How to Disable Center Stage

Aarron Anderson Updated by Aarron Anderson

Overview

Many new MacBooks come with a feature called Center Stage enabled by default. This feature uses the camera to automatically pan and zoom to keep you in the frame as you move around.

While some users find this helpful, others find the motion jarring during Zoom calls or other video meeting software. This guide explains how to disable the feature if you prefer a static camera angle.

Prerequisites

  • Important: Your camera must be turned on (the green light next to the camera must be glowing) for the Video Effects menu to appear in your menu bar.

Instructions

  1. Open your video conferencing app (Zoom, Google Meet, Slack Huddle, or FaceTime) and turn on your camera.
    • Check the Hardware Light: Look for the small green light next to your physical webcam lens. If this light is not glowing, the camera is not active, and the green video menu icon described below will NOT appear.
  2. Look for the green video camera icon in the top right section of your Mac menu bar (near the battery and Wi-Fi icons).
  3. Click the green icon to open the Video Menu.
  4. Click Center Stage to toggle it OFF.
    • Note: When the icon is grey/unhighlighted, the feature is disabled.

Center Stage Control Center View
(Above: The macOS Video Effects menu showing Center Stage controls)

Troubleshooting

  • "I don't see the green video icon."
    Ensure your camera is actively being used by an application. The menu is hidden when the camera is off.
  • "It keeps turning back on."
    macOS generally remembers this setting per application. If you switch from Zoom to other meeting platforms, you may need to disable it once for each specific application.

If you continue to experience issues with your camera settings, please submit an IT Helpdesk case Here.

macos-tahoe-26-facetime-menu-bar-video-menu (1).png

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