Video calling usage is on the rise. Almost every company and organization around the world is switching to video calling tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet to conduct digital meetings and conferences. Google Meet is the new entrant, and the search giant recently made Google Meet free for all. While you don't need to download and install an app on your computer, you can use virtual backgrounds to make your surroundings appear a bit different than the rest of the participants.

1-16 of over 1,000 results for 'snap security camera' Sengled Floodlight Security Camera Outdoor Full HD 1080P Security Camera WiFi with Color Night Vision Motion-Activated Two-Way Talk Works with Alexa, Waterproof Cameras Surveillance Wireless (2 Pack) 3.6 out of 5 stars 179. Image Capture is an API to capture still images and configure camera hardware settings. This API is available in Chrome 59 on Android and desktop. We've also published an ImageCapture polyfill library. The API enables control over camera features such as zoom, brightness, contrast, ISO and white balance. Chrome browser errors like “Aw, Snap!” and others could also be caused by minor software glitches, due to conflicting or stuck programs and processes on your computer. To rule out this possibility, simply Restart your computer. Snap Camera is a free camera app that allows users to experience fun camera filters while using their computer. This multimedia app basically functions like the Snapchat, except you can apply its unique and fun filters even when you are not using the app. It will let you take fun photos and funny videos through your web camera. How to add a virtual background to Google Meet using Snap Camera. You can visit Teach2You for more information https://teach2you.wordpress.com/2020/04/17/vi.

While keeping things simple, Google Meet lacks several video calling functions such as screen recording, background blur, virtual background, Whiteboard, and more. To make up for some of them, you can use Google Meet Chrome extensions.

Using virtual backgrounds during meetings can be a serious distinguishing factor that can portray your persona differently. I don't prefer participants peeking and noting random things in my background during video calls. Google has promised to bring background blur soon. Meanwhile, if you want to use virtual backgrounds, there are a few solutions.

In this post, we will guide you on two best ways to use a virtual background in Google Meets. Let’s get started.

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Use Virtual Backgrounds for Google Meet Extension

As I mentioned earlier, you can use extensions from the Chrome web store to power up Google Meet experience. To add virtual backgrounds during calls in Google Meet, we will use the Virtual Background extension. Follow the steps below to enable the function in Google Meet.

Step 1: Visit the Chrome Web Store and search for Virtual background in the search bar.

Step 2: You will find Virtual background for Google Meet at the top. Download and install the extension on Google Chrome browser. (You can also use this extension or any extension from the Chrome Web Store to other Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, and more).

Download Virtual backgrounds for Google Meet

Step 3: After successful installation, navigate to Google Meet on the web to create meetings.

Step 4: Tap on start meeting and select Join now to start the video preview.

Step 5: Tap on the Virtual background extension above and enable the extension.

The extension will offer a bunch of ready-to-go backgrounds to use during meetings. Tap on the relevant one, and you will see a live virtual background during Google Meet meetings.

The experience is far from perfect — check the screenshot above. If you move your face a lot, then you will notice the video background distorting your video view during a meeting.

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Use Snap Camera

Snap Camera is a free desktop application that brings the fun of lenses to your computer. You can use it without a Snapchat account or login. Snap Camera works as an add on for all the video calling apps out there. Go through the steps below to use Snap Camera to change the background in Google Meet.

Step 1: Go to the Snap Camera website and download the app for PC or Mac.

Download Snap Camera

Step 2: After successful installation, open the Snap Camera app.

Step 3: You will see hundreds of lenses made by community members with live preview.

Step 4: Select and apply the lens that you prefer. Use live preview mode to glance over the outcome.

Step 5: Close the Snap Camera app. Don’t worry. The app is still running in the background.

Step 6: Open a web browser and navigate to Google Meet.

Step 7: You need to change Google Meet settings to use Snap Camera as the default video camera on the service. Tap on the Settings icon at the above right corner.

Step 8: Move to the Video tab and select Snap Camera from the camera menu.

From now on, whenever you start the video calling on Google Meet, it will switch to the Snap Camera as the default video feed and use the selected lens to change the background.

