Fix : Check For Windows Updates
Windows updates often contain feature improvements and bug fixes. If the camera problem was caused due to a bug, then it might be fixed in the latest Windows updates. To check for Windows updates:
Once youve installed all the updates, restart your computer and check if youre able to use your camera now. If not, try the last fix below.
Fix : Update Your Camera Driver
Your camera may not function well if youre using an outdated camera driver. So you should update your camera driver to see if it fixes your problem.
You can update your camera driver manually, by visiting the manufacturers website, finding the latest correct installer and installing it step-by-step. But if you dont have the time or patience to install manually, you can do that automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct driver for your camera. You dont need to know exactly what system your computer is running or risk downloading and installing the wrong driver. Driver Easy will take care of all the busy work for you.
Heres how to update drivers with Driver Easy:
The Pro version of Driver EasyDriver Easys support team.
After updating drivers, restart your PC and do a camera test to check if your problem is resolved. If not, here are some other fixes to try.
Check For A Camera Switch Or Button Your Device
Some laptops and portable devices have a physical switch or button that turns the camera on or off. When it’s turned off, your device may not recognize that there’s a camera installed, or may cause your camera to show an image of a camera with a slash through it. If your laptop has a switch or button, make sure it’s in the on position before using your camera.
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Create A New User Profile
You can also create a new user account and check whether your laptop camera works under the new profile, then change settings to administrator privileges, and check if the issue of the laptop camera not working persists.
If the issue goes away, then it may mean your other user profile is corrupted.
You can try the following in case of a corrupted user profile:
Check whether the laptop camera works when using the newly created account. If it does, then you can either fix the old user account or migrate to the new account.
As an alternative, you can use an external webcam. Sometimes, this may be the best solution, especially if you want higher-quality photos and videos.
How To Use The Camera On A Laptop
Were going to guide you through how to use the camera on a laptop in simple and easy to follow steps. Using a laptop youre not familiar with can be a huge headache when starting.
Youll find the exact steps you need to follow to open and use the camera on your laptop. Well show you how it differs across a different version on Windows and even on a Mac.
Lets jump into the guide!
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How To Reinstall Camera Driver Using Device Manager
When the camera stops working on Windows 10 because of a damaged driver or problem with the configuration, you can use Device Manager to reinstall the peripheral to resolve the issue.
To uninstall and reinstall the camera driver on Windows 10, use these steps:
Click the Scan for hardware changes option.
Once you complete the steps, Windows 10 will reinstall the driver, and the camera should start working again.
How Do I Fix My Laptop Camera If Its Not Working
Follow the on-screen instructions to run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. The troubleshooter will begin detecting any issues.
If youre experiencing problems with the recently installed device or hardware on your PC, then run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter to resolve the issue.
This checks for commonly occurring issues and ensures any new device or hardware is correctly installed on your computer.
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Why Your Webcam Will Not Work
It is really quite simple why your camera wont work. The obvious reason is that your drivers are not compatible with your webcam. If you are sure you have the correct drivers, then this could boil down to a deactivated/disabled webcam. In some laptops, the webcam can be disabled with a combination of keys, or by pressing a function key . Manufacturer webcam applications also have the ability to turn off/disable the webcam. This is known as the privacy mode and it will stop any app from accessing your webcam. In less often situations, your webcam might have a loose connection probably after a mechanical knock or when you attempted a repair. Sometimes, the No cameras attached error might be shown or imaging devices missing message might be shown in the device manager, those are separate issues and we have addressed them separately. Furthermore, below are some solutions to this problem.
If your webcam will work on other apps but will not work on Skype, you can find the solution to that from our fix at .
If your webcam stopped working after the Windows 10 Anniversary update, you can resolve the issue by following our guide .
Sometimes your webcam light comes on but the webcam output is blank on Lenovo PC.
How To Fix Apps Camera Access Using Antivirus
Some antivirus and other third-party security software come with privacy settings that can prevent apps from accessing the webcam. If you use a security solution that offers such features , you need to dive into the privacy settings to allow apps access to the camera.
