Removing Snap Camera From Messenger: A Step-By-Step Guide

Snap Camera is a fun software that allows you to use Snapchat filters on your desktop webcam. While it can enhance your live streams and make your video chats more interesting, it can also be a nuisance, especially when you're about to enter an important meeting and realise that the filters are still enabled. If you're encountering any issues with Snap Camera and wish to remove it from your system, there are several ways to do so, depending on your device.

How to remove Snap Camera on a PC

If you're tired of seeing those fun filters on your video calls and want to remove Snap Camera from your PC, here's a detailed guide to help you out.

First, make sure the Snap Camera app is closed. You can do this by right-clicking on the Snap Camera app icon in your taskbar and selecting "Quit" or by pressing "Command + Q".

Now, let's begin the uninstallation process:

• Open the "My Computer" window by pressing the Windows + E shortcut on your keyboard.
• Click on the "Uninstall or change a program" option at the top, under the System group. This will open a list of all the software installed on your PC.
• Search for "Snap Camera" by typing its name in the search bar.
• Click on the app's name to expand the menu and then click on the "Uninstall" button.
• Confirm the action by clicking "Uninstall" again in the small pop-up window.

Snap Camera should now be uninstalled from your PC. You can reboot your computer to ensure that all changes take effect.

However, sometimes, the virtual camera app may still appear in other applications even after uninstalling Snap Camera. If this happens, follow these additional steps:

• Open the "Terminal" application, which you can find in the Utilities folder.
• Copy and paste the following set of commands into the Terminal window, pressing Enter after each one:

Launchctl remove com.snap.AssistantService

Rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.snap.AssistantService.plist

Rm -r ~/Library/Caches/Snap/Snap\ Camera

Rm -r ~/Library/Preferences/Snap/Snap\ Camera

Osascript -e 'do shell script "launchctl remove com.snap.SnapCameraRemover; rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.snap.SnapCameraRemover.plist; rm -r /Library/CoreMediaIO/Plug-Ins/DAL/SnapCamera.plugin; exit 0" with administrator privileges'

Reboot your computer.

Now, Snap Camera and its virtual camera app should be completely removed from your system.

How to remove Snap Camera on a Mac

To remove Snap Camera on a Mac, you can follow these steps:

• Navigate to your Applications folder in Finder.
• Right-click on "Snap Camera.app" and select "Move to Trash". If you don't have Snap Camera.app, you can skip to the next section.
• Enter your password if prompted and click "OK".
• Reboot your computer.

If Snap Camera still appears as an option in other applications, you can remove it completely by following these steps:

• Open the Terminal application in the Utilities folder.
• Copy and paste the following commands into the Terminal window, pressing Enter after each one:

Launchctl remove com.snap.AssistantService

Rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.snap.AssistantService.plist

Rm -r ~/Library/Caches/Snap/Snap\ Camera

Rm -r ~/Library/Preferences/Snap/Snap\ Camera

Osascript -e 'do shell script "launchctl remove com.snap.SnapCameraRemover; rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.snap.SnapCameraRemover.plist; rm -r /Library/CoreMediaIO/Plug-Ins/DAL/SnapCamera.plugin; exit 0" with administrator privileges'

• Enter your password if prompted.
• Reboot your computer.

Snap Camera should now be completely removed from your Mac.

How to disable Snap Camera filters

If you want to disable Snap Camera filters, there are a few methods you can try. Firstly, you can simply quit and close the Snap Camera app. Since Snap Camera creates a virtual webcam, closing the app will prevent it from processing filters onto your webcam feed. You can do this by going to the top menu bar and selecting "Quite Snap Camera", using the keyboard shortcut Command + Q, or right-clicking on the Snap Camera app in the Dock and choosing "Quit".

Another method is to change your app's camera settings. As Snap Camera creates a virtual webcam, you will typically have at least two options for your camera in any conferencing app. You can switch back to your computer's built-in camera by going into your app's camera or video feed settings and selecting the appropriate option.

If you're using a Mac, you can also disable camera permissions for the Snap Camera app. To do this, go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Security & Privacy, choose the Privacy tab, and deselect the checkbox next to Snap Camera.

