A laptop camera usually stops working for a small reason: a closed shutter, a privacy setting that changed, another app holding the camera, or a driver that broke after an update. Each fix is quicker than the one after it. Open the Camera app after each one to see whether video shows up, and stop as soon as it does.
Look for a camera switch, shutter or key
Many laptops have a physical way to turn the camera off, and when it is off Windows may act as if no camera is installed. Check every place it could be:
- A function key with a camera icon, pressed with Fn or on its own
- A dedicated camera key on the keyboard
- A small slider on the side of the laptop
- A tiny shutter built into the camera at the top of the screen
- A protective sticker left on the lens, which makes the picture dark or blurry
Let apps use the camera in privacy settings
After a Windows update, apps sometimes lose permission to use the camera. On Windows 11, check it here. Windows 10 keeps the same switches under Settings > Privacy > Camera.
- Open Settings > Privacy & security > Camera.
- Turn on Camera access. If it is greyed out, an administrator on the PC has to switch it on for you.
- Turn on Let apps access your camera.
- In the list below, turn on the apps you want to use. Only apps from the Microsoft Store appear here.
- For anything installed another way, such as a browser or a video call program, turn on Let desktop apps access your camera. There is no separate switch for each desktop app.
Test the camera and close apps that may be holding it
Open the Start menu and launch Camera. If you see yourself, the camera is fine and the trouble lies in the settings of the app you were using, so look at that app's own camera or video options. If the picture shows but looks dark, the webcam brightness steps cover that. If the camera light is on but nothing appears, or a message asks you to close other apps, something else has the camera open.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Camera and look under Recent activity to see which apps used it lately.
- Close those apps. If one will not close, right-click the taskbar, open Task Manager, select the app and choose End task.
- Open the Camera app again.
Restart and install Windows updates
Restart the laptop properly. Waking it from sleep does not count. Then check for updates: open Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates. Camera drivers sometimes arrive as optional updates, so also open Advanced options > Optional updates and install anything listed for the camera. Windows 10 uses Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, with a View optional updates link. Restart again when the installs finish.
Run the camera troubleshooter
The troubleshooter inside Settings can repair many common camera faults automatically.
- Open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
- Find Camera and select Run.
- Follow any prompts, then test the camera again.
Check whether antivirus is blocking the camera
Some antivirus and firewall programs include a feature that blocks camera access. Open yours and look through its privacy or protection settings. If you cannot find the cause, pause the protection for a few minutes, test the camera, and then turn protection back on. Your antivirus maker's support site explains where its camera settings live.
Make sure Device Manager sees the camera
If the Camera app says it cannot find a camera, or shows error 0xA00F4244, Windows may not be detecting the hardware at all.
- Search for Device Manager and open it.
- Look for the camera under Cameras, Imaging devices or Sound, video and game controllers.
- If nothing is listed, open the Action menu and select Scan for hardware changes. Wait, restart the laptop and test again.
- If the camera has a small down arrow on its icon, it is disabled. Open its right-click menu and choose Enable device.
Roll back or reinstall the camera driver
A camera that quit right after an update often needs its driver changed back or replaced. In Device Manager, right-click the camera and choose Properties, then work through these in order.
- Open the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver, then Yes. Some drivers do not offer this button; if yours does not, move to the next step. Restart and test.
- Back in Device Manager, open the camera's right-click menu and choose Uninstall device. Restart the laptop so Windows installs the driver again, or use Action > Scan for hardware changes.
- If the camera still shows a yellow exclamation mark, search for your laptop model on the maker's support site and install the camera driver listed there. Some models have no separate camera driver and simply use the one built into Windows.
Turn the camera on in BIOS or the maker's app
Some laptops can switch the camera off below Windows, so Windows never sees it. On a Dell laptop, restart and press F2 over and over until the setup screen opens. Under Integrated Devices, make sure Enable Camera is on, then save and exit. This option only exists on laptops and all-in-one PCs. On a Lenovo laptop with Lenovo Vantage installed, open Device > My Device Settings > Display & Camera and switch off Camera Privacy Mode. If none of this brings the camera back, the hardware itself may have failed, and the laptop maker's support team is the next stop.