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Set up CamLoop in two minutes

CamLoop needs one quick approval the first time you run it, the same kind any Mac camera or virtual-camera app asks for. Here is exactly what to expect and how to get through it fast.

1. Move CamLoop to Applications

If you opened CamLoop straight from the disk image, drag it into your Applications folder first. macOS only lets a camera extension activate from Applications, so this step matters. CamLoop will offer to move itself if you skipped it.

2. Approve the camera extension

The first time you turn CamLoop on, macOS asks permission to enable its system extension. This is the step that lets CamLoop appear as a camera in your meeting apps.

  1. When the prompt appears, click Open System Settings (or open System Settings yourself).
  2. Go to General > Login Items & Extensions (on macOS 14 it may sit under Privacy & Security).
  3. Find CamLoop and turn it on. Enter your password if asked.
  4. That is it. You only do this once.

If you missed the prompt, just toggle CamLoop on again from the menu bar and it will reappear.

3. Pick CamLoop as your camera

Open your meeting app and choose CamLoop from the camera list. One time per app.

4. Record a clip and step away

Open CamLoop, hit Record, sit naturally for a few seconds, and stop. Then, in your next call, tap your step-away hotkey to switch to the loop, and tap it again to come back. Your audio stays live the whole time.

Troubleshooting

CamLoop does not show up as a camera. Quit and reopen your meeting app after approving the extension. Apps only scan for cameras at launch, so a fresh start makes CamLoop appear.

The approval toggle is missing. Make sure CamLoop is in your Applications folder, then turn it on again from the menu bar to re-trigger the prompt.

It still is not working. Email [email protected] and we will help you sort it out.

On a company-managed Mac

If CamLoop says your Mac’s management profile blocks camera extensions, your company’s device management (MDM) decides which system extensions may run, and CamLoop is not on its list. You cannot change that on the Mac itself. Send your IT team these details:

In the System Extensions payload of a configuration profile, IT can allow the whole team ID, or only the extension you use. Once the updated profile reaches your Mac, open CamLoop and turn it on again.

Move from the direct download to Setapp

If you downloaded CamLoop from this site and want the Setapp edition instead, CamLoop walks you through the move. CamLoop from Setapp is a separate app with its own camera, and CamLoop Pro is included in your Setapp membership. Nothing is deleted until the new copy has every clip.

  1. In CamLoop, open Settings and click Get CamLoop with Setapp. If you paid for CamLoop and Setapp is already on your Mac, the button says Move to Setapp. During the free trial, install CamLoop from Setapp first; the option then appears in Settings and on CamLoop’s main screen. After a trial ends, the same option is also on the screen that offers CamLoop Pro.
  2. Click Start the move. CamLoop gets your clips ready. Nothing is deleted.
  3. Install CamLoop from Setapp and open it. It brings in your clips and settings by itself.
  4. Allow camera access, then turn on its camera, CamLoop (Setapp), in System Settings. CamLoop from Setapp shows you where.
  5. Go back to the first copy of CamLoop and click Remove this copy…. It removes its own camera and login item, frees this Mac’s license slot if you paid, deletes its data and moves the app to the Trash. Only this copy can remove its own camera, so do not drag it to the Trash yourself.

What moves. Every clip, with its name and loop style, plus your settings, shortcuts and camera name. macOS treats CamLoop from Setapp as a different app, so it asks again for camera access and for the camera approval.

Two cameras during the move. Until you remove the first copy, your Mac has two CamLoop cameras. Once every clip has arrived and the new camera works, the old one is renamed “CamLoop (old)”. In Zoom, Meet or Teams, pick “CamLoop”. The “(Setapp)” label only shows in System Settings.

Billing. If you pay monthly, cancel your CamLoop plan so you are not billed twice. The billing portal is linked in CamLoop’s Settings. Setapp is a separate membership. A lifetime key stays valid if you come back.

Company-managed Macs. Your IT team must also allow the Setapp camera extension, com.tarikbc.camloop-setapp.cameraext. What to send them is in the section on company-managed Macs.

Standard accounts. On a Mac account that is not an administrator, Setapp installs apps in ~/Applications/Setapp, where a camera extension cannot run. Sign in to an administrator account to move.

Version 1.2.8 or later. Both copies need CamLoop 1.2.8 or later. Update the direct copy in CamLoop > Settings > Check for updates…, and CamLoop from Setapp in the Setapp app.

Not a Setapp member yet? Get CamLoop in Setapp.

FAQ

Why does CamLoop need a system extension? A virtual camera has to register with macOS at the system level so other apps can see it. This is the standard, Apple-sanctioned way camera apps work, which is why the one-time approval exists.

Is this safe? Yes. CamLoop is notarized by Apple, your clips never leave your Mac, and your audio is never captured. The extension only provides the virtual camera.

Do I have to do this every time? No. The approval is a one-time step. After that, CamLoop just works.

Can I go back to the direct download later? Yes. Download CamLoop again from this site. The free trial does not start over, but a lifetime key works again. To take your clips with you, export them from the Library in CamLoop from Setapp. Clip names do not carry over that way.

I deleted the first CamLoop before finishing. What now? Clips that already moved stay in CamLoop from Setapp. The old camera hides itself about a day after the app is gone. If you paid for a license, email [email protected] and we will free that Mac’s license slot.

Step away. Stay on camera.

Loop yourself on camera so you can step away from any call. Free to start, no card required.

Download for macOS · free