To configure the antivirus to allow apps access to the camera on Windows 10, use these steps:
Turn off the Webcam Protection toggle switch.
After you complete the steps, the antivirus will no longer interfere, and you should now be able to use the camera with any app on Windows 10.
If you use a different antivirus, and you suspect it is blocking access to the camera, you may need to check the manufacturer support website for specific details to change the settings to fix the issue.
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Turn On App Permissions For Your Camera
To use your camera with apps on Windows 10, you’ll need to turn on some permissions in Camera settings. Then, you’ll need to check your app permissions if you want to use your camera with apps. Here’s how:
- Select Start > Settings > Privacy > Camera. In ‘Allow access to the camera on this device’ select ‘Change’ and make sure ‘Camera access for this device’ is turned on.
- Then, allow apps access to your camera. In the camera settings, go to ‘Allow apps to access your camera’ and make sure it’s turned on.
- Once you’ve allowed camera access to your apps, you can change the settings for each app. In the Camera settings, go to ‘Choose which Microsoft apps can access your camera’ and turn on apps you want to use with it. For desktop apps, make sure that ‘Allow desktop apps to access your camera’ is turned on and Chrome and Firefox are selected.
Alternatively, you can easily turn on the microphone on your device with a click of a button by going to this Microsoft Support page.
You can also find further help in our guide here: .
Feel free to reach out to us at in case you have questions or need assistance.
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Video Does Not Display In Your Webcam Software
You can open webcam software, such as YouCam, Skype, or Zoom, but video might not display in the main viewing window. To repair this problem, make sure that the webcam is the selected device, uninstall and reinstall software, test your webcam, and then update the webcam drivers.
Make sure that other programs or applications that use the webcam are completely closed or not in use.
The webcam might be associated with another software program or not responding. Often, simply restarting the computer can correct the problem. Restart the computer, and then open your webcam software as soon as Windows finishes loading.
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Enable Your Camera Using The Keyboard
Laptop keyboards have a quick way of shutting down or disabling devices on your PC. With the numerous reports of camera hacking, laptop manufacturers introduced this safety option. It can include a combination of keys, or a simple press of a function key.
Trying the combination Fn + F6 or Fn + F9 or simply press F8 or F10. This will not work for you if you do not see an icon of a camera in the F6, F8, F9 or F10 keys. Simply locate this icon and use the Fn combination or a simple press of the key with the icon.
Laptop Camera Not Working 9 Ways To Fix It Now
- Having a working laptop camera is an essential piece of hardware for holding a video call.
- If the integrated camera is not working, you can try to update the drivers by following our steps below.
- Also, if the built-in camera is not working, you have to make sure any webcam protection software is properly configured.
- You should check the camera privacy settings, and keep reading our article below for more camera troubleshooting solutions.
To fix various PC problems, we recommend Restoro PC Repair Tool:
- Restoro has been downloaded by 0 readers this month.
There are many uses for the laptop camera, but most people use it either to take photos, hold video chats like on Skype or Google Hangouts, among other uses.
But the laptop camera may not always launch or work the way it is ordinarily expected to. Here are solutions to help you fix your laptop camera when it just wont work, so read on!
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Use The Windows Settings App
If youre running Windows 10 build 21354 or above, start by launching the Settings app. Open the Start menu and click Settings or use the keyboard shortcutWindows Key + I.
From the Settings home page click on Devices.
Next, click on the Cameras tab in the left-hand column. There you will see a list of the cameras connected to your PC. To disable the camera simply click the Disable button.
If you want to re-enable it later just go to Settings > Devices > Cameras and click the Enable button.
How To Switch From A Laptop Camera To A Webcam
Lee StantonRead more December 13, 2021
Laptop cameras dont usually have a high resolution, so many laptop users buy a webcam as a replacement. However, before you can use the new hardware, you need to switch your laptop camera to a webcam.
