There are a lot of great things you can do with your MacBook device, and the camera enables you to do quite a bit with it, like video chatting with your friends and loved ones. Camera quality in devices like these has become significantly better over the years, but for all the great advancements, there have also been problems reported with them. For MacBook users, one issue that arises is a blurry camera. But why does it get blurry?
If your MacBook camera is having issues with blurriness, the first thing you should do is make sure that the camera is clean. Take a soft cloth to the camera and wipe it, which should fix it if that is the issue. If the dirtiness is more serious, unplug your MacBook and power it down. Take a slightly damp cloth to clean it off, and dry it with another cloth. It may also be an issue of a specific program giving you trouble.
But what else might cause a MacBook camera to become blurry? And what do you do if none of the fixes work?
Why is my MacBook Camera Blurry?
1. The MacBook camera is fogged up or otherwise obscured
A common reason why your MacBook camera may be blurry is due to external factors. For example, if your MacBook camera is fogged up, this will obviously cause your camera’s view to be blurry. This is a fairly easy fix, as you can simply clean it up with a wipe. Make sure you use something like a lens cleaner cloth that is less likely to leave scratches behind. If something stickier or messier is on your MacBook camera, make sure your MacBook is powered down before going at it with a slightly damp cloth to carefully clean it off. Once you have the sticky substance cleaned off, take a dry cloth and clean off the dampness. Let it dry for a bit, and you should be good to go.
To ensure that your MacBook’s camera is not allowed to become fogged up, make sure that you use your MacBook only in the right environments. While there are some cameras that are either designed to resist more extreme temperatures or can be made more resilient, the MacBook camera itself is not designed for that. For instance, if you are going on a vacation to a hot region, moving your MacBook from a temperature-controlled area like an air-conditioned hotel room or car into the heat may cause your MacBook’s camera to fog up. The opposite is also true. It may take time for your lens to acclimate to the change in temperature, so wait a few minutes to see if it gets any better. This may take as long as half an hour, however.
Depending on the temperature, it may be worthwhile to have your MacBook out in the open a little while before you intend to use it. That way, it will already be acclimated to the weather. If it is either far too cold or hot, however, we would suggest not taking the risk. This is because the MacBook has a certain range of temperature at which it can operate before damage comes to it. The MacBook is capable of operating safely between the temperatures of 50F and 95F (10C and 35C), while the storage temperature is -13F to 113F (-25C to 45C).
2. The MacBook has a case that interferes with the camera
If the problematic MacBook device is a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro and they have a case, remove the case to see if that fixes the blurriness issue.
3. Your Internet connection is reducing the quality of the camera
This occurs for many things on the Internet, ranging from streams, videos, and, of course, your camera feed. If your Internet connection is running poorly, the quality of the feed will become reduced in order to not reduce quality of performance. There are multiple ways you can address a poor Internet connection. The first would be to make sure you are close enough to your router.
Your router can only reach so far, and the further away the MacBook is from it, the slower and less consistent your connection will be. Another issue is to do with what gets in the way of the Wi-Fi signals. The Wi-Fi signal may have to travel through walls, floors, and ceilings to reach your device, and the more it has to go through, the weaker the resulting connection will be. Certain walls can have materials that reduce the strength of the signal even further. If you have a router near you, or are using Wi-Fi extenders, you could simply plug into them using an Ethernet cable to not rely on the signal at all for your camera quality.
You can also attempt to repair a poor connection by unplugging your router. Once you unplug it, let it sit for about half a minute, and then plug it back in. This is not a guaranteed fix, but for many, this may be enough to get their Internet connection back up to snuff. You could also be dealing with wires affected by temperature over time. For instance, in extreme heat, the jacket around the cables could soften or expand, which slows down the connection. However, if it is not working even after this, there could just as well be an issue with the connection on your provider’s end, and you will just have to wait until that is resolved to get rid of your MacBook camera’s blurriness.
4. Your room has poor lighting
How good a picture your camera presents depends on a variety of factors, including the quality of lighting around it. Even if the lighting in the area seems fine for your eyes, your camera will need clearer lighting in order for it to take a proper photo that is not blurry. This is especially evident when you are trying to do a close-up photo with your MacBook using indoor light. Make sure that wherever you are using your MacBook’s camera, have adequate lighting around you if you want to ensure that the feed is good quality. Using daylight halogen bulbs or direct sunlight can do a world of good to help light things up.
