If you've ever been in a Google Hangouts video call and the video between yourself and the other person isn't working properly, it can be frustrating to figure out where to begin to get things resolved quickly. Some common Google Hangouts video issues involve not being able to see others, others not being able to see you, or your video being blurry, fuzzy or choppy. This guide will take you through how to check the video settings within Hangouts, adjust the appropriate settings on your computer, or update your display or camera drivers to make sure things are working the way they're supposed to.
What You'll Need:
No extra tools or supplies are needed.
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Before You Begin:
Google Hangouts is a web app that doesn't need to be installed on your computer. However, to get the best experience with Hangouts, it's recommended to use Google Chrome.
If you can't see others while you're in a call, it may be because you are having issues with your display adapter, also known as the video card. Display issues can sometimes be caused by outdated or corrupted drivers. Drivers are specific software that tell the operating system how to operate the computer's internal components.
Update the Display Driver on a Windows PC
Search Device Manager.
Select Device Manager.
Select the small arrow next to Display adapters to expand that section, and see the devices in them.
Double click one of the devices under one of these headings to show its properties. Select Driver.
Select Update Driver.
Select Search automatically for updated driver software.
Windows will automatically locate any updated drivers available.
If any updated drivers are available, you'll be offered the chance to install them. Once installed, or if none are available, close the driver updater for this device.
Repeat these steps until you've made sure all Display adapter devices are up-to-date.
Update the Display Driver on a Mac
There are two areas to check for updates for your Mac, the System Software and the Apps installed from the App Store. When you update your Mac System, it will also update your video drivers.
Update System Software
Open the Apple menu, and select System Preferences.
Select Software Update.
Any updates to your System Software will be offered here.
Update App Store Apps
Open the Apple menu, and select App Store.
Select Updates on the left. Any updates available will be offered here.
3. Others Can't See Me
If others can't see you while in a call, here's what you can do:
Check the Camera Status in Hangouts
Look at the middle bottom and make sure your camera isn't turned off.
Camera Turned On
If you see a white camera on a black background, it means others should be able to see you.
Camera Turned Off
If you see a black camera with a strikethrough on a white background, it means others should not be able to see you.
Check the Camera Settings in Hangouts
Click on Settings in the top right.
Make sure you have the correct Camera selected.
Click Done once you've set your camera settings correctly.
Check the Camera Settings in the Browser
Within the browser, click the Padlock icon to the left of the web address, and make sure the Camera permission is set to Allow and not to Block.
Additional Things to Check
Some cameras have a cover for privacy reasons. If you have one of those, make sure you uncover the camera lens.
External Camera with Cover
Laptop Camera with Cover
You may also want to make sure you have proper lighting and the camera angle is right so that your camera feed is as clear as possible.
Make sure that all other programs that could use the camera, such as Skype, FaceTime, Discord etc. are not using it or are closed.
You may need to reload Hangouts in your browser to be able to initialize the camera.
If you have an external camera but you can't see the live view, you may need to unplug and plug it back in, or even try a different USB port.
Make sure you close Hangouts before doing this, and only open it after the camera is plugged back in.
If you have a Mac computer running on macOS 10.14 Mojave or later you may need to make sure the browser you are using has permission to access your camera.
Camera issues can sometimes be caused by outdated or corrupted drivers. Drivers are specific software that tell the operating system how to operate the computer's internal components.
Update the Camera Driver on a Windows PC
Search Device Manager.
Select Device Manager.
Select the small arrow next to Imaging devices to expand that section. If Imaging devices doesn't show in the list, look for Cameras instead.
Double click the camera to show its properties. Select the Driver tab.
Select Update Driver.
Select Search automatically for updated driver software.
Windows will automatically locate any update available drivers.
If any updated drivers are available, you'll be offered the chance to install them. Once installed, or if none are available, close the driver updater.
Update the Camera Driver on a Mac
There are two areas to check for updates for your Mac, the System Software and the Apps installed from the App Store. When you update your Mac System, it will also update your video drivers.
Update System Software
Open the Apple menu, and select System Preferences.
Select Software Update.
Any updates to your System Software will be offered here.
Update App Store Apps
Open the Apple menu, and select App Store.
Select Updates on the left. Any updates available will be offered here.
4. I See Poor Video Quality And/Or Others See the Same
Blurry, fuzzy or choppy video quality may be caused by a few reasons. It may be caused by a slow computer, a poor internet connection or even a low quality camera.
Close Other Apps
The computer may be running slow because its processor (CPU) is being overused or its memory (RAM) is running low. A quick possible fix for this is to close any unused or unnecessary apps.
Close Apps on a Windows PC
Closing Unused programs will give your computer more resources to use elsewhere.
Press the CTRL + ALT + DEL keys on your keyboard at the same time.
Choose Task Manager from the screen that comes up.
You will see a list of programs that are open. Choose a program you are not using, and click on End Task. Repeat as needed.
Close Apps on a Mac
When you hit the red circle to close a window, the program may still run in the background. If you run too many applications at the same time you can have issues where you run out of memory, or an open program is using a good chunk of your CPU, and decrease battery life.
There are 2 ways to close a program on your Mac. The first way is preferred.
Quit A Program Normally
Look at the Dock, the bar with the icons, usually at the bottom of your screen.
Items that are running have a small black dot below them. Select that item to bring that App to the forefront.
Finder, the first icon on the bar, will always be running, and can be ignored.
Select the name of the program from the menu bar at the top, then choose Quit.
Force Quit a Program
Select the Apple menu, then select Force Quit.
Select the program you are having problems closing, then select Force Quit.
You will be prompted to confirm, select Force Quit.
Any unsaved work will be lost from a program that you Force Quit.
You can not close the Finder application.
Reboot the Computer
Slow performance may also be caused by underlying issues that can be quickly resolved by simply rebooting the computer.
After rebooting the computer you may still need to close some apps that initialize on startup.
Reboot a Windows PC
Select the Start menu, then select Power.
Select Restart.
Reboot a Mac
From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu, then Restart...
Troubleshoot the Internet Connection
If your computer is running fine or you've fixed your computer's performance issues, then your poor video quality may be caused by your Internet connection. Troubleshooting an Internet connection can become complicated and take a longer time. We have a few other guides that may help you fix it.
If you've exhausted all the above troubleshooting options or if you're using an older camera with low quality you may want to consider replacing it with a more up to date camera that can improve your video quality.
This will only improve the way you or others see your camera. It will not improve how you see other's cameras.
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