You always go back to the Snap Camera app and select another lens to change the style and background.

Pro tip: Like how you changed the default video camera on Google Meet to use Snap Camera, users can apply the same trick to Zoom and Microsoft Teams to apply Snapchat lenses.
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Share Screen in Google Meet

Google Meet allows you to share screens with participants. It’s essential when you want to showcase the current screen and discuss the topic in detail. Before starting a meeting, you can tap on the Present now button at the bottom right corner and select one of the two options—share entire screen or application window.

Your entire screen option will share the current screen to attendees. A window option will let you select from currently opened windows from the PC or Mac. Google Meet’s Screen Sharing lacks several features compared to Microsoft Teams and Zoom. For example, there is no Whiteboard function. Also, you can't doodle on display while sharing screens. I would like to see Google Drive integration to share files from the cloud service.

Hide Your Background in Google Meet

Google Meet gets the basics right. But at the same time, it lacks a few nifty features such as virtual background, blur background, Whiteboard, etc. As for Virtual background, you can use the Chrome extension or Snap Camera to add some style during video calls. For the rest, we'll have to wait for the future updates.

Store

Next up:Confused between Google Hangouts and Meet? Read the comparison post below to find the difference between two video calling apps.


The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextGoogle Meet vs Hangouts: Which Video Conferencing App Should You Use

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Also See#google meet #video calls

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The 2013 Google blackout caused 40% drop in Internet traffic worldwide.

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Keep getting a “No Camera Found” error message in Google Meet no matter what you tried to fix it?

Now you’re not here to learn more about Google Meet or what it can for you because frankly, you wouldn’t have clicked on this post if you didn’t know about Google Meet.

The ‘No Camera Found’ issue is one particular error that a lot of users have come to encounter. Below we list all of the most effective and battle-tested solutions in order to fix the issue as well as hopefully get Google Meet running with your webcam/camera on your PC or Mac.

Thanks go out to the contributors over on the forums as well as our readers who shared some of the solutions they tried. 🙂

Take note that some of the solutions in this guide can also be applicable if you find that the camera is not working on your Google Meet app on iOS or Android devices.

Okay, let’s get started!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

How to Fix ‘No Camera Found’ in Google Meet: 6 Ways

1. Allow Google Meet To Access Your Camera.

Before you try anything else in this guide or even consider scrolling down, you will need to check if Google Meet has the permissions to access your machine’s Camera and Microphone.

Here’s what you do:

  1. If you’ve not signed in to your Google Meet, then you will want to first sign in to your Google accounts here: meet.google.com
  1. Next, click on the Join or start meeting to either join a meeting or start a meeting of your own. Take note that starting your own meeting will require you to have a G Suite account. Our thanks go out to Kairos Technologies for allowing us to use their images below.
  1. Enter your meeting room name or the name for your new meeting, which you would like to create.
  1. Next, once you’re in, you should see your camera window appear on the left, but it may show as ‘No Camera Found’ or ‘Camera is off.’ You will want to click on the little camera-like icon with a red ‘X’ icon right next to the ‘Bookmark this tab’ button (star icon) located on the top left of your Chrome search browser. Note that the position of this icon may vary depending on which search browser you’re using.
  1. Once you click on this little camera icon, select the option to Always allow https://meet.google.com to access your camera and microphone.
  1. After that, reload the page to see the change in permissions come into effect. As you can see below, you should now be able to see the webcam/camera working with Google Meet. The ‘Camera is off’ or ‘No Camera Found’ error message will no longer show.
  • For confirmation, whether it is indeed working, you can click on the More options button (three dots) located on the bottom-right corner of your camera window.
  • Select Settings.
  • Then click on the Camera tab to see if it is using the correct webcam or camera you have on your machine.

There you go, you should now be able to use your camera with Google Meet for video calls and meetings.

2. Check Your Camera.

Another often overlooked aspect is of the camera (webcam) on our machine itself.

It’s possible that the camera is closed with a shutter, which is a feature that is available for a select number of PCs to stop prying eyes from spying on you. Make sure that the camera is in no way damaged or disconnected from your PC. The latter is especially the case if you’re using third-party webcams.