5. The MacBook camera is defective
This issue is one that is more difficult to fix, as reasonably, the only way to address it is to get in contact with Apple’s customer service representatives. Camera defects can manifest in multiple ways, and are not going to be a common issue for any device with a camera, unless the device has serious design issues.
Can you adjust the settings for the MacBook camera?
While a built-in MacBook webcam is not the most advanced camera out there, not nearly as powerful as some of the more powerful cameras, the MacBook camera is no slouch either. You are able to modify a lot of factors of certain cameras, but do MacBook cameras allow you to do this?
The bad news is that modifying the webcam’s settings on your MacBook is simply not possible, at least not based on what is included with the MacBook. This means that you cannot change things like the image brightness without going the extra mile. The alternative would be to download a third-party webcam app that has the ability to change these kinds of settings. An app like this can be found on the App Store on your MacBook, but expect that you will have to pay a certain amount of money.
One of these apps is called Webcam Settings, which costs $7.99. Using this, you can modify different settings of your MacBook’s webcam, including brightness, contrast, focus, aperture, and in certain cameras, zoom.
Can you get a third-party webcam for your MacBook?
If you are dissatisfied with the quality of the built-in camera of your MacBook, the good news is that you can get a third-party webcam to act as a replacement. This does a lot of good to improve your camera quality, as the quality of third-party webcams is significantly more scalable. You can also use the above-mentioned ‘Webcam Settings’ app to modify the settings of these webcams. You can either use a camera that you put on a tripod, or one that you hook on the MacBook itself.
How do I fix camera problems in apps?
If the camera does appear to be having problems with only select apps, try to reset the system management controller (SMC) of your MacBook. The method only applies to certain MacBooks, so check to see whether this would work for yours. First, shut down the MacBook, and on the built-in keyboard, press and hold left Shift, left Control, and left Option (Alt) at the same time. While all three of these keys are held, push and hold the power button, and keep them held down for 10 seconds. Release all four keys, and then press power.
If your MacBook has a removable battery, another option would be to shut down your MacBook, and then remove the battery. If you are not confident in your ability to take it out correctly, you should contact either an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. Once removed, press and hold the power button for five seconds. Reinstall the battery, and once reinstalled, press the power button on your MacBook.
Do all MacBook devices have a camera?
There are multiple types of MacBooks out there, so it may make you wonder if all MacBooks have a camera. Thankfully, each model of MacBook has a camera, though some MacBook cameras are more advanced than others. For example, the MacBook Air and most MacBook Pro models only have a 720p camera. Now, that’s nothing to sneeze at, but it’s certainly not the best out there. However, if you want to get the best camera quality possible, you should look at buying the MacBook Pro 14 or the MacBook Pro 16, which each have a 1080p camera.
How many cameras does a MacBook have?
It is not at all uncommon to see a device with multiple cameras built into a device. For example, most – if not all – modern phones have two cameras. This is because it is a lot more convenient to be able to take selfies with one side of the camera (while seeing yourself on the camera), and convenient to be able to see what you are taking pictures of using the camera on the back of the phone.
While it would be nice to have a back camera on the MacBook, it unfortunately does not have one. This is probably because it is far less common for MacBooks to have back cameras. Thus, if you want to be able to take pictures, you have to face the screen toward the thing you want to photograph.
What do I do if my MacBook camera is broken?
There are a variety of things that can affect your MacBook camera. While the camera may be blurred, it is also possible that the camera may simply not work at all. Before determining whether the camera is flat-out broken or not, make sure that you have given permission to access your camera. If a program or website is not already given the right to access your MacBook’s camera, it will be unable to access it. Further, you can recognize whether your camera is on by looking at the camera indicator light.
Of course, while there are multiple potential fixes for a blurry camera (or other issue with your camera), there may be issues that you cannot easily fix yourself. For instance, if your camera is permanently blurry or damaged for whatever reason, you may have to get it repaired.
The thing to consider with getting your devices repaired by Apple, however, is the fact that the warranty is limited by both time and the types of damage. If the damage occurs outside of the timeframe of the warranty period, you are not likely to get coverage under the warranty. Another issue is if the damage your MacBook camera sustained was your fault. Standard warranties typically only cover damage caused by a defect in the design. So, for example, if the camera was damaged during the manufacturing or shipping processes, Apple would not be your responsibility to cover the costs of a repair.
