Webcam Not Working

A webcam not working usually fails in one of three ways: a black picture, a message that no camera was found, or an error saying another app is using it. The quickest fixes are opening the privacy shutter, closing every other app that might hold the camera, and turning on camera access in the Windows privacy settings. Run the webcam test first. If your picture appears there, the camera and Windows are fine, and the fix is inside Teams, Zoom or whichever app failed. If it does not, the message you see points to the right section below. Built-in laptop cameras, with their kill switches and camera keys, have their own guide: camera not working on laptop.

Quick checks

• Open the shutter. Many webcams have a sliding cover on the front or a flip-down lid.
• Replug it. Unplug a USB webcam, wait a few seconds and plug it into a port on the computer itself, not a hub, monitor or front panel.
• Close other video apps. Teams, Zoom, Skype, Discord and OBS all keep running in the taskbar tray after you close their windows. Right-click each tray icon and choose Quit.
• Restart. A restart frees a camera held by an app that crashed.

Allow camera access in Windows

Windows 11:

1. Open Settings, Privacy & security, Camera.
2. Turn on Camera access and Let apps access your camera.
3. Turn on Let desktop apps access your camera. Zoom, Discord, OBS, Chrome and Edge are desktop apps, so this switch covers them all. Microsoft Teams has its own switch in the app list, so check that one too.

Windows 10: open Settings, Privacy, Camera. Under Allow access to the camera on this device, select Change and turn it on, then turn on Allow apps to access your camera and Allow desktop apps to access your camera.

Then open the Windows Camera app from Start. If the picture works there, Microsoft points out that the remaining problem is the other app's own settings.

Another app is using the camera

Most webcams serve one app at a time. When a second app asks, it gets an error or a black frame.

• Quit every video app, including the tray icons, and close browser tabs with calls in them.
• Webcam software such as Logi Tune, Razer Synapse or Elgato Camera Hub, and filters such as NVIDIA Broadcast, can hold the camera too. Quit them while you test.
• In Windows 11, the Camera page under Privacy & security shows which apps used the camera recently, which helps you find the one holding it.
• Windows 11 24H2 and later can share one camera between apps. Open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Cameras, select your camera, open Advanced camera options and turn on Allow multiple apps to use camera at the same time if your version shows it.

Windows does not see the webcam

1. In Windows 11, open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Cameras. If your camera is under Disabled cameras, select Enable.
2. Open Device Manager and look under Cameras, Imaging devices and Sound, video and game controllers. A camera with a down arrow is disabled: right-click it and choose Enable device, which is Microsoft's fix for error 0xA00F4244.
3. If the camera is missing, select Action, Scan for hardware changes, then View, Show hidden devices.
4. Try another USB port and cable. Webcams draw steady power, and long extension cables, unpowered hubs and loose front panel ports make them vanish and reappear. If Windows does not react at all when you plug it in, see usb device not recognized.
5. Security software can block cameras. Microsoft suggests turning off antivirus or firewall software for a moment to test, then turning it back on and allowing the camera in its settings.

Update, roll back or switch the driver

• Optional updates. Open Settings, Windows Update, Advanced options, Optional updates, install any camera driver, then restart.
• Roll back. If the camera stopped after an update, open it in Device Manager, then Properties, Driver, Roll Back Driver.
• Reinstall. On the same tab, choose Uninstall Device, tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device, then scan for hardware changes.
• Microsoft's generic driver. Most USB webcams follow the UVC standard. Right-click the webcam, choose Update driver, Browse my computer for drivers, Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer, and select USB Video Device. Microsoft warns that Windows Hello face sign-in may stop working if you do this on a Hello camera.
• Basic camera. Windows 11 24H2 and later has a last resort mode for faulty camera drivers: in Cameras, select the camera, Advanced camera options, then turn on basic camera.

Microsoft's camera troubleshooting page lists every camera error code and what it means.

Teams, Zoom and Google Meet

Teams: select Settings and more, Settings, Devices, and choose your webcam under Camera. A preview appears. Run a teams test mic and camera check before an important call.

Zoom: open Settings, Video, and pick the camera in the Camera list. In a meeting, use the arrow next to Start Video to switch. The zoom camera test shows what Zoom will get from your camera before you join.

Google Meet: in Chrome, select View site information at the left of the address bar and allow the camera. In the meeting, open More options, Settings, Video and pick the camera. If Chrome blocks every site, open chrome://settings/content/camera and let sites ask.

Discord, OBS and streaming apps

• Discord: open User Settings, Voice & Video, pick your webcam in the Camera list and select Test Video.
• OBS: OBS holds the camera for as long as a Video Capture Device source exists in any scene. Close OBS before a call, or tick Deactivate when not showing in the source's properties. If OBS itself shows black, open the source, pick the device again and set the resolution to the device default.
• TikTok LIVE Studio and other streaming apps hold the camera the same way. Quit one before opening another.
• Virtual cameras. OBS Virtual Camera, NVIDIA Broadcast and similar tools add cameras to every app's list. Choosing one shows black or a logo unless its app is running and sending video. Pick your real webcam by name.

Webcam not working on a Mac

1. Open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Camera, and turn on the app. Quit and reopen the app afterwards.
2. Open System Settings, Screen Time, Content & Privacy, App Restrictions (or Apps), and make sure Camera is allowed.
3. Plug a USB webcam straight into the Mac rather than a hub, and look for it in System Information under Camera.
4. Restart the Mac. On an Intel Mac, Apple also suggests resetting the SMC. See Apple's guide for when the built-in camera is not working.

Webcam not working on a Chromebook

Select the time at the bottom right, then Settings, Privacy and security, Privacy controls, and turn on Camera access. Check the app's own setting in the same list, and look for a physical camera switch on the side of some Chromebooks.

When it is a hardware fault

Test the webcam on another computer. If it fails there too, with a different cable if it has a detachable one, the webcam has failed: check its warranty on the maker's site with the serial number from its label. If it works elsewhere but no USB port on your computer will run it, the ports or the computer's USB controller are the problem.

While you wait for a replacement, a phone can stand in. Windows 11 can use an Android phone as a webcam: link the phone in Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Mobile devices, and turn on Use as connected camera. A Mac can use an iPhone through Continuity Camera. Once a new camera is running, the camera test checks its real resolution and frame rate.

Webcam questions