A guest may see an “Error accessing microphone or webcam" or “There was a problem accessing your mic or camera” message in the green room or upon entering the Recording Page. This article explains what causes the error and how to troubleshoot it.
What causes this error
Zencastr needs microphone access for all recording modes, and camera access for the Record Audio, Show Video and Record Audio and Video modes.
This error appears when Zencastr is unable to access a participant’s microphone and/or camera.
This usually happens when:
The browser hasn't been granted access permissions to the microphone and/or camera. (See step 1)
The browser hasn't been granted microphone and/or camera access in the computer’s system settings. (See step 2)
Less frequently, this might happen when:
The wrong microphone and/or camera is selected in the participant’s Zencastr settings. (See step 3)
Another application, like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, is already using the camera, and the computer doesn’t allow multiple apps to access it at the same time. (See step 4)
There's an issue with the microphone and/or camera. (See step 5)
Troubleshooting steps
Troubleshooting should be completed by the participant (most often the guest) who sees the error message on their screen. If you're a host helping a guest with this issue, ask the guest to complete the steps on their own device and browser.
Note: If the recording is in the Record Audio, No Video mode, camera access is not required. Any step that involves the camera is marked with an asterisk (*) and can be skipped.
Try the following troubleshooting steps in order.
Step one: enable microphone and camera(*) access in the browser
If the guest is in the green room:
Click the site settings icon to the left of the Zencastr URL in the browser’s address bar.
Set Microphone and Camera* to Allow or toggle on.
If you don’t see these options in the dropdown, click Site Settings to open the full settings list in a new browser tab.
Refresh the page to apply the changes.
If the guest is on the recording page:
Click the site settings icon to the left of the Zencastr URL in the browser’s address bar.
Set Microphone and Camera* to Allow or toggle on.
If you don’t see these options in the dropdown, click Site Settings to open the full settings list in a new browser tab.
Refresh the page to apply the changes.
If you changed permissions while on the recording page, you’ll be taken back to the green room. Click Join to re-enter the recording page.
Step two: allow microphone and camera(*) access in system settings
For Mac users, follow Apple’s instructions to give browsers microphone and camera access:
For Windows users, follow Microsoft's instructions to give browsers microphone and camera access.
You may need to restart your browser for the changes to take effect.
Step three: check your microphone and camera(*) in Zencastr Settings
If the guest is in the green room:
Under Microphone, make sure the correct microphone is selected.
Under Speakers, make sure the correct speaker/headphones are selected.
Under Camera, make sure the correct camera is selected.*
Click Join to proceed to the Recording Page.
If the guest is on the recording page:
Click Call Settings in the top-right corner.
Under Audio input, make sure the correct microphone is selected.
Under Audio output, make sure the correct speaker/headphones are selected.
Under Camera, make sure the correct camera is selected.*
Click Done.
Step four: close other applications using the camera(*)
Close apps like Zoom or Microsoft Teams that may be running in the background and using the camera.
Step five: test the microphone and camera(*) in another browser-based app
To test that the microphone and camera* are functioning normally, open another browser-based app, such as Google Meet, and check that they can be selected as inputs and are working.
Still having trouble?
If the error persists after trying the steps above:
Try using another supported browser such as Chrome, Edge, or Brave.
Contact Zencastr Support via chat or email.