FIX: Laptop Camera Not Working in Windows 10 (Working Solutions)

Let’s face it, the last thing you need when tuning in for a last-minute video or a catch-up with distant relatives is to struggle with your laptop camera not working. Fortunately, there are several straightforward solutions to fix most laptop camera problems. In this guide, we’ve outlined 15 simple fixes to help get your webcam working again.

First Things First: Don’t Use Your Webcam Without a VPN

Yes, we know you just want to get your camera back up and running. But, the reality is that using this camera without a reliable VPN installed, may leave you vulnerable to “camfecting”, malware, phishing scams, and more. 

NordVPN encrypts your data and hides your IP address to keep your sensitive information safe. The Threat Protection Pro technology takes it to the next level with anti-malware, browsing, and anti-tracker technology, keeping you and your video stream, safely protected. 

Editor's Pick December 2024

Get NordVPN for just $3.49 a month on a 2 year plan

Get Deal

With remote working now the norm for most people around the world, and video streaming advancing rapidly, webcams have never been more important for our everyday lives. As a result, it is no surprise that we have been inundated with readers queries about problems with their Windows laptop cameras.

Why is my camera not working on my laptop?

If you are one of those who have had trouble getting your laptop camera working on video-conferencing tools like Zoom, Skype, and Microsoft Teams — don’t panic. You are not alone, plus most laptop camera issues are surprisingly simple to fix.

In this guide, we have compiled our researcher’s 15 top tips to overcome the most common issues with laptop cameras. We are confident that by the time you have finished reading this article, the vast majority of you will have solved the problem.

15 Real Solutions For Your Laptop Camera Not Working

If you’re searching for an answer as to why your camera is not working, you’ve come to the right place. You should note that all of these fixes have been tested on laptops running Windows 10. If you have a different version of Windows running on your device, such as Windows 11, they might still work, but the steps may look a little different.

1. Restart the laptop

Like most software issues, it doesn’t hurt to try restarting your laptop, as a first step. This might quickly resolve the issue with your camera not working, if it was a simple software glitch. So, before trying any other solutions, we recommend restarting your system.

2. Check the physical camera switch

Another easy fix is related to the camera switch or button on your laptop. Some laptops are equipped with an on-and-off switch for the camera. If you have accidentally switched it off, then the camera won’t be available to record.

The switch is primarily built for the privacy of the user. You can find it in the form of a physical slider, a button, or even a shutter, typically located to the left or right of the camera. Simply turn on the switch to see if this resolves the laptop camera not working issue.

3. Scan for the device

You must ensure that your camera device is detected by your laptop and that it is actually attached to your Windows software. This can be done by simply going through the list of devices connected to your system and scanning for the device. Follow these steps to see if Windows 10 detects the camera device:

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard and then type “Device Manager”. Press Enter to open it.

2. Now, in the list, look for Cameras or Imaging Devices and click on it to see if your camera device is listed. Note that the camera device can be found in the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers section on some laptops. If your camera device is listed, then you can proceed to the next solution. However, if you can’t find the device, you will need to scan your laptop for hardware changes.

To start scanning for hardware changes: Head to Device Manager. From the top bar, click on Action and then select Scan for hardware changes. Your laptop will start the scanning process and quickly find the camera if it’s not already connected.

4. Close the app that is using your camera

You might be unable to use the camera because another app is using it. This sometimes happens when you forget that you have another app open. It can also be that an app is using the camera without your permission, which is dangerous to your privacy. Follow these steps to see if another app is using your camera:

1. Press the Windows button on your keyboard and type Task Manager. Then press the Enter.
2. Now look through the list of the running programs. There is no indication that an app is using the camera, but usually, the culprit is a social media app or any other app that uses the camera. Moreover, you can click on the Startup tab to see any program that opens when you turn on your laptop. In most cases, the app you’re looking for is in this tab because it launches without you directly opening it.

3. If you find an app that can possibly be the one using your camera, simply right-click on it and select End Task to close it.

Note: If an app is not familiar to you or suspiciously using your camera, after closing it, it’s best to uninstall it.

5. Reset the camera app

If you have found yourself saying “my camera is not working on my laptop”, the issue might be caused by the camera app. In this case, resetting it can resolve the issue relatively quickly. Note that following the steps for this solution will delete the camera app’s data:

1. Press the Windows key on your Keyboard. Type “Camera” and then select App Settings.

2. On the newly opened window, scroll down and click on the Reset option. 

6. Hardware troubleshooter

As a Windows user, you may already be familiar with their troubleshooter tools. If you have a problem with your laptop camera, the hardware troubleshooter is the best place to go looking. This diagnostic tool will scan your device for a wide variety of different issues, and once it identifies an issue, it should walk you through any steps you need to take to fix it.

