To make CiCi Cam available as a virtual camera on a supported Mac, keep CiCi Cam in the Applications folder, open it, approve its camera extension when macOS asks, and grant camera access separately under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera. Then fully quit and reopen Zoom, Discord, OBS, or the other app that needs to discover the new camera.
CiCi Cam for Mac requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon. It does not support Intel Macs.
Camera extension approval and camera permission are different
macOS applies two separate controls:
| Control | What it allows | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Camera extension approval | Lets macOS load the custom camera device that other apps can select | Follow the approval prompt; depending on the macOS version, check Privacy & Security or General → Login Items & Extensions → Camera Extensions |
| Camera permission | Lets an app read a physical or virtual camera | System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera |
Turning on one does not automatically turn on the other. CiCi Cam needs access to the physical webcam it processes, while Zoom, Discord, OBS, or another destination app needs permission to use camera devices. The camera extension must also be enabled before it can appear as a selectable device.
Before you begin
Check the Mac and installation first:
- Choose Apple menu → About This Mac.
- Confirm the chip is Apple silicon, such as Apple M1, M2, M3, M4, or a later Apple chip.
- Confirm the macOS version is 14 or later.
- Make sure CiCi Cam.app is inside
/Applications, not running from Downloads, a disk image, or another temporary folder. - Sign in with an administrator account, or have an administrator available to approve the extension.
Apple’s developer documentation states that only apps in /Applications can activate their bundled camera extension and that an administrator must explicitly allow the extension before the system can use it.
Step 1: Move CiCi Cam to Applications
If CiCi Cam is still in Downloads or inside the installer disk image:
- Quit CiCi Cam.
- Open Finder.
- Drag CiCi Cam into Applications.
- Eject the installer disk image if one is mounted.
- Open CiCi Cam from the Applications folder.
Do not keep two copies of the app in different folders. Opening an older copy can make it unclear which build requested the extension.
Step 2: Respond to the macOS approval prompt
Open CiCi Cam from Applications. If macOS reports that a system or camera extension was blocked or needs approval, use the button in that message to open System Settings.
The exact label and location can differ between macOS releases. Use the path macOS opens first. You may see one of these controls:
- A blocked system-software message in System Settings → Privacy & Security, with an Allow button
- System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Camera Extensions, where the installed CiCi Cam extension can be enabled
Enter an administrator password or use Touch ID if macOS requests authorization. Only enable the entry that clearly belongs to the CiCi Cam installation you obtained from the official download.
If Camera Extensions appears as a category, click its information button, turn on the CiCi Cam entry, and click Done. If the entry is already on, leave it on and continue to camera permission.
Step 3: Grant CiCi Cam camera access
The extension approval makes a custom camera available to macOS. It does not give CiCi Cam permission to read your physical webcam.
- Open Apple menu → System Settings.
- Select Privacy & Security.
- Select Camera.
- Turn on access for CiCi Cam if it appears.
- Also enable the destination app—such as Zoom, Discord, or OBS—if it appears and needs camera access.
Apple notes that this list contains apps that have already requested camera access. If an app is missing, open that app and try to use its camera once so macOS can display the permission request. If you change a permission while the app is open, quit and reopen it.
Step 4: Restart apps in signal order
Camera menus are often built when an app launches. Closing only a meeting window may not refresh the list.
Use this order:
- Quit Zoom, Discord, OBS, browser-based meeting apps, and other camera apps completely.
- Open CiCi Cam from Applications.
- Select the physical webcam and confirm that the CiCi Cam preview moves normally.
- Open one destination app.
- Select CiCi Cam from that app’s camera menu.
For OBS, add CiCi Cam as a Video Capture Device. Do not start OBS Virtual Camera to bring CiCi Cam into OBS; OBS Virtual Camera sends an OBS scene outward in the opposite direction.
Step 5: Restart the Mac if the device list is stale
After approving or updating a camera extension, a full restart gives macOS and destination apps a clean device list. Restart the Mac if:
- you approved the extension but no app can see it;
- the extension entry changed but the camera menu did not;
- CiCi Cam was updated while a destination app was running;
- an old or duplicate virtual-camera entry remains visible.
