How to Use FaceTime on Windows

To use FaceTime on Windows, open a FaceTime link from an Apple user in the latest Chrome or Edge, type your name, select Continue, then select Join and wait for the host to let you in. There is no FaceTime app for Windows, and a Windows user can’t start a FaceTime call; you can only join one that someone with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac creates.

These steps cover Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs with the current Chrome or Microsoft Edge. The host needs an iPhone or iPad with iOS 15 or later, including the current iOS 27, or a Mac with macOS Monterey or later. They follow Apple’s guide to joining a FaceTime call from an Android or Windows device.

What You Need

• A FaceTime link. Only someone with an Apple device can create it. They can send it by Messages, email, or any chat app.
• The latest Chrome or Microsoft Edge. Apple names only these two browsers. Firefox and other browsers may show an unsupported browser message.
• A working camera and microphone, built in or plugged in, if you want others to see and hear you. Headphones help prevent echo.
• A strong Wi-Fi, wired, or cellular connection.

You don’t need an Apple Account, and you don’t need to install anything. Don’t download any Windows program that claims to be FaceTime for PC. Apple doesn’t make one, and those downloads can carry adware or malware.

How to Join a FaceTime Call on Windows

1. Open the invitation in Chrome or Edge. Select the link in the message. If it opens in a different browser, copy the link and paste it into the Chrome or Edge address bar. The page that opens should be on facetime.apple.com.
2. Type your name and select Continue. Use a name the host will recognize, because they see it in the join request. You type a name each time you join.

3. Allow the camera and microphone. When the browser asks, select Allow. This lets the FaceTime website use your devices. It doesn’t let you into the call yet.
4. Select Join. A waiting message appears while the host gets your request. Tell them you’re waiting if nothing changes after a minute.
5. Check your audio and video once you’re in. Ask the other person if they can see and hear you. Use the microphone and camera buttons to mute or turn off video, and select Leave when you’re done.

Keep the call tab open while you talk. If you close the tab or restart the browser, open the invitation again and repeat the steps; the host has to let you in again.

What You Can Do During the Call

Apple lists these controls for people who join from a browser:

• Microphone: mute or unmute yourself.
• Camera: turn your video on or off.
• Full Screen: fill the screen with the call, when the button appears.
• Flip Camera: switch cameras, when the button appears. Most PCs with one webcam won’t show it.
• Grid Layout: in a group call, select the Participant List and Settings Menu button, then Grid Layout to see everyone in equal tiles. The person talking is highlighted.
• Share the link: select More, then Copy Link or Share Link to invite someone else. The host still has to let that person in.

Some features don’t work on the web. SharePlay, which lets people watch or listen to something together, and screen sharing aren’t available in a browser. Apple-only extras such as Memoji and camera effects also won’t appear for you. If you need to share your screen, use a meeting service that supports it on Windows.

How the Apple User Creates the Invitation

Send these steps to the person who will host the call. On an iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the FaceTime app.
2. Tap Create Link. If it isn’t at the top of the screen, tap the plus or New FaceTime button first.
3. Optionally, add a name for the call, then choose how to share it, such as Messages, Mail, or Copy.
4. When it’s time to talk, tap the link in the FaceTime call list, then tap Join.
5. When a request from the Windows user appears, tap the checkmark to let them in.

On a Mac, open FaceTime and click Create Link. Apple’s FaceTime link guide for iPhone covers the iPhone version of these steps. A link keeps working until the host deletes it, so a weekly family call can reuse the same one. For everyday iPhone calling and settings, read the iPhone FaceTime setup guide.

Fix Camera or Microphone Permissions

If no one can see or hear you, the browser or Windows is probably blocking your devices. Check both layers.

Chrome

1. Select the three-dot menu, then Settings.
2. Select Privacy and security > Site settings.
3. Under Permissions, select Camera, then check whether the FaceTime site is under the blocked list. Select it and change the setting to Allow.
4. Repeat for Microphone, then reload the FaceTime tab.

The camera and microphone pages also have a drop-down menu at the top for picking which device Chrome uses, which matters if you have a headset or an external webcam. Google’s camera and microphone guide covers these settings. On a work or school computer, your administrator may control them.

Edge

Select the three-dot menu, then Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > All sites. Select the FaceTime site and set Camera and Microphone to Allow. To make sure Edge uses the right webcam, change your default camera in Windows 11.

Windows

In Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Camera. Make sure Camera access is on and Let desktop apps access your camera is on, since Chrome and Edge count as desktop apps. Do the same on the Microphone page. That desktop-app switch applies to all desktop apps at once, so keep that in mind before turning it off later. Microsoft’s camera and microphone privacy guide explains both layers. In Windows 10, the same switches are under Settings > Privacy.

If You Still Cannot Join

• Stuck on the waiting screen: confirm you selected Join after Continue, then contact the host. They may have missed the request or need to open FaceTime to see it.
• Unsupported browser message: update Chrome or Edge, or open the link in one of them instead.
• The wrong browser opens: copy the invitation and paste it into Chrome or Edge.
• The call has ended or the link doesn’t work: the host may have ended the call or deleted the link. Ask for a new one.
• No sound: check the call’s mute button, any mute switch on your headset, the microphone selected in the browser, and your speaker volume.
• Black video: open the camera’s privacy shutter or press the laptop’s camera key, close other apps using the camera, and check the permissions above. For camera keys and drivers, read about turning on the camera on a Windows 11 laptop, and a Windows 11 webcam test helps tell a device problem from a call problem.
• Choppy or frozen video: pause large downloads, close other video tabs, and move closer to your router or use a wired connection.

Frequently Asked Questions