If you have never run the hardware troubleshooter on your Windows 10 laptop, here is a step-by-step guide for you to follow:

1. Right-click on the Start button, and choose Control Panel.
2. Click on the View by option in the top-right corner of the screen, select the drop-down arrow, and then click on Large icons.
3. Click on Troubleshooting.

4. Choose the View all option on the left-hand pane.

5. Click Hardware and Devices, then click Next.
6. After that, follow the onscreen instructions, to identify and resolve any problems.

Once the troubleshooter has finished, restart your Windows 10 laptop and then run your chosen video conferencing software, to see if the issue with your laptop camera has been resolved.

7. Update the laptop camera driver

All hardware on your Windows 10 laptop is powered by drivers, and these often need to be updated. Driver updates will usually be installed automatically when you run a Windows update. However, if you haven’t done this for some time, or a driver update has been missed somehow, this can cause issues with how your camera works and how it interacts with some video conferencing software.

Outdated drivers are a common cause of laptop camera not working problems. If you know the manufacturer and make of your camera, you will be able to download the latest version of the relevant driver directly from their website.

But don’t worry if you don’t, as Windows can search automatically. There are a few steps you need to follow to do this, but it is another fairly straightforward process:

1. Right-click on the Start button, and select Device Manager
2. Click on the arrow next to Imaging Devices (Some later versions of Windows named this option Cameras) to expand the menu.

3. Right-click on the laptop camera or integrated webcam driver that is listed.
4. Select Update Driver software.

5. You will then be prompted to choose How you want to search for the driver. Select Search automatically for updated driver software. If you have already downloaded the latest version of your driver from the manufacturer’s website and saved it on your computer, pick Browse my computer for driver software, then direct it to the appropriate location.
6. Next, select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer, then click on USB Video device.
7. Select Next and then follow the onscreen instructions.

Once the new driver has been successfully downloaded and installed, you should restart your device, Then, open your videoconferencing software and check to see if your camera is working.

8. Reinstall your laptop camera

If the troubleshooter and a driver update still don’t solve your problem, the next thing to try is a full reinstallation of your laptop camera. This might seem like an extreme step, but if your camera or its software has become corrupted in some way, a reinstallation is the easiest way to clear away the issue and get the camera functioning properly again.

A reinstallation will work just as well for an external or internal camera. Don’t worry. There is no need to physically remove the camera from your Windows laptop. Just follow these few simple steps:

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager.
2. Go to Imaging devices and click the arrow to the left to expand the menu.
3. Right-click on your camera and select Uninstall. Then, confirm.

4. Once your laptop camera has been uninstalled, restart your computer.
5. When your computer boots up, it should automatically reinstall the latest drivers and software needed to run your laptop camera. Once it has done this, restart your videoconferencing software to see if the problem has been resolved.

9. Install the driver in compatibility mode

If none of the above solves the problem, the next tip is to try compatibility mode. Compatibility mode is a function within Windows 10 that will not only let you install driver updates, but will automatically check that they are working, too.

This sounds like it should be a complicated process, but it is actually fairly straightforward. All you have to do is:

1. Go to your laptop manufacturer’s website, find your laptop, and download the camera driver. If your camera isn’t integrated, visit the camera manufacturer’s website to download the driver.
2. Locate the folder you downloaded the driver file into and right-click on the driver setup file.
3. Select Properties.
4. Choose the Compatibility tab, then check the box next to Run this program in Compatibility mode.
5. Select the correct operating system from the drop-down list.

6. Once the compatibility mode driver installation has finished, restart your computer.

10. Rollback your camera driver

While most camera problems can be resolved by installing the latest version of the device’s driver, sometimes new drivers can actually unintentionally cause problems. Usually, the manufacturer will realize this quickly and push out another new driver that fixes the issue. But this is not always the case.

If your laptop camera problem has been caused by a new driver download, the best thing to do in the short term is to roll back your driver to a previous version. This is another process that can seem complicated, but if you follow our simple step-by-step guide, it should cause you no problems.

1. Right-click the Start button, and choose Device Manager.
2. Go to Imaging Devices or Cameras, click the arrow to the left of the words to expand the menu, and right-click on your camera in the list.
3. Choose Properties.
4. Find the Driver tab, then choose the Driver details button.

5. In this tab, look for a file called stream.sys. If this file is present, your camera was designed before the launch of Windows 7 and it will require a different process.
6. If that file isn’t present, go back to the previous menu and select Rollback driver.

7. When prompted, click Yes. This will remove the latest version of your camera driver and restore the previous one.

Reboot your computer, once this process has finished, and then open your videoconferencing software and test to see if the laptop camera not working problem has now been resolved.

