Want to FaceTime with friends, family, and co-workers from your Mac computer? It’s as easy as 1-2-3! This short guide explains how to to use FaceTime on a Mac to video chat with an iPhone 4 or later, iPad 2 or later, or another Mac user.
For folks with two-step or two-factor authentication, enter your verification code
Verify your contact information in “You can be reached for FaceTime at:” including email addresses and phone numbers and select a phone number or email for “Start new calls from:”
Choose to make a Video or Audio Call
Enter the name, email address, or number for a contact in the search bar
Tap the camera or the telephone icon to start a call
Or use Siri to Make a FaceTime Call
Tap the Siri icon in the top-right corner of your Mac’s menu bar
Ask Siri to ”FaceTime Audio XXX” or ”FaceTime XXX” and let Siri do the rest!
Change Settings During a FaceTime Call on Mac
Move your mouse, trackpad, or pointer over the FaceTime window during a call to show your onscreen FaceTime Call controls.
Callers See FaceTime Notifications on Macs
If you want to make or receive a FaceTime call but can’t get to your iPad or iPhone use your Mac instead!
When someone facetimes you, a notification appears on your Mac to accept or decline the call. Folks with a Touchbar can use that to accept or decline an FT call as well.
Answer or Decline a FaceTime call on your Mac
If you don’t have time to answer the call, simply tap dismiss or reply with a message or set a callback reminder by tapping the arrow next to Decline.
You can also dismiss an alert notification without interacting with it. Just use your mouse, trackpad, or pointer to swipe the banner to the right to silence it.
Want to Change FaceTime Notifications on your Mac?
Under the Apple Menu
Go to System Preferences > Notifications > FaceTime
Uncheck any settings you want disabled, such as play sound for notifications, badge app icon, and so forth. Or choose a different alert style
Use Group FaceTime on your Mac
With macOS Mojave and iOS 12.1, folks can also get on group FaceTime video or audio calls.
Group FaceTime supports up to 32 different participants. All participants on Group FaceTime calls must run iOS 12.1+, macOS Mojave+, or watchOS 5.1+ (audio only on Apple Watch.)
Make a Group FaceTime call
Open the FaceTime app
Enter the names of your contacts, emails, or phone numbers
Tap the telephone (for audio) or camera icon (for video and audio) to start your FaceTime call
You can also make a Group FaceTime call from the Messages App
Open or start a group conversation
Tap Details, then click the camera icon or the phone icon
Add a person to a Group FaceTime call
Show the FaceTime sidebar by tapping the sidebar icon
Click the Plus Sign (+) to add a person(s)
Enter your contact’s name, email, or phone number, then click Add
Set Up A Unique FaceTime Ringtone
Open FaceTime
Go to FaceTime in the Menu bar and select Preferences
Click the drop-down menu for ringtones
Tap on a ringtone to select it
Change Your Location in FaceTime
Open FaceTime > Preferences
Scroll down to Location
Click on the drop-down menu and select your current location
Don’t Want FaceTime Calls on Your Mac?
To stop receiving FaceTime calls on your Mac, open FaceTime, then choose FaceTime > Turn FaceTime Off from the menu bar.
Or while in the FaceTime App, use the keyboard shortcut Command (⌘) + K
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.
I dislike reading manuals or user guides on the screen of my mac.
I enjoy being able to download user guides so I can print them and read them.
I have spent over an hour trying to find a way to download the FaceTime User Guide.
Still have not found away to do so.
Ah – Not so fast…. Those of us stuck with “nearly extinct animals like LIONs” can most certainly NOT just go to the store. Obviously, Apple’s all about planned obsolescence, but my older Mac Mini (and millions of units not even 5 yrs old) are en route to paperweight status. Yes, if you hunt really hard – AND GET LUCKY – you might find a .dmx from a few years back that’ll run, but it’s obviously hit & miss – emphasis on plenty of misses!
I haven’t used facetime in a while, and today when my son called and we went on facetime, he could see me, I could not see him. No idea how to fix this.
Quit FaceTime, then open FaceTime again and try again to make a video call
Restart your Mac (go to Apple menu > Restart)
Change your WiFi network or try using Ethernet instead of Wifi, is available
See if your camera works in Photo Booth, Skype, or a similar application. If the camera works, the problem is with FaceTime. If the camera doesn’t work, it’s likely a hardware or other issue with your Mac
If you have multiple cameras connected to your Mac, check the Video menu in the FaceTime menu bar to make sure that you have the correct camera and microphone selected
I have a 27-inch mid 2011, IMac running El Capitan-10.11.6
I get an error when i want to use FaceTime or Photo Booth saying no camera. It worked before updating operating system. What can i do to get it to work.
I have not been able to connect with my fiends. when they call or I call it will say connecting and then it drops us…. multiple times…. Am I missing a connection somewhere?
My FaceTime will not ring me and I cannot ring out on my iPad mini. Works on my iPhone only. How do I get it to work on my iPad? Any ideas please? Thanks x
Don Robert says
I dislike reading manuals or user guides on the screen of my mac.
I enjoy being able to download user guides so I can print them and read them.
I have spent over an hour trying to find a way to download the FaceTime User Guide.
Still have not found away to do so.
Don
Mac user since 1984
edTow says
Ah – Not so fast…. Those of us stuck with “nearly extinct animals like LIONs” can most certainly NOT just go to the store. Obviously, Apple’s all about planned obsolescence, but my older Mac Mini (and millions of units not even 5 yrs old) are en route to paperweight status. Yes, if you hunt really hard – AND GET LUCKY – you might find a .dmx from a few years back that’ll run, but it’s obviously hit & miss – emphasis on plenty of misses!
Hazel Adolphson says
I haven’t used facetime in a while, and today when my son called and we went on facetime, he could see me, I could not see him. No idea how to fix this.
SK says
Hi Hazel,
Try the following:
Quit FaceTime, then open FaceTime again and try again to make a video call
Restart your Mac (go to Apple menu > Restart)
Change your WiFi network or try using Ethernet instead of Wifi, is available
See if your camera works in Photo Booth, Skype, or a similar application. If the camera works, the problem is with FaceTime. If the camera doesn’t work, it’s likely a hardware or other issue with your Mac
If you have multiple cameras connected to your Mac, check the Video menu in the FaceTime menu bar to make sure that you have the correct camera and microphone selected
Ken Lubas says
I have a 27-inch mid 2011, IMac running El Capitan-10.11.6
I get an error when i want to use FaceTime or Photo Booth saying no camera. It worked before updating operating system. What can i do to get it to work.
Cindy Kolo says
I have not been able to connect with my fiends. when they call or I call it will say connecting and then it drops us…. multiple times…. Am I missing a connection somewhere?
Charlotte says
My FaceTime will not ring me and I cannot ring out on my iPad mini. Works on my iPhone only. How do I get it to work on my iPad? Any ideas please? Thanks x
Wendy says
My camera is not working on my mac desktop so when I FaceTime my daughter OS I can see her but she can’t see me. How do I turn it on Pls?