EOS Webcam Utility Pro won't recognize EOS R5: USB Issue (Need Help or Workaround)

[adamgross]

This all started because I wanted to use my R5 for a Zoom interview. I promise I AM smart lol ... but I've devoted an embarrassingly long amount of time to this.

The Setup:

- Canon R5 (running the latest firmware)

- 2021 MacBook Pro (M1) and 2018 MacBook Pro (Intel i7), both on macOS Sonoma 14.6.1

- Connecting via Thunderbolt 4/USB-C cable

- Using Canon EOS Webcam Utility Pro (Yes, I’ve tried all the USB ports)

Here’s the kicker: I can connect my R5 to both machines, and it shows up perfectly in Image Capture for downloading images. It’s also recognized by Canon EOS Utility 3—I can get live view and everything.

But when I try to use EOS Webcam Utility Pro, the app just doesn’t recognize the camera. The only video sources that pop up are my MacBook Pro webcam and iPhone (which isn’t even connected). I even tried to get it to connect via Wi-Fi, but it wouldn’t fully connect. It’s maddening because everything else shows up as a video source except the R5.

What I’ve Tried:

- Multiple machines and cables (same issue on both MacBooks)

- Resetting all settings on the R5 to factory default

- Ensuring the camera is in video mode (which, by the way, why does it even need to be in video mode for a webcam feature?)

- Spent over an hour on the phone with Canon support, but we hit a dead end

- Tried all the USB-C ports and even a second cable just to rule it out

What’s Especially Frustrating:

- This issue isn't new for me—I had the same problem with my Canon 5D Mark IV, and it's 2024, so we’ve moved beyond capture cards and extra equipment for this kind of task.

- It’s hard to believe that a $4,000 R5 and a cutting-edge MacBook Pro can’t just plug and play.

- And yes, I understand it needs a middleman (EOS Webcam Utility Pro), but it’s bizarre that the app recognizes my iPhone as a video source when the R5, which is clearly connected and even visible in other Canon software, doesn’t appear.

- I’ve even paid for the EOS Webcam Utility Pro subscription after seeing how well it works in YouTube videos (but they always seem to be using smaller Canon cameras, not the R5).

I’m really hoping someone here has a workaround, advice, or even just some insight into what might be going wrong. I want to avoid going the HDMI capture card route because it feels absurd that this feature should require additional hardware when I can see the video feed just fine in EOS Utility 3.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. This shouldn’t be so hard! Thanks in advance!

[adamgross]

The bullet points to my problem are... 

- Canon R5 not recognized by EOS Webcam Utility Pro on macOS Sonoma 14.6.1.

- Tested on 2021 MacBook Pro (M1) and 2018 MacBook Pro (Intel i7) with Thunderbolt 4/USB-C cable.

- Camera shows up fine in Image Capture and EOS Utility 3 with live view, but not in Webcam Utility Pro.

- Only MacBook webcam and iPhone (not connected) show as video sources in the app.

- Tried multiple machines, cables, resetting camera settings, video mode, and Canon tech support—no success.

- Would prefer not to use HDMI capture card as EOS Utility 3 shows the video feed just fine.

- Looking for a workaround or advice to fix the issue.

[adamgross]

in summary.. The Canon R5 is recognized by macOS and works fine with EOS Utility 3 for live view, but the camera isn’t being detected by the EOS Webcam Utility Pro software. Despite trying multiple machines, cables, and troubleshooting steps, the camera won’t show as a video source in the webcam utility.

[Hazel_T]

Hi adamgross,

I'm sorry to hear you've been having such a frustrating experience trying to get your EOS R5 to be detected by the EOS Webcam Utility. On the EOS R5 the USB connect is plug and play. There aren't any settings on the camera you would need to enable, and it should be detected whether it is in photo or video mode. We recommend having the camera in video mode since you would have more control over the video output settings in that mode.

Since the camera is detected by Image Capture and the EOS Utility that indicates the camera and USB cable are working correctly. Typically if either one wasn't working correctly no software would be able to detect the camera.

One thing to double check with the software is to make sure the EOS Utility and Image Capture are fully closed when you want to use the EOS Webcam Utility. Sometimes if multiple programs are trying to access the camera at the same time it can cause issues like this.

I see you mentioned your camera has already been updated to firmware version 2.1.0, but it would also be good to double check you have the newest version of the EOS Webcam Utility installed. The current version is available HERE. Once you are on the web page click on the Software & Drivers button and the current version is 2.2.2. You may need to click on the Load More option a couple of times to see it in the list.

One more thing is to make sure there aren't any pending operating system updates on your computer. Sometimes if the operating system has a pending update it can cause issues like this. If there is a pending update we would recommend allowing it to go through. Once the operating system update has completed check to see if the same thing is happening.