Step 1: Does your camera work at all?
Click Test my webcam above and allow access:
- You see yourself here — the camera and drivers are fine; the problem is in your Omegle / random video chat settings. Go to Omegle / random video chat video settings.
- The preview is black or fails — the issue is system-level (permission, driver or another app holding the camera), not Omegle / random video chat. See System-level fixes.
Step 2: Fix Omegle / random video chat video settings
Open the browser camera icon, then:
- Allow the camera in the browser. Click the camera icon in the address bar, choose Allow, and reload the chat site.
- Pick the right Camera. If the site offers a device dropdown, choose the camera that previewed above.
- Close rival apps. Quit other video apps holding the webcam and reload.
Random video chat: what is different
Omegle itself shut down in 2023, but the same fixes apply to its successors (Uhmegle, Emerald Chat, Chatroulette, Ome.tv and similar random video-chat sites). These are all browser-based, so the camera comes from the site permission for that specific domain — allow it via the camera icon in the address bar and reload, and re-allow on each new site you try.
Many random-chat sites offer an on-page camera dropdown before you connect; pick the device that previewed above. Because these sites run in a browser tab, an open Zoom/Teams desktop call can still hold the webcam and leave the chat black — close other video apps first. If a site claims it cannot find a camera even after you allow it, the permission was granted to a different domain or an extension is blocking it.
Step 3: System-level fixes (if the preview above also failed)
Windows 10 / 11
- Settings → Privacy & security → Camera: turn on camera access and allow desktop apps and your browser.
- Device Manager → Cameras: if there is a warning icon, update or reinstall the driver.
- Close every other app that may be using the camera — most webcams allow only one at a time.
macOS
- System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera: enable Omegle / random video chat (or your browser), then quit and reopen.
- If the preview is still black, restart the Mac to clear a camera process stuck by another app.
Step 4: Last resorts
- Remove any physical privacy shutter or tape over the lens.
- Update Omegle / random video chat and your webcam/USB drivers, then reboot.
- Try a different USB port for an external camera.
FAQ
My camera previews in this test but not in Omegle / random video chat — why?
The camera is fine; Omegle / random video chat has the wrong Camera selected, the camera is turned off, or another app is holding it. Open the browser camera icon and pick the right device.
Does this Omegle / random video chat camera test record video?
No. The preview and any snapshot stay only in your browser. No video or photo is recorded or uploaded.
Why is my Omegle / random video chat camera black?
Another app is usually holding the webcam, or Omegle / random video chat has the wrong camera selected. Close other video apps, pick the right Camera, and reload.