Everyday Computer Skills · Video Calls & Devices · Lesson 1 of 5

Camera and Microphone Privacy

Choose which apps can see and hear you, and spot when they do.

Who can use your camera

Your computer's camera is the small lens above the screen. The microphone, or mic, is a tiny hole that picks up your voice. Apps need them for video calls.

But not every app needs them. A shopping app or a game has no reason to see or hear you. So Windows lets you choose which apps can use them. This choice is called a permission. Phones work the same way.

To check them on Windows 11:

1. Open Start, then Settings.
2. Choose Privacy & security.
3. Scroll down and choose Camera. You will see a list of apps, each with an on and off switch.
4. Turn off any app that doesn't need your camera.
5. Go back and do the same on the Microphone page.

Programs you got from a website, not the Microsoft Store, share one switch. It is called Let desktop apps access your camera.

Turning a switch off is safe. If an app really needs the camera later, you can come back and turn it on again.

On a Mac, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Camera or Microphone.

On the practice computer, open the Camera page and see which apps have access. Turn off the camera for "Coupon Helper", then watch for the camera light and the microphone icon.

Lights and colored dots

How do you know when the camera is on? Most laptops have a small camera light next to the lens. It turns on whenever the camera is in use.

If the light is on and you aren't on a call, some app is using your camera. Close your apps. Then look at the Camera page in Settings to see which apps used it recently.

Some computers have no camera light. Then Windows shows a short message on the screen when the camera turns on or off.

The microphone has a sign too. When an app is listening, a small microphone icon appears on the taskbar, near the clock. The taskbar is the strip along the bottom of the screen. Point at the icon to see which app is using the mic.

On a Mac, look at the top right of the screen, in the menu bar. The menu bar is the strip along the top.

• A green dot means the camera is on. A green light also glows next to the camera itself.
• An orange dot means the microphone is on.

Click Control Center, the icon with two small switches, to see which app is using them.

Many people also put a small sliding cover over the camera. It is a simple, cheap way to be sure. Some laptops have one built in.