If you're looking for a more permanent solution, you can uninstall Snap Camera from your device. For Mac users, go to the Applications folder, right-click on Snap Camera, and choose "Move to Trash". Enter your password if prompted, and then reboot your computer. If you still see the virtual camera as an option in other applications, open the Terminal application and enter the following commands:

Launchctl remove com.snap.AssistantService

Rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.snap.AssistantService.plist

Rm -r ~/Library/Caches/Snap/Snap\ Camera

Rm -r ~/Library/Preferences/Snap/Snap\ Camera

Osascript -e 'do shell script "launchctl remove com.snap.SnapCameraRemover; rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.snap.SnapCameraRemover.plist; rm -r /Library/CoreMediaIO/Plug-Ins/DAL/SnapCamera.plugin; exit 0" with administrator privileges'

Finally, reboot your computer again.

For PC users, hit the Windows+E shortcut to open the My Computer window. Click on "Uninstall or change program" under the System group, search for Snap Camera, and click Uninstall. Confirm the action by clicking Uninstall again in the pop-up window. Reboot your PC, and Snap Camera should be removed.

How to uninstall Snap Camera from your Mac

To uninstall Snap Camera from your Mac, follow these steps:

• Open the 'Finder' application from your dock and click on the 'Applications' folder in the sidebar.
• Find the 'Snap Camera.app' file in the application list.
• Right-click on 'Snap Camera.app' and select 'Move to Trash'.
• Enter your password if prompted and hit 'OK'.
• Wait for the following dialogue to appear: "Do you want to remove all Snap Camera-related data?". Confirm your selection by clicking 'Yes'.
• Reboot your Mac.

If Snap Camera is still appearing as an option in other applications, you will need to take additional steps to remove it completely:

• Open the 'Terminal' application in the Utilities folder.
• Copy and paste the following set of commands into the Terminal window:

Launchctl remove com.snap.AssistantService

Rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.snap.AssistantService.plist

Rm -r ~/Library/Caches/Snap/Snap\ Camera

Rm -r ~/Library/Preferences/Snap/Snap\ Camera

Osascript -e 'do shell script "launchctl remove com.snap.SnapCameraRemover; rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.snap.SnapCameraRemover.plist; rm -r /Library/CoreMediaIO/Plug-Ins/DAL/SnapCamera.plugin; exit 0" with administrator privileges'

• Hit 'Enter' and enter your password if prompted.
• Reboot your Mac.

Snap Camera should now be completely uninstalled from your Mac.

How to remove Snap Camera's virtual camera app

To remove Snap Camera's virtual camera app, you must first uninstall Snap Camera. Here is a step-by-step guide:

Uninstalling Snap Camera

• Navigate to your Applications folder in Finder.
• Right-click on "Snap Camera.app" and select "Move to Trash".
• Enter your password if prompted and hit "OK".
• Reboot your computer.

Removing Leftover Files

If the virtual camera is still available as an option in other applications, you can remove it by following these steps:

• Open the Terminal application in the Utilities folder.
• Copy and paste the following set of commands into the Terminal window:

Launchctl remove com.snap.AssistantService

Rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.snap.AssistantService.plist

Rm -r ~/Library/Caches/Snap/Snap\ Camera

Rm -r ~/Library/Preferences/Snap/Snap\ Camera

Osascript -e 'do shell script "launchctl remove com.snap.SnapCameraRemover; rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.snap.SnapCameraRemover.plist; rm -r /Library/CoreMediaIO/Plug-Ins/DAL/SnapCamera.plugin; exit 0" with administrator privileges'

• Hit "Enter" and enter your password if prompted.
• Reboot your computer.

Alternative Method for PCs

If you are using a PC, you can uninstall Snap Camera by following these steps:

• Press the "Windows+E" shortcut to open the "My Computer" window.
• Click on "Uninstall or change a program" at the top under the "System" group.
• Search for "Snap Camera" by typing its name or just "snap".
• Click on the app's name to expand the menu, then click on "Uninstall".
• Click "Uninstall" again in the small pop-up to confirm the action.
• Reboot your PC.

By following these steps, you should be able to completely remove Snap Camera and its virtual camera app from your device.

Frequently asked questions