Couldn't find compatible camera for Window Hello

Question

I can't sign in to my laptop using Facial Recognition. My laptop is a Lenovo Yoga 9i. I tried to update the driver of the camera in the device manager, checked the accessibility of the camera, checked for Windows updates, and restarted/rebooted the laptop. None of those things work. Can someone help me, please?

Answer 1

Hi, I'm Bernard, a fellow Windows user. I'm happy to help!

Did it work fine before? Because the facial ID requires a Camera with IR or infrared, have you checked if the PC is compatible with Windows Hello facial recognition? And is the Camera working fine when you open it in the Camera app?

If the Windows Hello facial recognition was working fine before, there might be an incompatibility with the camera driver. Moreover, kindly follow the steps below for us to sort out the issue:

-Press the Windows key + X

-Go to Device Manager

-Expand the Camera or Imaging Device

-Look for the Camera driver that was installed

-Right-click and click Update Driver

-Select Browse my computer for drivers

-Click Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer

-Choose an old driver or another driver name, then select it and hit next until it installs.

-Restart the PC and check.

If the issue persists, kindly follow the steps from this link: https://techwiser.com/ways-to-fix-windows-hello-not-working-on-windows-11/

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

If none of the above solutions work, I suggest doing an in-place upgrade, which will update the device to the latest version and repair all issues without deleting any files.

 

Kindly follow the steps from this link:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4252110/how-to-run-in-place-upgrade-in-windows-11

Additional note: If the issue persists, please download and install a Camera driver from your manufacturer's website.

For reference: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configure-windows-hello-dae28983-8242-bb2a-d3d1-87c9d265a5f0

Answer 2

Windows Hello facial recognition requires specific infrared (IR) hardware support. If the camera or its driver does not expose the Windows Hello–capable features, Windows will show that no compatible camera is found even if a normal webcam works.

Based on the available guidance, the following driver checks and changes can be made; if Windows Hello still does not work afterward, the device camera is likely not exposing the necessary Windows Hello functionality and manufacturer support will be required.

1. Verify the camera appears correctly in Device Manager
   1. Select Start and type device manager, then open Device Manager.
   2. Look under Cameras, Imaging devices, or Sound, video and game controllers for the built‑in camera.
   3. If the camera is missing, on the Action menu select Scan for hardware changes, wait for detection to complete, then restart and test again.
2. Check for incompatible/legacy camera driver
   1. In Device Manager, right‑click the camera and select Properties.
   2. Go to the Driver tab and choose Driver Details.
   3. If a file name including stream.sys is listed, the camera stack is based on an older model not designed for modern Windows versions and must be replaced with newer hardware to support advanced features.
3. Roll back the camera driver if the issue started after an update
   1. In Device Manager, right‑click the camera → Properties → Driver tab.
   2. Select Roll Back Driver (if available) and confirm.
   3. Restart the device and test Windows Hello again.
4. Cleanly reinstall the camera driver
   1. In Device Manager, right‑click the camera → Properties → Driver tab.
   2. Select Uninstall Device and check Delete the driver software for this device if offered, then select OK.
   3. In Device Manager, open the Action menu and select Scan for hardware changes so Windows reinstalls the driver.
   4. Restart the PC and test Windows Hello.
5. Switch to the in‑box UVC driver (may disable Windows Hello features) If a vendor‑specific driver is malfunctioning, switching to the generic USB Video Class (UVC) driver can restore basic camera use, but Windows Hello may stop working because custom extensions are not available:
   1. In Device Manager, locate the camera under Cameras or Imaging devices.
   2. Right‑click the camera and select Update driver.
   3. Select Browse my computer for drivers.
   4. Select Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
   5. Choose USB Video Device and select Next.
   6. Close the wizard and confirm the camera now appears under Cameras.
   Note: The in‑box UVC driver may not support Windows Hello face recognition if the original Lenovo driver used custom USB extensions for that feature.

If, after these steps, Windows Hello still reports that no compatible camera is found while normal video works, the remaining options are to:

• Install the exact camera/IR driver package from Lenovo’s support site for the Yoga 9i model, or
• Contact Lenovo support to confirm whether the current hardware configuration and firmware still support Windows Hello facial recognition and obtain any required OEM updates.

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References:

• Camera doesn't work in Windows
• my camera does not function in windows - Microsoft Q&A
• my camera is not listed under device manager camera is not listed and it's not under imaging devices - Microsoft Q&A
• Camera fails in Teams - Microsoft Q&A
• avshws of Windows-driver-samples can not be started - Microsoft Q&A
• device missing important security and quality issues - Microsoft Q&A