This switching process is pretty straightforward. In this article, well walk you through the necessary steps to switch from your laptop camera to a webcam on both Windows and Mac PCs.
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Reinstall The Laptop Camera
Let it install the driver automatically on PC start, then launch the laptop camera again to check if this resolves the issue.
In order to reinstall the laptop camera driver, especially for HP users, you have to follow the above steps.
Determine The Resolution Of The Webcam
This section describes how to find the resolution setting for the webcam on your HP computer.
After taking a picture or video and saving it , use the following steps to determine the webcam resolution.
In File Explorer, navigate to the picture or video.
Right-click the picture or video.
Select the Details tab and see the webcam resolution.
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Try A Different Usb Port And Scan For Hardware Changes
If you’re using an external camera, try using it with a different USB port on your device first. If that doesn’t work, or your camera is built-in to your device, try this:
Select Start, enter device manager, then select it from the search results.
Find your camera under Cameras, Imaging devices or Sound, video and game controllers.
If you can’t find your camera, select the Action menu, then select Scan for hardware changes.
Wait for it to scan and reinstall updated drivers, restart your device, then open the Camera app again to test it.
If these steps don’t fix your issue, continue to the next steps.
How To Turn On The Webcam In Windows 10
To turn on your webcam in Windows 10, press Win + S, type “Camera”, and select the appropriate option to open the Windows Camera App.
The camera will automatically start when you do so.
Third-party apps require permission to use the camera. If the camera isn’t working in a third-party app like Zoom, check to see if it has the necessary permissions.
To check camera permissions, go to Settings> Privacy, and choose Camera from the left-hand panel.
Next, scroll down and give or revoke the camera permission to third-party apps by toggling the slider.
Now, go back and see if the camera turns on. If the camera still doesn’t start, you will need to do a little troubleshooting.
Related: Quick Tips for Changing Webcam Settings in Windows 10
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Check Your Antivirus Software
If your laptop camera doesnt work or open, or you get an error saying that the laptop camera cannot be found or cannot start, it may be caused by antivirus software that is blocking it or an outdated webcam driver.
Expert Tip: Some PC issues are hard to tackle, especially when it comes to corrupted repositories or missing Windows files. If you are having troubles fixing an error, your system may be partially broken. We recommend installing Restoro, a tool that will scan your machine and identify what the fault is. to download and start repairing.
In this case, check your antivirus software and look for settings related to blocking access or permission to use your webcam. You can also visit your antivirus software companys website.
How To Turn On The Camera On A Laptop With Buttons
Most often it is the V key, sometimes Escape or others from F1-F12. To turn on the webcam, press this key simultaneously with Fn. After that, the webcam should appear in the device manager.
To do this, press the Fn key and look for a button with a drawn camera or camera. If you dont find one, try the trial and error method: while holding the fn key, press the rest. Since there are a lot of HP pavilion laptops. I cant say which button is responsible for turning on the built-in camera.
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Fix : Reset The Camera
If your camera doesnt work properly, you can try resetting it on your Windows 11 PC. Heres how:
Once the process is complete, check if your camera is working right.
If resetting the camera app gives you no luck, check out the next fix.
Install Or Update Drivers
Most of the time Windows will install the necessary drivers when it installs the hardware, but occasionally, this will not work correctly. If your webcam is not working, you may need to visit the manufacturers website and download the driver installation package from them. Even if your driver installed initially, its possible that there is an updated version that will solve your problem. Often, the website will offer other device-specific troubleshooting advice.
To check for an outdated driver:
1. Type Device Manager into the search box and click on the result to open it.
2. Open Cameras, Imaging devices or Sound, video, and game controllers.
3. Right-click on your webcam and click Properties.
3. Open the Driver tab and click on Driver details.
4. Look for a file called stream.sys. If it is there, your camera is outdated and not able to be used by Windows 10.
5. If it is not there, try rolling back the driver to a previous version by selecting Roll back driver on the Driver tab. If it is greyed out, you cannot perform this action.
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