Camera or microphone unavailable EN

You'll see this message when Rekorder tries to use a camera or microphone you selected, but Chrome can't get a working stream from it. This usually means the device is unplugged or was removed, or it's already being used by another app - only one program can access a camera or microphone at a time, so a video call, another conferencing tool, or another recording session can block Rekorder from reaching it.

When you'll see it

• Right when a recording starts, if the camera or microphone you had selected can no longer be reached.
• Mid-recording, if you turn the camera on from the recording control bar and it fails to start. In this case Rekorder switches the camera back off for you automatically and just lets you know.

Continuing without the device

When this happens at the start of a recording, you get a choice: Cancel to stop, or Continue to keep going without that device.

• If you're recording a screen, tab or window with the camera overlay on, continuing just drops the camera bubble (or your microphone audio, if that's the device that failed) - the rest of the recording is unaffected.
• If you're doing a camera-only recording (no screen), there's nothing to fall back on: continuing without a camera just records a "Camera unavailable" placeholder for the whole video. In that case, it's better to cancel, fix the device, and start again.

Fix the device and try again

• Make sure the camera or microphone is plugged in, turned on, and not covered by a physical shutter or mute switch.
• Close any other app or browser tab that might be using it, such as a video calling app, another conferencing tool, or a second Rekorder recording already in progress.
• If Chrome is blocking access rather than reporting the device as unavailable, see Camera or microphone permission is blocked instead.
• Once the device is free, reopen the extension popup so it can detect it again - a device that isn't reachable also won't appear in the camera or microphone list in Settings.

Related articles

• Camera or microphone permission is blocked
• Allow camera and microphone access
• Record your voice and pick a microphone
• Add your camera to a screen recording
• The recording could not be started