For new users who are just starting with Ubuntu, here’s some information that may help you if you want to use webcam in Ubuntu. You see, Ubuntu aims to support the vast majority of webcam right out of the box. Most webcam manufacturers don’t provide drivers for for Linux systems, including Ubuntu. So Linux developers must do the hard work by enabling support for most webcam devices in the Linux Kernel.

Webcam support for Linux is provided by the Linux UVC Project’s UVC driver.  The aim of this project is to provide a universal USB support for webcam in the same way a general USB driver handles USB devices like thumb drives, external USB devices and others.

The vast majority of USB webcam out there should work with Linux systems, including Ubuntu with the support of the Linux UVC project driver. If you want to purchase a webcam for your Ubuntu computer, but want to make sure it’s supported, check out the UVC supported webcam list.

Webcam on the list above support Linux machines easily. So, before purchasing webcam for your machine check out the list and find the model you like and purchase it.

After purchasing a model that supports Linux systems, you’ll need an application in to display or view your videos. Currently the most popular webcam application for Ubuntu is Cheese. Cheese allows you to access your webcam and display the video easily.

To install Cheese, run the commands below.

sudo apt-get install cheese

 

After installing it, open it via Unity Dash and launch it. If the webcam device is already attached, Cheese should begin showing the video from the webcam.

If you have a laptop equipped with webcam, chances are it should work because support for generic USB webcam is common with Ubuntu. All you have to do is install Cheese and enjoy!

If you can’t get your current webcam to work in Ubuntu, you may have to purchase a model that works.

Enjoy!