Another important setting is the camera permissions on your PC or Mac. There is a setting in your machine, which you can enable/restrict access to the inbuilt camera.

Here’s how you can locate the setting and make sure that it is not disabled:

For Windows 10

  1. Click on the Start button
  2. Then select the Settings button (the gear icon). It’s right above your ‘Shut Down’, ‘Sleep’, ‘Restart’ button.
  3. Next, from the list of settings, select Privacy.
  1. From the left sidebar, under App Permissions, select Camera.
  1. Now under Allow access to the camera on this device heading, click on the Change button. Make sure that the Camera access for this device is turned On rather than Off.

For Mac

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Security & Privacy.
  2. Click Privacy.
  3. Select the Camera.
  4. Select the checkbox next to an app to allow it to access your camera. In this case, you will want to make sure your search browser (Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) is checked.

Once you’ve made sure that your camera is connected and working as well as allowed to be enabled when using Google Meet, you can try again to connect to your camera in Google Meet.

3. Use The Latest Version of Your Search Browser.

A search browser like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge is updated via automatic updates in the background. However, at times, such automatic updates may fail and require manual intervention.

By making sure that your search browser is up-to-date, you can rest assured that the issue is not due to any bugs or technical issues that were with the older versions.

Here’s how you can check for updates for your search browser:

For Google Chrome

  1. You can see if there are any updates by clicking the Menu (three dots)> Help > About Google Chrome. Alternatively, you can also type chrome://settings/help into the search bar and then hit Enter.
  2. In the About Chrome page, it will automatically begin to check for the latest updates. It may take a few minutes. If there is an update to be installed, Download and Install it. If not, it will show up as “Google Chrome is up to date”.

For Microsoft Edge

  1. Click the Menu(three dots) > Help and feedback > About Microsoft Edge. Alternatively, you can also type edge://settings/help into the search bar and then hit Enter.
  2. When you’re in the About Microsoft Edge page, it will automatically begin to check for the latest updates. If there is an update to be installed, Download and Install it. If not, it will show up as “Microsoft Edge is up to date.

For Mozilla Firefox

  1. Click the Menu button (the three lines), click Help (question mark), and select About Firefox.
  2. Next, when the About Mozilla Firefox window opens. Firefox will check for updates and download them automatically.
  3. If an update is available and downloaded, hit the Restart to update Firefox.

For Safari

  1. Updating Safari is pretty straightforward, as you only need to update the macOS itself. To update your macOS, simply click on System Preferences from the Apple menu, then click Software Update to check for updates.
  2. If any updates are available, then click the Update Now button to install them. If it says “Mac is up to date”, then the current version of macOS installed on your Mac is the latest version for Safari too.

Once you’ve updated your search browser, restart the computer, and try once again to use Google Meet from your search browser of choice.

If Google Meet doesn’t work with that particular browser such as Google Chrome, then try using an alternative such as Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari, vice versa.

4. Turn Off All Of Your Extensions.

Having many extensions on your search browser, which you may think is good, but in actual fact, it can do more harm than good.

Although Google does vet the extensions for security to some degree, it can still cause conflicts with certain services accessed on your search browser.

Several users have reported that by turning off extensions like Grammarly, enabled back the camera on Google Meet. We recommend that you turn off all of your extensions and then retesting Google Meet to see if it works. After that, reenable one extension at a time until you find the faulty extension.

Here are the steps to turn off your extensions on your search browser of choice:

For Google Chrome

  1. Type chrome://extensions/ into the search bar and then press Enter. All of your installed extensions will be located here on this page.
  2. To disable an extension, simply toggle to turn off the switch located on the bottom-right corner of each extension. If you intend to remove the extension, click on the Remove button for each extension.

For Microsoft Edge

  1. Type edge://extensions/ into the search bar and then press Enter. All of your installed extensions will be located here on this page.
  2. To disable the extension, simply toggle to turn off the switch located on the right corner of each extension. If you intend to remove the extension, click on the Remove button located below each extension.