After restarting, open CiCi Cam first and test one destination before opening other video apps.
If Camera Extensions does not show CiCi Cam
Work through these checks without deleting system files manually:
- Confirm the Mac is Apple Silicon and runs macOS 14 or later.
- Confirm the app is in
/Applicationsand open that copy. - Quit and reopen System Settings after launching CiCi Cam.
- Check Privacy & Security for a blocked-software approval message.
- Reinstall the current CiCi Cam Mac build from the official download, then restart the Mac.
- On a work or school Mac, ask the administrator whether system or camera extensions are restricted by device-management policy.
Do not use a Recovery Mode command intended to restore legacy camera plug-ins as the normal CiCi Cam fix. Apple introduced modern camera extensions to replace older plug-ins, and changing legacy security settings is a separate compatibility workaround for old devices. It does not replace approving the current extension and camera permissions.
If the extension is enabled but apps cannot see CiCi Cam
The extension may be loaded while the destination app still has an old camera list or lacks permission.
Check in this order:
- Confirm CiCi Cam itself can preview the physical webcam.
- Check Privacy & Security → Camera for both CiCi Cam and the destination app.
- Fully quit and reopen the destination app.
- Test a second camera-capable app to determine whether the problem affects one app or the whole system.
- Restart the Mac.
- If no app detects the device, reinstall the current build rather than copying extension files manually.
For the broader device-registration and launch-order checklist, see Virtual Camera Not Showing Up in Zoom, Teams, or OBS?.
If CiCi Cam can see no physical webcam
This is usually camera permission or camera contention rather than camera-extension approval.
- Turn on CiCi Cam under Privacy & Security → Camera.
- Quit FaceTime, Photo Booth, browsers, meeting apps, and other tools using the physical webcam.
- Disconnect and reconnect an external USB webcam if applicable.
- Open CiCi Cam again and select the physical camera.
The intended signal path is:
Physical webcam → CiCi Cam processing → CiCi Cam virtual camera → Zoom, Discord, OBS, or another destination
The destination should select CiCi Cam, not reopen the same physical webcam.
Managed Macs and administrator approval
A company or school Mac may prevent users from approving system extensions or installing desktop camera software. If the Allow control is missing, disabled, or repeatedly reverts, collect these details for IT:
- CiCi Cam version
- macOS version
- Mac chip
- whether CiCi Cam is in
/Applications - the exact message shown by macOS
- whether CiCi Cam appears under Camera Extensions
Do not promise that a local reinstall can override organization policy. The administrator may need to approve the extension through the organization’s device-management configuration.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Camera Extensions on Mac?
On current macOS versions that expose the category, open System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions, find Camera Extensions, and click its information button. Approval prompts or some macOS versions may instead direct you to Privacy & Security. Follow the system prompt shown on that Mac.
Why is CiCi Cam not listed under Camera permission?
The Camera list shows apps that have requested access. Open CiCi Cam from Applications and try to select the physical webcam. When macOS asks, choose Allow, then recheck Privacy & Security → Camera.
Why is the extension enabled but Zoom or Discord still cannot see it?
The app may have loaded its camera list before the extension became available, or it may lack camera permission. Fully quit and reopen the app, check its Camera permission, and restart the Mac if the list remains stale.
Do I need to disable Mac security features?
No for the normal setup. Approve the current CiCi Cam camera extension through System Settings and grant camera permission. Do not change Recovery Mode legacy-camera settings as a routine installation step.
Does CiCi Cam support Intel Macs?
No. The current Mac version requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon.
Sources and review scope
This guide was reviewed on August 5, 2026 against Apple’s documentation for camera access, Login Items & Extensions, Core Media I/O camera extensions, and modern camera-extension requirements in macOS Sonoma 14.1. Menu wording can change between macOS releases, so follow the approval prompt on the Mac when it differs from the examples above.