Whenever your laptop’s camera doesn’t work, it usually means that your computer can’t detect or access it.
There is a chance it might have been disabled by any means or your computer’s settings or some app is obstructing access. Issues with the driver and the physical hardware are also some likely causes.
To fix your laptop’s camera,ensure it is enabledandhas proper access. You should alsoclose any other appcurrently using the camera. Then,troubleshoot the driverby reinstalling or rolling it back.
You may need to repair or replace the physical device if there’s a broken connection or any damage.
Make Sure Camera is Enabled
Most laptops contain multiple means to disable the built-in camera device. you may do so using the dedicated switch/shortcut, BIOS and even the Device Manager.
So check all such possible methods and ensure your camera is actually enabled. Here’s what you may need to do:
Allow Camera Access
Windows comes with a privacy setting to address security threats from exposable media like camera or microphone.
Go to the relevant settingand ensure your system and app have access to the camera. For that,
Somethird-party antivirus appsmay also have separate camera permission settings for privacy purposes. Go through your antivirus settings and ensure it is not blocking the camera access.
Close All Apps Using the Camera
When one application is actively using the camera, other apps won’t be able to use it.
In such cases, if you try opening the Camera app, it will say something like“Close other apps, It looks like another app is using the camera already.”
If you don’t know which app it is, you may look for and close all possible apps usingthe Task Manager. To do so,
Reinstall or Roll Back Camera Driver
Issues with the camera driver may also prevent it from working properly. The best way to deal with such issues is touninstall and reinstall the camera driver.
you may do so fromthe Device Managerusing the steps below,
If reinstalling the driver didn’t help, try rolling it back to the previous version. It will take care of all undesirable issues in the current driver version. For that,
If you may’t find the camera driver, your system may not have its driver.Perform a manual windows updatetoupdate or install the camera driver.
Check Connection Issues
If you still can’t find the camera device on the Device Manager, it indicates a connection issue or hardware damage.
If you are using anexternal camera, change its connection port. Also, see if it works on other devices. If not, it is damaged and needs a replacement.
To detect and troubleshoot any connection issues for thebuilt-in camera, you will have to open the laptop and its screen bezel.
If you don’t have prior experience or knowledge on doing so, take help from the local hardware shops or service centers.
Note: We also have dedicated guides to troubleshoot camera issues on a few laptops. I recommend going through those for more detailed or additional solutions.
