Get set up in two minutes.

Meeting apps read the list of cameras when they start, so ClaraCam won't appear in one that was already running during setup. Fully quit the meeting app — on Windows close it from the system tray, on macOS use ⌘Q — then reopen it and pickClaraCam in the video settings. In the browser, refresh the tab. If it's still missing, confirm setup finished in ClaraCam (macOS: the extension is approved; Windows: Studio shows the camera is installed).

OK dismisses the dialog without approving anything, and macOS usually won't show it a second time — but the switch is still there. On macOS 15 or later open System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions, click the ⓘ next toCamera Extensions, turn on ClaraCam, and click Done. On macOS 14 open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, and click Allow for ClaraCam. ClaraCam notices the approval by itself; if it doesn't, use Check again in the app. Rarely, macOS asks for a restart.

macOS only adds the camera for apps in the Applications folder, so ClaraCam can't finish setup while it runs from the disk image or from Downloads. Drag ClaraCam from the installer window onto the Applications folder next to it; the install screen notices and its Open ClaraCam button opens the installed copy (and ejects the installer).

Two common causes. First, ClaraCam needs Windows 11 (build 22000 or later) — its virtual-camera platform doesn't exist on Windows 10, so the camera can't register there. Second, openSettings → Privacy & security → Cameraand turn on Let desktop apps access your camera, then use theInstall button in ClaraCam Studio to register the camera again.

Your physical camera can only be used by one app at a time. Close other apps that might hold it (another meeting app, Camera, a browser tab) and try again. ClaraCam opens your real camera only while an app is actively using ClaraCam, and releases it when the call ends — so if a preview is black, something else usually has the camera.

If your trial or subscription has ended, ClaraCam keeps working — retouch and Cues alike — but adds a ClaraCam watermark to your video; subscribing removes it. If you've never signed in on this machine, the video shows a setup card instead. Open ClaraCam (macOS) or ClaraCam Studio (Windows) and check your account status. If your plan is active, make sure the look isn't turned all the way down — try a preset likePolished. The effect is deliberately subtle by design; it should read as "well-rested," not "filtered."

That card appears when no account has ever been set up on this machine — it's how ClaraCam avoids silently doing nothing. Open the app, sign in, and start your free trial or subscribe. The card clears and retouching begins within a few seconds, even mid-call. (People on the other end see the card mirrored — it's aimed at you.) An ended trial or subscription shows a ClaraCam watermark on the video instead of this card — retouch and Cues keep working under it; subscribing removes it.

Open ClaraCam and adjust the look. Start from a preset —Natural, Polished, or Studio — or fine-tune the individual sliders (skin, eyes, teeth, clarity, tone). Changes apply live, so you can watch the preview while you dial it in. Our default aim is that nobody can tell.

Part of it. Cues and the touch-up are one product on one plan: both are included in the free 7-day trial and in every paid plan, and they share the same gate — if your trial or subscription ends, your cues keep going out, with the same ClaraCam watermark the retouch gets, until you subscribe. Building and editing cues in the app is free; the watermark only concerns what leaves your camera.

ClaraCam updates itself — verified updates install automatically and never while your camera is live on a call. To remove it: onWindows, uninstall ClaraCam fromSettings → Apps → Installed apps; onmacOS, quit ClaraCam, then remove the camera extension fromSystem Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Camera Extensions and drag ClaraCam to the Trash.