camera not working

Question

how do I get my camera to work even though it is turned on

Answer 1

1

Look at the function keys (F1 - F12) on your keyboard, if one of them has a camera icon, press that key or Fn + that key to unlock the webcam.

2

If that was not the problem, look at the camera lens above your screen, is there a small privacy slider that needs to be opened to access the webcam?

3

Open the Settings App.

Go to Bluetooth and Devices - Camera - Integrated Camera.

Click the 'Edit' button in the 'Advanced Camera Options' section.

Enable the setting to 'Allow multiple apps to use the webcam at the same time' setting.

Restart (not shut down) your laptop to apply the change and check if that resolves the problem.

4

If the webcam is still not working, go to the support page for your laptop on the manufacturers website, then from there, download and re-install the version of webcam drivers they provide.

If you have any difficulty locating that support page, click your Start Button, then just type msinfo and press Enter, please provide a screenshot of the resulting System Information window.

Answer 2

Since the camera is physically turned on, enable Windows camera permissions first, then test the built-in Camera app to determine whether the problem is system-wide or limited to one app.

1. Check camera permissions

Windows 11

1. Open Start → Settings → Privacy & security → Camera.
2. Turn on:
   • Camera access
   • Let apps access your camera
   • Access for the app you want to use
3. For Teams, Zoom, browsers, and other traditional programs, also turn on Let desktop apps access your camera.
4. If Camera access is greyed out, an administrator must enable it.

Windows 10

1. Open Start → Settings → Privacy → Camera.
2. Enable camera access for the device, apps, and desktop apps.

These software permissions are separate from the physical camera switch.^1^

2. Identify whether Windows or one app is affected

Open Start → Camera.

• A live picture appears: The camera works in Windows. Open the affected app’s settings and select the correct camera. For a browser, also allow camera access for the specific website.
• The Camera app is blank or reports an error: Continue below.
• Another app says the camera is busy: Fully close other video-call, browser, and camera applications, and then reopen the Camera app.

3. Run the troubleshooter and install updates

On Windows 11:

1. Open Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters.
2. Find Camera, select Run, and apply any recommended repair.
3. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates.
4. Also check Advanced options → Optional updates for a camera driver.
5. Restart the PC; waking it from sleep is not equivalent to restarting it.^1^

4. Check whether Windows detects the camera

1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
2. Look under Cameras, Imaging devices, or Sound, video and game controllers.
3. If the camera is absent, select Action → Scan for hardware changes.
4. If it appears, right-click it and select Update driver → Search automatically for drivers.
5. Restart and test Start → Camera again.

For an external webcam, reconnect it directly to another USB port rather than through a hub. Testing it on another computer can distinguish a webcam hardware problem from a Windows problem.

5. Repair the driver if the camera still fails

If the failure started immediately after an update:

1. In Device Manager, right-click the camera and select Properties.
2. Open Driver → Roll Back Driver → Yes.
3. Restart and test the Camera app.

If rollback is unavailable or does not work:

1. Open the camera’s Properties → Driver → Uninstall Device.
2. Select Attempt to remove the driver for this device when offered.
3. Select OK.
4. In Device Manager, select Action → Scan for hardware changes.
5. Restart and test again.^1^

For a USB webcam, the documented fallback is the built-in UVC driver: Update driver → Browse my computer for drivers → Let me pick from a list → USB Video Device. Administrator rights are required, and manufacturer-specific features such as Windows Hello facial recognition might no longer work.

If the camera remains absent from Device Manager after scanning, or it fails on another computer, use the PC or webcam manufacturer’s hardware support. When requesting further help, include the Windows version, computer/camera model, whether the camera appears in Device Manager, and the exact Camera app error code.

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References

1. Windows 10