has a built-in privacy and security system that controls which apps are allowed to use the camera, microphone, and screen recording features. Unlike Windows, macOS requires the user to manually grant each of these permissions to each app individually. If these permissions are not granted, Teams will not be able to use these features regardless of any settings within the Teams app itself. This is the most common cause of camera, microphone, and screen sharing issues in Teams on a Mac.

Note: Administrator permissions may be required to make changes to System Settings. Use the Privileges app installed on Bowdoin issued Mac computers to give your account administrator permissions temporarily.

Resolution

Follow the steps below in order. After completing each major step, test Microsoft Teams again to see if the problem is fixed before moving on to the next step.

---

Step 1: Check if Teams Has Been Given Permission on Your Mac

The first thing to do is check whether your Mac is currently allowing Teams to use the camera, microphone, and screen recording features.

How to open Privacy and Security settings:

1. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen
2. Click System Settings (on older versions of macOS this may be called System Preferences)
3. In the left-hand sidebar, click Privacy & Security

How to check Camera permission:

1. Inside Privacy & Security, click Camera
2. Look for Microsoft Teams in the list
3. If Microsoft Teams is in the list, make sure the toggle switch next to it is turned on (it should be in the "on" position, which typically appears blue or green)
4. If Microsoft Teams is not in the list at all, proceed to Step 2

How to check Microphone permission:

1. Go back to the Privacy & Security page
2. Click Microphone
3. Look for Microsoft Teams in the list
4. If Microsoft Teams is in the list, make sure the toggle switch next to it is turned on
5. If Microsoft Teams is not in the list at all, proceed to Step 2

How to check Screen Recording permission:

1. Go back to the Privacy & Security page
2. Click Screen Recording (you may need to scroll down to find this)
3. Look for Microsoft Teams in the list
4. If Microsoft Teams is in the list, make sure the toggle switch next to it is turned on
5. If Microsoft Teams is not in the list at all, proceed to Step 2

After making any changes:

• macOS may ask you to enter your Mac password to confirm the changes. If your username and password are rejected for making the changes, run the Privileges app to give yourself administrator permissions
• macOS may display a message saying that Teams needs to be closed and reopened for the changes to take effect — if you see this message, click the button to close and reopen Teams
• If you do not see this message, manually close Teams completely and reopen it (see Step 3 for instructions on how to fully close Teams)

---

Step 2: Grant Permission by Triggering the Permission Pop-Up

If Microsoft Teams did not appear in the Camera, Microphone, or Screen Recording lists in Step 1, it means Teams has never asked your Mac for permission to use those features, or the request was dismissed. You need to trigger the permission request.

How to trigger the Camera and Microphone permission request:

1. Open Microsoft Teams
2. Start a new meeting or join an existing meeting
3. Try to turn on your camera by clicking the camera button in the meeting controls
4. Try to turn on your microphone by clicking the microphone button in the meeting controls
5. If your Mac has not previously granted permission, a pop-up window should appear asking if you want to allow Microsoft Teams to access your camera or microphone
6. Click Allow (this is very important — if you click "Don't Allow," Teams will be blocked from using that feature)
7. If no pop-up appeared, proceed to Step 4

How to trigger the Screen Recording permission request:

1. While in a Teams meeting, click the Share button (it usually looks like a rectangle with an arrow, or says "Share content")
2. Choose to share your entire screen (not just a window)
3. A pop-up should appear asking if you want to allow Microsoft Teams to record your screen
4. Click Allow or follow the on-screen instructions to open System Settings and grant the permission
5. If no pop-up appeared, proceed to Step 4

---

Step 3: Fully Close and Reopen Microsoft Teams

Sometimes permission changes do not take effect until Teams has been completely closed and reopened. It is important to fully close Teams, not just click the red close button on the window (which may leave Teams running in the background).

How to fully close Teams:

1. Click on the Microsoft Teams name in the menu bar at the very top of your screen (next to the Apple logo)
2. Click Quit Microsoft Teams from the dropdown menu
3. Alternatively, you can press Command + Q on your keyboard while Teams is the active app
4. To make sure Teams is fully closed, look at your Dock (the row of app icons at the bottom of your screen) — if Teams has a small dot underneath it, it is still running. Right-click the Teams icon and select Quit

How to reopen Teams:

1. Wait approximately ten seconds after closing Teams
2. Open Teams again by clicking its icon in the Dock, or by finding it in your Applications folder, or by searching for it using Spotlight (press Command + Space and type "Teams")
3. Join or start a meeting and test your camera, microphone, or screen sharing

---

Step 4: Manually Add Teams to the Permission List

If the permission pop-up never appeared in Step 2 and Teams is still not listed in the Privacy & Security settings, you can try to add it manually.

How to manually add Teams:

1. Open System Settings (click the Apple logo in the top-left corner, then click System Settings)
2. Click Privacy & Security in the left sidebar
3. Click the permission you need to fix (for example, Camera, Microphone, or Screen Recording)
4. Click the + (plus) button below the list of apps (your Mac may ask for your password)
5. Navigate to the Applications folder (this is usually in the left sidebar of the window that appears)
6. Find and select Microsoft Teams
7. Click Open
8. Make sure the toggle switch next to Microsoft Teams is turned on
9. Repeat for each permission type that is not working (Camera, Microphone, Screen Recording)
10. Fully close and reopen Teams (see Step 3)

---

Step 5: Reset Teams Permissions by Removing and Re-Adding

If permissions appear to be turned on but Teams still cannot use the camera, microphone, or screen sharing, try removing Teams from the permission list and adding it back.

How to remove and re-add Teams from a permission list:

1. Open System Settings and go to Privacy & Security
2. Click the relevant permission (Camera, Microphone, or Screen Recording)
3. Find Microsoft Teams in the list
4. Turn the toggle off for Microsoft Teams
5. If you see a minus (−) button, click it to remove Teams from the list entirely
6. Fully close Microsoft Teams (see Step 3)
7. Reopen Teams and trigger the permission request again (see Step 2)
8. If the pop-up appears, click Allow
9. If the pop-up does not appear, manually add Teams back using the steps in Step 4

---

Step 6: Contact Your IT Support Team

If you have followed all of the steps above and the problem is still not fixed, the issue may require further investigation by your organization's IT support team. To request support from Bowdoin IT, call the Digital Service Corps at (207) 725-3030, walk-in at the Tech Hub in Smith Union, or use the Bowdoin Bot at the bottom right corner of this page. Click on the Polar Bear icon, type in "create IT ticket" and answer the bot's questions to get a request created on your behalf.