11. Check camera privacy settings

Online privacy settings are extremely important, and your webcam is precisely the sort of thing that a malicious program might seek to access. It is critical to keep close tabs on the permissions you grant.

These privacy settings can even get changed unintentionally. For example, a “refuse permission” default setting default may easily be switched to “allow all,” alongside a new update, without you realizing. This can often lead to issues where the camera is not working, even though it’s properly connected.

It is worth checking your laptop camera privacy settings to make sure that the program you want to use your webcam for, actually has permission to do so. This is a simple thing to check:

1. Click Start, then select Settings.
2. Type the word Camera in the search field box and click on the App Settings option. 

3.  In the App permissions section, look for the Camera toggle. If it’s off, make sure to turn it on.

If it is set to on, it is a good idea to switch it off, save settings, reboot your computer, and then reset it to on again. This can iron out any lingering laptop camera not working glitches.

12. Check your antivirus software

Obviously, antivirus software is crucial, and all Windows laptops should be equipped with a regularly updated antivirus program. However, your antivirus software can sometimes cause problems with your laptop camera. If it doesn’t recognize your camera or the software powering it, an antivirus program might mistake it for a virus and block it.

Alternately, if your laptop camera is running on outdated software or drivers, your antivirus program might flag these as viruses and stop them from working, too.

To check that this hasn’t happened on your device, open your antivirus software and look for settings related to blocking access or permission to use your webcam. If you can’t see anything, you might also want to check with the provider’s website, or even raise a query with their customer support team.

13. Disable and Enable the camera device

If you find out your laptop camera not working, a quick solution you can try is disabling and re-enabling the camera device. To accomplish this, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key and type “Device Manager.” Then, press Enter to open it.
2. Find Cameras or Imaging Devices on the list, and click on the little arrow next to it.
3. If your camera device is detected and visible, right-click on it and select Disable Device.

4. Windows will warn you that this action will cause the camera to stop functioning. Click on the Yes option.

5. Now, once more, right-click on your camera device and, this time, select Enable Device. 

14. Update Windows 10

If none of the other solutions worked, your laptop may need a Windows 10 update. Every so often, Windows blocks some features to prevent various issues, or to prepare for a new software update. You can manually update Windows 10 by following these steps:

1. Select Start and click on the Settings option, indicated by a gear icon.

2. Select Windows Update in the top-right corner.

3. Next, click on the Check for Updates button. If there is any update, the download. Thereafter, it should be ready to install.

4. Moreover, you can click on View all optional updates to see if there are any optional updates for your camera.

5. Restart your laptop to start the update process. 

15. Create a new user profile

Our final solution is perhaps our most extreme, but if all else fails, it is definitely worth trying. Occasionally, an issue with something like a webcam can be triggered by a corruption in your user profile.

All that is left to try then is to create a new user profile to see if that resolves the issue:

1. Click Start, and choose Settings.
2. Click on Accounts, then select Add someone else to this PC. On Windows 11, go to Accounts and select Family & other users.

3. Select Add other user. Follow the onscreen instructions and fill out the form to create your new user account.

4. Now, you will need to select Change account type.
5. Click the drop-down arrow and pick Administrator. This will set the account up at the administrator level.
6. Restart your computer and log in to the new account.

You can now choose whether to stick with this new profile, or try to fix your old profile. We generally recommend sticking with the new profile, to avoid any unnecessarily complex processes.

Which one fixed your laptop camera problem?

Webcams are a vital tool on any Windows laptop. However, they are not infallible. Luckily, our researchers have set out to find all the best methods to resolve all the most common issues that might be causing your laptop camera to malfunction. 

Have you had problems with your webcam not working on videoconferencing software or with other programs? Did one of our solutions address the issue for you? Do you have any other advice that we haven’t covered in this guide? It is always helpful to get feedback and tips from our readers, so why not share yours with us now using the comment box below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my laptop camera showing a black screen?

This could be caused by many things. We would recommend that you start by ensuring that your camera lens is not being obscured by a slider or a shutter. Then, go through all the other tips on our list.

Where are the camera settings on my laptop?

The easiest way to access the camera settings on a Windows 10 device, is to go to: Start > Camera > Settings. However, you can also enter the Camera app, and locate the settings menu (the gear icon) from there.

Why has my camera stopped working on my laptop?

There are many reasons why webcams stop working. Hardware issues, device connectivity issues, outdated drivers, and more, could all be to blame. Run through our list of troubleshooting solutions to find the cause and the resolution to your specific laptop camera not working issue. 

Where is the camera switch on my laptop?

If your laptop has a physical camera switch, it will typically be located to the left or right of the camera lens at the top of the screen. Some models may also have a switch on the side of the screen or near the top panel.