Since updating to macOS Sonoma, some people have noticed a constant green dot haunting their Mac’s menu bars. It lingers even after app closures and makes it look like your camera is on 24/7. This unwelcome addition can disrupt workflow and raise privacy concerns. This guide provides solutions to make the green dot in Sonoma disappear for good, ensuring your peace of mind and smooth user experience.
What the Green Dot Represents
The appearance of a green dot on your menu bar in macOS Sonoma usually means that your Mac’s camera is currently in use. This indicator serves as a visual cue, alerting you when applications like FaceTime, Zoom, or Google Meet access your camera for video calls or conferencing.
Aside from the green dot, sometimes you’ll also see an orange or purple dot appear in the menu bar.
The orange dot is associated with the mic use, while the purple one appears when you use the system sound recorder on your Mac when working in audio editing software.
Put Your Mac to Sleep
This is hands-down the best solution to the persistent green dot problem in Sonoma. Most people who reported this issue to Apple said that putting their Mac to sleep effectively got rid of the dot.
To put your Mac to sleep, open the Apple menu, then go to System Settings -> Lock Screen. Adjust your Mac’s sleep settings to activate it immediately and minimizing the wait time for it to wake up again. Under Require password after screen saver begins or display is turned off, choose Immediately.
Close your Mac’s lid to initiate sleep mode, then open your Mac and log back in. Check whether the green dot has disappeared.
If the issue persists, try the following steps. From the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the display, select Sleep to transition your Mac into Sleep mode.
Re-enter your login details when waking your Mac to reactivate it.
If you have trouble waking your Mac from Sleep mode, try plugging in the charger or starting it in Recovery mode.
Check Whether You Have an App Open
If you don’t want to put your Mac to sleep, the first option is to check whether you have any apps open that are causing the green dot to appear in the menu bar. Pay special attention to apps that are actively using your Mac’s camera, microphone, and system sound recorder.
If you find apps using those systems, close them in the following manner.
Hover your cursor over the icon of each app you suspect may be using your camera, mic, or system sound recorder. Right-click it, or press the Control key, and click the app. Choose Quit.
If simply closing apps doesn’t resolve the issue, force quit by opening the Apple Menu, and selecting Force Quit from the drop-down menu. Highlight the open applications you wish to close, and click Force Quit again to terminate the selected apps.
Use Activity Monitor to Stop App Processes
The green dot in your Mac’s menu bar may be caused by lingering app processes. Terminate them using the Activity Monitor.
Launch Activity Monitor. (You can find it in the list of apps in Finder or using Spotlight.)
Use the search bar to locate any processes associated with apps that may be using your camera, microphone, or audio recording capabilities. Check the CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk, and Network tabs for relevant processes.
Once you’ve identified the relevant processes, press the Command key, and highlight each of them.
Click on the stop icon (X) located near the top of the Activity Monitor window to terminate the selected processes.
When prompted, click Quit in the pop-up window to end the processes. If the processes persist, opt for the Force Quit option instead.
Check for Software Updates
When encountering persistent issues like the green dot bug on macOS Sonoma, the best solution is to keep your system up to date to resolve such glitches.
To check your macOS for updates, go to System Settings –> General -> Software Update.
In the Software Update section, click Check for Update to see whether a new macOS version is available.
If an update is found, select Update Now. Follow the prompts to accept the licensing agreement, and proceed with the update. Allow the software to download and install. Depending on the update size and your Internet connection speed, this process may take some time.
Once the update is complete, verify that your macOS version is up to date in the System Settings.
Restart Your Mac
A simple restart sometimes works wonders and can help you get rid of the green dot in the menu bar.
To restart your Mac, click the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of your screen, then select Restart from the drop-down menu.
A pop-up window will ask you to confirm the restart. Click on the blue Restart button.
Allow your Mac to shut down and restart. Once your Mac has restarted, log in as usual, and check your menu bar to see whether the green dot issue persists.
By restarting your Mac, the fresh start often resolves minor software glitches along the way.
Disable Camera & Microphone Access for Associated Apps
If the previous troubleshooting steps haven’t resolved the issue, delve deeper into your system settings. Follow these steps to temporarily revoke camera and microphone access for associated apps.
Navigate to the Apple menu, and select System Preferences. Click Privacy & Security on the left side of the screen. Go to the Microphone tab to view the list of apps with microphone access. Toggle the switches off for each app that has permission.
Go to the Camera tab, and repeat the process by toggling off the camera access for each app.
After adjusting the settings, restart your Mac to apply the changes. If the green dot disappears from the menu bar, you’ve likely resolved the issue.
Remember to re-enable camera and microphone access for essential apps once the problem is resolved.
Uninstall Apps That Use Your Camera
Uninstalling apps that are accessing your camera or microphone could be the solution to the annoying green dot problem. While native apps like FaceTime cannot be uninstalled, third-party applications can be removed and reinstalled later.
Drag and drop the problematic app into the Trash folder. Confirm the deletion when prompted. Alternatively, navigate to Finder -> Applications, locate the app, and drag it to the Trash. Once you’ve moved the apps to the Trash, empty it to complete the deletion process.
With some third-party apps, you may need to use their official uninstallers to remove them from your Mac. Go to Finder -> Applications, then locate app with uninstallers in the list. Click on the arrow next to the app’s name, and open the Uninstaller. Follow the on-screen instructions to remove the app.
After deleting the apps, restart your Mac to ensure the changes take effect.
By uninstalling these apps, check whether any of them were causing the persistent green dot in the menu bar. If successful, reinstall the apps and continue using them.
Take Back Control of Your Mac
Menu dots should disappear as soon as you stop using the app that prompted them to appear. Typically, you can simply quit the apps and solve the issue. If you keep seeing the green dot, even after trying the techniques outlined in this article, it’s best to contact Apple Support for further assistance and possible repairs.
All screenshots by Anya Zhukova.
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