Use your iPhone as a webcam on Mac
With Continuity Camera, you can use your iPhone as your Mac webcam or microphone, and take advantage of the powerful iPhone camera and additional video effects. You can connect wirelessly, or with a USB cable for a wired connection.
Before you begin
Before you can use the Continuity Camera feature, you need to do the following:
Make sure your Mac has the latest version of macOS Ventura and your iPhone has the latest version of iOS 16.
Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both devices.
Make sure your devices meet system requirements. See the Apple Support article System requirements for Continuity on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Mount your iPhone. See the Apple Support article Continuity Camera: Use iPhone as a webcam for Mac for more information on mounting your iPhone.
Use your iPhone as a webcam or microphone
On your Mac, open any app that has access to the camera or microphone, like FaceTime or Photo Booth.
In the app’s menu bar or settings, choose your iPhone as the camera or microphone.
The Continuity app opens on your iPhone and begins capturing audio or video from the rear camera.
Note: In order to use your iPhone as a microphone on a Mac without a built-in camera, the iPhone must be in landscape orientation, stationary and locked.
Do any of the following:
Pause the video or audio: On your iPhone, tap Pause, or swipe up to unlock it.
Resume the video or audio: On your iPhone, tap Resume, or press the side button or Sleep/Wake button to lock it.
Stop using your iPhone as a webcam or microphone: On your Mac, quit the app.
Remove your iPhone as an option: On your iPhone, tap Disconnect. Your iPhone is removed from the camera and microphone lists in apps, and also from the list of sound input devices in Sound settings.
To add your iPhone back, connect it to your Mac with a USB cable.
If you need to charge your iPhone while Continuity Camera is turned on, use a USB cable for best results.
Automatically switch to the iPhone camera
Your Mac can automatically switch to using iPhone as a camera input for certain Mac apps, like FaceTime and PhotoBooth. To do this, your iPhone must:
Be close to your Mac
Have its screen locked
Be in landscape orientation
Have its rear camera or cameras facing you and be unobstructed
Not be in a pocket or lying flat on a desk
Be stationary
If you’ve used your iPhone as a webcam on your Mac before, other Mac apps may also remember it as the preferred camera.
Make your iPhone the default microphone
You can make your iPhone the default microphone for your Mac.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)Select your iPhone in the list of sound input devices.
The Continuity app opens on your iPhone and starts capturing audio.
Turn on Desk View and video effects
When you use your iPhone as a Mac webcam, you can use Control Centre to add video effects. For example, Desk View shows a top-down view of your desk and your face at the same time, and Studio Light dims the background and illuminates your face.
See Use Desk View and Use video effects.
If you don’t see your iPhone as a camera or microphone option
If you don’t see your iPhone in the camera or microphone list in an app or Sound settings, try the following.
Connect it to your Mac with a USB cable and check again. (If it’s already connected with a cable, disconnect it and reconnect it.)
Check the following:
Your iPhone is an iPhone XR or later.
Your iPhone has the latest version of iOS 16.
Your Mac has the latest version of macOS Ventura.
Your iPhone has Continuity Camera turned on in Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff.
Your iPhone recognises the Mac as a trusted computer. See the Apple Support article About the ‘Trust This Computer’ alert on your iPhone or iPad.
Your iPhone and Mac have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and two-factor authentication turned on.
Your iPhone and Mac are signed in with the same Apple ID. (This feature doesn’t work with Managed Apple IDs.)
Your iPhone and Mac are within 30 feet of each other.
Your iPhone isn’t sharing its mobile data connection and your Mac isn’t sharing its internet connection.
Your chosen video app is updated to the latest version.
Note: If your Mac doesn’t have a built-in camera, your iPhone must meet all of the conditions to automatically switch to the iPhone camera in order to be seen as a camera.
You can also use Continuity Camera to scan documents or take a picture of something nearby and have it appear instantly on your Mac. See Insert photos and scans with Continuity Camera.