Start here
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Check the switch at the top of the Camera tab is on DSLR. The tab has a DSLR, Webcam and Simulated switch, and the camera’s name (or “No DSLR Detected”) only shows while it’s on DSLR. If it’s on Webcam or Simulated, slide it to DSLR.
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Check the USB cable at both ends. A loose connection at the camera or the PC is the single most common cause. Try unplugging and firmly reconnecting it, and try a different USB port on the PC if you have one — ideally a port built into the motherboard rather than a front-panel hub.
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Check the camera is switched on and awake. Most DSLRs and mirrorless cameras drop into a power-saving sleep mode after a period of inactivity, and some don’t wake themselves up just because a cable is plugged in. Turn the camera off and on again to be sure.
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Check the camera is in a photo shooting mode. Any shooting mode works – P, Av, Tv, M, or a fully automatic scene mode – just not the camera’s own image-review/playback mode.
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Close any other software that might be using the camera. Only one application can talk to a tethered camera at a time. Manufacturer utilities that auto-launch when a camera is connected are the most common culprit — see Canon EOS Utility is still running in the background if you’re on Canon.
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Give it a moment, or reconnect the cable. Booth Junkie detects a newly connected camera automatically in the background, usually within a second or two once the cable, power and mode are all correct – there’s no need to reopen a specific screen for it to notice. If it still hasn’t appeared, unplug and firmly reconnect the USB cable to trigger detection again.
If it still isn’t detected
Check Which cameras are supported? to confirm your exact model and rebadge are on the supported list — a handful of consumer point-and-shoot models and very old bodies aren’t compatible with tethered capture at all, regardless of cable or settings.
Keep working while you sort it out
Tip: Use the Simulated camera meanwhile
You don’t need a camera to keep building your layouts and workflows. Slide the Camera tab’s switch to Simulated and the booth runs with a placeholder picture instead. See Using the Simulated Camera for Demos, Training and Testing. Slide it back to DSLR before your event.
During a live event
If a camera that was working suddenly drops out mid-event, the same checklist applies — it’s almost always the cable, a sleep timer, or another piece of software (like the manufacturer’s own utility) grabbing the connection back.
Important: Carry a spare cable
Keep a spare known-good USB cable in your kit; a failing cable is a far more common event-day cause than anything else on this list.