Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The best webcam covers

Computer privacy is serious business, especially since hacking attempts can take control of your built-in webcam and even turn it on without your permission. It’s a fairly common tactic for ransomware and other malware, and the webcam on your desktop or laptop usually doesn’t have a physical cover to help protect against these things. Phone and tablet cameras may be similarly at risk.

 

A great solution to that problem is a small webcam cover that can physically block your camera lens and then allow you to uncover it when necessary for video chats (while you use some trustworthy antivirus software for additional protection). But quality and compatibility are very important for these covers, which is why we’re picking out the best ones, starting with the excellent Cimkiz pack.

Recommended Videos

Note: These covers don’t work on pop-up webcams — but then, a pop-up cam takes care of the problem by itself. You can also check out our favorite external webcams, which usually come with their own built-in cover options.

Cimkiz WB01 and WB02-2 Cover six-pack

Image used with permission by copyright holder

These little covers have a particularly durable adhesive that’s still designed to peel off if necessary but keeps a firm bond for the long term and is designed for desktops, laptops, phones, and more. We also really like that the pack comes with two different color options, black and silver, for better matching a variety of computer models. They are also quite thin for covers, only 0.027 inches thick, which allows laptops to fully close without problems.

Trobing Webcam Cover six-pack

Image used with permission by copyright holder

We like this matte Trobing cover for one reason in particular: It comes with minimalist little troughs in the slider that allow for easier gripping. So many webcam covers skip this important step and are therefore difficult to shut unless you have sturdy fingers — and this, in turn, raises the chances of accidentally peeling off the cover. Trobing fixes this problem by making it easy to generate a little friction. While it’s not as thin as our top pick, the covers are only 0.03 inches thick, so they shouldn’t get in the way no matter what device you use them on.

Targus Spy Guard

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If durability is your primary concern, this Targus cover is built for extra solid, reliable protection. It also has a unique design that makes the cover very easy to operate without fear of accidentally tearing it off or having it slide open again without you noticing. The cover comes in a one-pack, a three-pack, and a 10-pack. The three-pack model has three different colors in it so you can mix and match depending on your device’s color. At 0.05 inches, it’s not especially thin, but it’s still a great pick if you are more interested in tough protection.

Cooloo Webcam Cover six-pack

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If time is of the essence for your office, check out Cooloo’s superthin six-pack. Cooloo’s design may be basic, but it checks all the necessary boxes. At just 0.027 inches, they’re the same thickness as our top pick, so they’re very nonintrusive. These covers are also compatible with laptops (including MacBooks), tablets, and more. They’re not recommended for use on phones, however.

Supcase Webcam Cover six-pack

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Supcase’s covers aren’t as subtle as some of their competitors, but they’re extremely functional and have the advantage of being available in two different sizes. Perhaps you aren’t sure what size webcam cover you need for your particular webcam. In that case, Supcase has you covered by supplying two sizes (max and small) to ensure you’ll get the right one for your device. These covers are expected to be compatible with most laptops, smartphones, desktops, and more. They’re pretty thin, about 0.02 inches (o.5 mm), so they shouldn’t get in the way of you closing certain devices.

camJAMR  Online Privacy Stickers

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Privacy stickers are the best option if you don’t want to mess with the complexity of applying sliding covers. You can find them in several sizes and designs, and you can keep them over your webcam for extended periods of protection.

But don’t worry — the adhesive in the camJAMR stickers lets you stick and unstick them hundreds of times, so you can remove the stickers easily when you want to use your camera. Plus, the sticker has a handy pull tab that makes removal easier than you think. This particular offering on Amazon comes with three packs of stickers for a total of 51 stickers of various sizes.

In general, we’d recommend looking at non-sticker options if you use your camera a lot, but stickers are a great alternative if you go for long periods without using your device’s camera.

Tyler Lacoma
Former Digital Trends Contributor
If it can be streamed, voice-activated, made better with an app, or beaten by mashing buttons, Tyler's into it. When he's not…
This clever device fixes my biggest frustration with laptops
The Honor removable webcam being pulled out from the chassis.

We all want thinner bezels on our laptops, but no one wants to sacrifice webcam quality. That situation leads to clumsy solutions like the notch on the MacBook or far worse options like hiding the webcam under a key.

A new laptop, however, has an innovative way of getting around this problem by using a removable webcam. The device in question is the MagicBook Art 14, a new laptop from the Chinese company Honor, covered first by Tom's Hardware. The webcam attaches to the top of your screen when you need it, and then can be stored away in a special push tray in the base of the laptop. Give it a press, and it will pop out so you can place it on top of the laptop screen where it attaches magnetically.

Read more
This small change coming to the M5 MacBook Pro could mean much more
Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

The M5 MacBook Pro isn't due out until 2025, but we're already hearing more about what new features might be coming to it. According to the analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will be using a new supplier for its camera starting in 2025.

As reported on by MacRumors, Kuo states in a Medium post that the Chinese manufacturer Sunny Optical will be taking the place of both LG Innotek and Sharp, the current suppliers used for MacBook Pro webcams.

Read more
You’ve never seen a webcam as cute as the Owl 4+
The Owl Labs Meeting Owl 4+ webcam, with glowing rings around the speakers.

The camera in the center of the conference room table doesn’t have to look dull or ordinary, and the Owl Labs Meeting Owl 4+ proves it. Instead, it can look surprisingly cute.

Underneath the clearly owl-inspired design hide Wi-Fi connectivity, a cool 360-degree camera and microphone system, and enough AI smarts to make meetings with both in-person and virtual attendees more inclusive and natural than ever before.

Read more