After an update this week, my camera stopped working? I need to have it working again!! Help!!

Hi Alison Bolton,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand how disruptive it is when your camera suddenly stops working.

Based on what you’ve described, this issue may sometimes occur after a recent system update, which may reset camera permissions or temporarily disable the camera driver.

To help us move this forward as quickly as possible, could you please try the following:

First, let’s make sure Windows still allows your camera to be used. Recent updates can reset privacy settings without much warning. Please open Settings, go to Privacy & Security, and select Camera. From there, confirm that camera access is turned on, including the options that allow apps and desktop apps to use the camera. If you use a specific app like Teams, Zoom, or your browser, make sure it’s allowed there as well. Once that’s done, close Settings so the change fully applies.

Next, I recommend restarting your computer. Windows often won’t fully apply permission or device changes until after a restart, especially following an update.

After your system comes back up, try opening the built‑in Camera app from the Start menu. This helps us check whether the issue is system‑wide or limited to a specific application. If you see a live image there, the camera itself is working and we can focus on the app you’re using. If the Camera app doesn’t work or shows an error, we’ll move on to the next step.

If the camera still isn’t working, we’ll want to check whether Windows has disabled the camera driver. To do this, right‑click the Start button and open Device Manager. Look for a section called Cameras or Imaging devices. If you see your camera listed, make sure it isn’t disabled, and try updating the driver by letting Windows search automatically. If you don’t see a camera listed at all, use the Scan for hardware changes option at the top. This often brings it back after an update.

One last thing to double‑check is whether your device has a physical camera shutter or a camera key on the keyboard. Some laptops have a small slider near the webcam or a function key that turns the camera off at the hardware level, and Windows updates can sometimes trigger those settings without making it obvious.

If you’ve gone through these steps and the camera still isn’t working, just reply and let me know what you’re seeing, especially any error message or whether the camera appears in Device Manager.

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