Virtual Cam (or Virtual Webcam or Virtual Camera) allows you to send the output of Ecamm Live into many other Mac apps. (See compatibility information below.) This will let you use all of the features of Ecamm Live (such as Green Screen, digital zoom, Screen Sharing, and overlays) in other apps that don't otherwise have those features.

Virtual Webcam will work even when you are not using Ecamm Live to broadcast or record.
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​This feature requires an Ecamm Live Pro subscription.
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Activate Virtual Webcam by going to the menubar and finding Outputs ➝ Virtual Cam and switching it to On.

If this is your first time using the feature, you’ll be prompted to install the Virtual Webcam System Extension. The installation process will prompt you for your Mac’s administrator password.

The installation process will be different depending on whether you on using macOS 15 (Sequoia) or an older macOS version.

Once installed, macOS will prompt you to enable the newly installed extension:

Click the Open System Settings button in this message. This will open the Camera Extensions management window. Click the toggle switch to enable Ecamm Live Virtual Camera.

If needed, to access the Camera Extensions management window manually, open the System Settings app, go to General, then Login Items & Extensions. Scroll down to Extensions section and then click the (i) button in the Camera Extensions section. (Note that this section only exists in macOS 15 Sequoia or newer.)

Once installed, macOS will automatically block the newly installed extension, and then prompt you to unblock it:

Click the Open System Settings button in this message. The System Settings app will open. Click Allow in the Privacy & Security section of System Settings to complete the installation.

Note that some users may see a Details... button here instead of an Allow button. This could happen if you have other System Extensions or Kernel Extensions installed that need attention. Click Details... and then ensure that Ecamm Live Virtual Cam.app is activated.

Some users may also see a message here about changing security settings in "recovery mode". If you see this, it is likely referring to a third-party kernel extension that has been previously installed but not activated. Ecamm Live Virtual Camera is not a kernel extension and does not require security settings to be changed in recovery mode

Once installed, you may need to quit any video apps that are already open before the Virtual Webcam is recognized.

Once activated, Ecamm Virtual Webcam will show up as a camera option in other apps on your Mac, such as Zoom and Google Chrome. Select this option, and the app will use the output from Ecamm Live as a camera, including all Overlays, multi-camera layouts and Green Screen effects.

Virtual Webcam will work even when you are not using Ecamm Live to broadcast or record.

If Virtual Camera is not showing up as expected, try these troubleshooting steps.