OBS Virtual Camera Not Showing? Fix Zoom and Teams

OBS Virtual Camera sends an OBS video output to an application that accepts a webcam. If it does not appear in Zoom or Teams, check that the virtual camera is started and that the destination app selected it. If it appears but shows black video, inspect the OBS output instead.

Start with a working OBS scene

Open the scene you want to share and confirm that its picture is visible in OBS. If a physical webcam source is black there, fix that source before troubleshooting the meeting app.

Compare the physical camera directly using our webcam test. A working browser preview helps separate the camera from an OBS scene or source-selection problem.

Start Virtual Camera in OBS

Use Start Virtual Camera in the Controls dock. The control changes to Stop Virtual Camera while the feature is running. OBS describes the supported output options in its Virtual Camera guide.

Inspect the virtual-camera settings if the wrong picture is sent. Depending on the configuration, the output can follow Program, Preview, a particular scene or a source. In Studio Mode, the picture you are editing is not necessarily the same as the output you intended to share.

Select OBS Virtual Camera in the receiving app

Open Zoom or Teams video settings and choose OBS Virtual Camera rather than the physical webcam. If the app was open before the virtual device became available, close and reopen its camera settings or restart the app normally.

Some applications or managed environments restrict virtual cameras. If the device works in another supported app but is absent in one organization’s client, investigate that client’s support and policy rather than repeatedly reinstalling OBS.

The virtual camera is listed but the image is black

Check the scene selected for virtual output, whether its sources are visible and whether the physical camera source works inside OBS. Select the physical webcam directly in the meeting app for a comparison.

If the physical feed works directly but the virtual feed is blank, inspect the OBS source and output path. If neither works, follow the broader webcam troubleshooting guide.

Check installation and system permissions

Use the official OBS installation and platform instructions. A virtual-camera component or permission can require a normal restart or installation step on the relevant operating system. Avoid downloading an old third-party camera plugin merely because a tutorial uses it.

For a browser meeting, allow camera access for the meeting website and select the virtual device where supported. Our camera permission guide explains the browser layer.

Check microphone audio separately

The virtual camera is a video route; do not assume that its picture automatically carries your microphone audio into the meeting. Choose and test the microphone separately in Zoom or Teams.

If OBS audio is the actual problem, use our OBS microphone and track-routing guide. Finish by asking a participant to confirm the intended picture and sound, since a correct OBS preview alone does not prove the meeting receives both.