Why is My Camera Not Working on Laptop | Fix Camera Not Working

Workable Solutions	Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Allow Camera Permission	Allow camera permission in Windows Settings. To do this, click Windows Start, type "Settings", and click on it. Then, click on "Privacy" and select "Camera" from the left menu. Toggle the switch to the "On" position to allow camera permission.webcam...Full steps
Fix 2. Update Driver of Laptop Camera	Press Windows + X and click Device Manager. Move to Imaging Devices and click it. Right-click driver...Full steps
Fix 3. Apply Troubleshooting	Type Control Panel in the search box and click to start. Scroll down the page and select Troubleshooting...Full steps
Fix 4. Rollback Camera Driver	Type Device Manager in the search box, and click to open it. Click the Imaging device. Your webcam will show...Full steps
More Useful Solutions	Uninstall and reinstall the camera driver in Device Manager; turn Off camera protection...Full steps

"My camera has stopped working, I cannot uninstall it and reinstall it......I cannot find it listed anywhere in my device manager settings. I would appreciate it if somebody could solve this problem for me without me having to buy a new laptop......please help."

Your laptop camera isn't working when you need it, and it's frustrating. Let's troubleshoot together to resolve the issue. We'll explore the possible reasons behind the camera not being detected or working properly on your laptop. Join me to learn the steps to fix this problem and get your camera up and running again.

Solution 1 - Allow Camera Permission (Windows Settings)

One common reason for a camera not working on a laptop is limited camera permission. To resolve this, go to Windows Settings and allow camera permission, which should resolve the issue.

Step 1. Click Windows Start > Settings.

Step 2. Type webcam in the search box.

Step 3. Choose Camera privacy settings.

webcam privacy settings

Step 4. Make sure "Allow apps to access your camera" is on or choose apps to access your camera.

webcam privacy settings 2

Solution 2 - Update Driver of Laptop Camera (Device Manager)

Step 1. Press Windows + X and click Device Manager.

Step 2. Move to Imaging Devices and click it.

Step 3. Right-click the laptop camera driver.

Step 4. Choose Update Driver.

Step 5. To update the driver, go to the Device Manager, select the device with the yellow exclamation mark, click on the "Update driver" button, then choose "Search automatically for updated driver software". If this doesn't work, select "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer" to manually search for the correct driver.

update driver

Step 6. Choose USB Video Device.

Step 7. Restart your PC.

Solution 3 - Apply Troubleshooting (Control Panel)

Step 1. Type Control Panel in the search box and click to start.

Step 2. Scroll down the page and select Troubleshooting.

Step 3. Click View all on the left pane.

view all

Step 4. Select Hardware and Devices.

Step 5. Click Next.

hardwire and devices

The troubleshooting will identify any common or serious problems with the hardware.

Solution 4 - Rollback Camera Driver (Device Manager)

Step 1. To access the Device Manager, type "Device Manager" in the search box on your computer, and click on the result to open it.

Step 2. Your webcam will show up under the Imaging device.

Step 3. Right-click it and choose Properties.

properties

Step 4. To roll back the driver, go to the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver, and click OK. If this doesn't work, you can try another method. If the option is available, proceed. If not, you can try another method. If it is available, go on.

roll back driver

Step 5. The Driver Package rollback will prompt a list of reasons for rolling back. Select the answer that best matches your situation.

Step 6. Click Yes and restart your computer.

Solution 5 - Uninstall and Reinstall the Camera Driver (Device Manager)

Step 1. Press Windows + X, select Device Manager.

Step 2. To uninstall the webcam driver, scroll down to the "Imaging devices" section, right-click on the webcam driver, and select "Uninstall device" from the context menu.

uninstall

Step 3. The "Uninstall Device" window will appear, select the option to "Delete the driver software for this device" and click the "Uninstall" button.

Step 4. Click the Action tab and choose Scan for hardware changes.

Step 5. The computer will reinstall your camera driver. You can check whether the camera is working properly.

Solution 6 - Turn Off Camera Protection (Antivirus Software)

Generally, most antivirus software has privacy settings to limit some application's access to the camera, which can sometimes interfere with camera functionality, so checking and adjusting the camera protection setting in the antivirus software can help troubleshoot the issue.

Step 1. Open your antivirus software.

Step 2. Find your "Privacy Protection".

Step 3. Turn off the camera protection. As pictures shows:

antivirus camera protection

Solution 7 - Disable the App that is Using the Camera

Your camera not working may be caused by the webcam being used by another program.

Step 1. To open Task Manager, type "Task Manager" in the search box at the bottom left of your screen and click on it to open.

Step 2. To resolve the issue of your webcam not working, go to the Start menu and select the "Start-up" tab. From there, click on the process that is using the webcam and disable it to resolve the issue.

Step 3. Right-click process and choose disable.

diaable app that is using camera

Solution 8 - Reset Your Camera Programs (Windows Settings)

If the previous methods fail to resolve the "Camera not working" issue, you can reset the camera app, which will reinstall it and revert to its default settings.

Step 1. Click Settings > Apps > Apps & Features > Camera

Step 2. To access the Camera app on your device, you can either scroll down to find it in the list of installed apps or search for "Camera" in the search box. This will bring up the Camera app, allowing you to take photos and videos.

Step 3. Click Camera and select Advanced options.

Step 4. Choose Reset.

reset camera