For Mozilla Firefox

  1. Click the Menu (three dots), click on Add-ons, and select Extensions.
  2. Scroll through the list of extensions and click on the blue toggle for the extension that you wish to disable.
  3. If you wish to remove the extension, then click on the More (three dots) button right next to the blue toggle and select Remove from the dropdown list.

For Safari

  1. Choose Safari > Preferences, then click Extensions.
  2. To turn off an extension, deselect its checkbox.
  3. To uninstall an extension, select the extension and click the Uninstall button.

5. Disable Your VPN or Antivirus.

Using a VPN is handy when trying to route the internet connection in the region or locale of your choice. However, with as many benefits it brings, it can confuse services like Google Meet and cause trouble when connecting to your machine.

So if you’re using one of the many VPN services such as NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, etc. then we recommend temporarily disabling it. Once the VPN is disabled, refresh your search browser and then retry to access Google Meet.

The same goes for your antivirus as well as the firewall too. Try to temporarily turn off the antivirus running on your PC or Mac. Some examples of antivirus include Microsft Defender, Bitdefender, Malwarebytes, etc.

As for the firewall, you will also want to make sure that it is temporarily disabled too.

Here’s how you can disable your firewall:

If you’re on Windows 10 PC

  1. Click on the Start button from the bottom left corner and then select Settings (the gear icon)
  2. Next select Update & Security.
  3. Then select Windows Security from the left sidebar.
  4. Under Protection areas, click on Firewall & network protection.
  1. Now make sure that under the Domain network, Private network and Public network options that the Firewall is turned off. To turn it off, simply click on each one and then toggle the switch off under Windows Defender Firewall.

If you’re on Mac (macOS)

  1. Go to Apple Menu and then select System Preferences.
  2. Then select Security & Privacy.
  3. Click on the Firewall tab.
  4. Next, click on the lock icon in the bottom left corner of the window and enter your administrator password.
  5. Lastly, click Turn Off Firewall.

Once you’ve made sure to turn off your VPN, antivirus, and firewall, try reconnecting to Google Meet and see if you still encounter the ‘No Camera Found’ error message. We recommend that you reenable both your antivirus and firewall if your camera still doesn’t work in Google Meet.

6. Configure Your GPU Settings.

A few users shared this solution over on the Google Support forums. They found that by tweaking their GPU settings on their PC, they were able to get their camera to work again.

This method has worked mainly for users who’ve had two video cards on their computer: integrated GPU and discrete GPU (NVIDIA, Intel, AMD, etc.).

Here are the steps:

  1. Open your video card’s control panel on your computer. You can do this by clicking on the Start button and then searching for your video card (“NVIDIA”, “AMD” or “Intel”). If you can’t find it, then click on your taskbar icons (located on the bottom right corner)
  1. In our case, we are using NVIDIA. Click on the Manage 3D Settings from the left sidebar, and then choose the Program Settings tab.
  2. Next, under Select a program to customize, make sure the search browser that you’re using is selected.
  3. Then under the Select the preferred graphics processor for this program option, choose the High-performance NVIDIA processor option instead of the default Integrated graphics.

Snap Camera Chrome Extension

You may need to restart your computer to have the changes take effect. Once you’ve restarted, try using Google Meet again to see if your camera can be found.

By now, you should be able to use your camera with Google Meet without any issues. 😊

Keep Getting the ‘No Camera Found’ Error in Google Meet? Then Do This.

If the problem persists, then it most probably will be with either the service itself (which should be rectified in a few hours) or your device itself. For the latter of which we recommend that you first test your camera using other services like Zoom, Discord, or Microsoft Teams to test if the camera is working with other services. If the camera still doesn’t work, then it’s possible that the issue is with the device itself, and you will want to reach out to the device manufacturer’s support and explain the issue.

Snap Camera Chrome Extension

This brings us to the end of this post. Feel free to refer to the comments below posted by other users who’d experienced the same ‘No Camera Found’ in Google Meet issues as well as their shared solutions to see if it benefits you. Also, let us know down below if you have any questions, and we will try to help you out. ❤

Snap Camera Chrome Web Store

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