Before sending your MacBook in for repair or replacement, however, ensure that you back up everything you want to save from the device. This includes contacts, images, songs, videos, and other files that would otherwise be lost forever if you fail to do so. You should also deauthorize iTunes before sending it in.
Ultimately, however, you can get a diagnosis of whatever is going wrong with your camera, no matter if you have a warranty covering the device or not.
Are any more MacBook models going to come out?
While there are three kinds of MacBooks – MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro – it is a little more complicated than that. MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs, for example, have multiple revisions. Different MacBook Pros have come out, for instance, that have different specifications and screen sizes. But what about any future models for any of the MacBooks?
If you are a fan of the MacBook Air, the good news is that you have a MacBook Air revision to look forward to. In July, the MacBook Air M2 is slated to be released. The M2 chip that is being added to the MacBook Air is noticeably faster than the M1 chip, and significantly faster than MacBook Air devices that were Intel-based (1.4x faster and 15x faster, respectively). In addition, the MacBook Air’s CPU is 15 percent faster than it was previously, and the GPU is 35 percent more powerful. This new MacBook Air will sell for about $1200 at minimum, and at maximum, the top-end MacBook Air sells for $2500. By comparison, the MacBook Air with an M1 chip sells for $1000 for the most basic version. Much like the new MacBook Air, however, you can get more expensive variants of this MacBook Air.
Can MacBooks be dangerous?
This is an important question to ask about any piece of technology you buy. In many cases, it is impossible to actually tell whether something is dangerous without doing research. And even then, many people will be the ones to discover how dangerous a certain technology is by being an early adopter of it, and therefore have no way to avoid the danger. There have been a lot of concerns regarding technology being potentially dangerous, especially more recently. Heck, there have even been reports of phones exploding due to the battery overheating! But do MacBooks have any issues like this?
What is important to understand is that, even if a device does not have reports of a danger, that does not mean that it can never be dangerous. A device could be defective, or it could become dangerous over time through no fault of the creator. For instance, if a device is treated poorly, it could cause some components to become unsafe.
There have been recalls for MacBooks in the past. The 15-inch MacBook Pro, for example, had a recall due to issues where the battery overheats so much, this is said to only occur in a limited number of 15-inch MacBook Pros, and only ones sold between the dates of September 2015 and February 2017. But how do you determine whether yours applies to this?
How to tell if your MacBook has been recalled
While the 15-inch MacBook Pro has had a recall issued, it only applies to certain 15-inch MacBook Pros. As mentioned above, the recall only applies to 15-inch MacBook Pros released between September 2015 and February 2017. But how can you tell whether your MacBook Pro was even the one released in that period of time? The obvious reason to ask this is to check when you purchased it, though it is still possible that you purchased a MacBook Pro released between September 2015 and February 2017 after this period of time. The recall itself occurred after this period of time, so you wouldn’t have even known until they issued it in 2019.
To figure out if your MacBook Pro qualifies for the recall, you need to put your serial number into a form on this website. Power on your 15-inch MacBook Pro, and select the Apple icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Now, select ‘About This Mac’, and you will be able to see the kind of MacBook Pro you have. If your model of MacBook is described as “MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015), you may have a MacBook that applies to the recall. Enter the serial number of your MacBook pro on the website. The serial number can be found on the bottom of the MacBook Pro, or on the box. The serial number can also be found on the ‘About This Mac’ page.
Has there been a recall for defective MacBook cameras?
Even if there is a defect in your MacBook camera that causes the camera to be blurry, that does not necessarily mean that a recall will be sent. Defects in products are inevitable, but if they are extremely rare and not dangerous, it is not likely that there will be a recall of the product. That does not mean that you cannot get the MacBook replaced, but you have to be the one to take the initiative.
How much can a MacBook do?
While MacBooks are not the most powerful devices by any means, they are no power slouches either. Plenty of people do a lot of different activities on their MacBooks, including watching movies, browsing the web, video chatting, and playing video games. The MacBooks are not the most powerful types of computers out there, however, so you should not expect to play the most high-end video games, like Elden Ring.
- How to Pair Meta Quest 3 Controllers with Your Quest 3 Headset: A Quick Guide
- How to Charge Meta Quest 3: A Guide to Powering Up Your VR Experience
- How to Cast Meta Quest 3 to Samsung TV: A Step-by-Step Guide
- How To Factory Reset Your Meta Quest 3: A Step-by-Step Guide
- How to Power On and Off the Meta Quest 3
