Camera output no longer seen on Ubuntu 18.04 | Community
Skip to main content
G
Newcomer
GitLabber
Newcomer
May 11, 2022
Question

Camera output no longer seen on Ubuntu 18.04

  • May 11, 2022
  • 5 replies
  • 1 view

I am running the latest version of Zoom (5.10.6) on Ubuntu 18.04 and as of this morning Zoom is no longer able to view

my camera output (Logitech C525).  Other applications are able to view the camera output but not Zoom.

 

When I select my C525 camera for video the screen is black.   I have uninstalled and reinstalled the application multiple times. 

 

Are device permissions stored under /opt/zoom for things like cameras? 

 

Thanks!

      5 replies

      R
      Newcomer
      rknapp
      Newcomer
      May 12, 2022

      Did you ever find a solution to this issue? I am having the same problem following an upgrade to Zoom 5.10.4 on Ubuntu 22.04. When I start Zoom by opening a scheduled meeting from a calendar link, the camera (Logitech C920) is recognized but the displayed video is just a black screen. However, if I close Zoom and reopen it from the Zoom program icon (e.g., in the Favorites bar) the video displays properly when I subsequently click on a calendar meeting link. So, my current workaround is to start Zoom from the program icon. Not ideal, but it works for me.

      G
      Newcomer
      GitLabberAuthor
      Newcomer
      May 13, 2022

      I tried everything.  My only recourse was to downgrade from 5.10 to 5.9.

       

      At the end of the day I followed this process to regain the use of my camera:
      • uninstalled Zoom (sudo apt remove zoom)
      • moved my ~/.zoom folder to ~/.zoom-prev
      • installed a previously known working version of Zoom (in this case 5.9.6)
      • ensured my C525 camera was, indeed, on /dev/video2 - where Zoom had previously expected it.
      R
      Newcomer
      rknapp
      Newcomer
      May 13, 2022

      Thanks for the description of your workaround. Let's hope that future Zoom releases for Ubuntu resolve this issue.

      C
      Newcomer
      compressor
      Newcomer
      July 6, 2022

      I had this same issue with Zoom 5.10.6 on Ubuntu 18.04 and found that when I switched off "blur background" the camera worked properly.

        R
        Newcomer
        rknapp
        Newcomer
        July 14, 2022

        This solved the issue for me too. C'mon Zoom, please fix this bug.

        G
        Newcomer
        GitLabberAuthor
        Newcomer
        July 6, 2022

        That is interesting.   I have not used the "blur background" feature until a few weeks ago so I am confident that was not my issue.  I have noticed that if I use (shudder) Microsoft Teams and exit the desktop application it will hold my camera connection and prevent Zoom from using it.

        M
        Newcomer
        MarlinBailey
        Newcomer
        January 5, 2025

        It seems like a permissions issue. Try resetting Zoom or checking Ubuntu settings—FUN&FIN troubleshooting!

        G
        Newcomer
        GitLabberAuthor
        Newcomer
        January 7, 2025

        It could be a permission issue for some users.  In my case (see above) it clearly was not.  It was a bug in the latest release.  I downgraded until the bug was fixed and the new version released.  Problem solved.

        Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
        Copyright © Zoom Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.