Camera laptop
Laptop camera not working? 9 ways to fix it now
by Milan Stanojevic
Windows & Software Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about PCs ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Read more
Updated: Nov 3, 2021
Posted: March 2021
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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. Show
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! How do I fix my laptop camera if its not working?
1. Run the Hardware troubleshooter
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. 2. Update the laptop camera driver
Finding the right driver can be a difficult task. Therefore, we recommend you use an automatic driver tool that can scan your PC for out-of-date or missing drivers and automatically update them. Dedicated driver updaters, such as DriverFix will match your hardware with its corresponding driver, eliminating additional problems that can occur when using a mismatched driver. 3. 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. 4. Install driver in compatibility mode
5. Roll back driver
Find a file name with stream.sys. If you have this on your PC, then your webcam needs to be replaced as this shows it was designed prior to Windows 7. If not, then roll back your webcam by going to Roll Back Driver using these steps:
Once rollback is finished, reboot your computer and try to open webcam again. If the rollback works, youll need to block incoming Windows 10 driver updates. 6. Check your antivirus softwareIf 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. 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. 7. Check the camera privacy settings
Is your laptop cameras privacy settings turned on? Follow the above steps to execute this. 8. 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. 9. How to fix the webcam issues on specific laptop models1. Lenovo laptop camera not working
If your Lenovo laptop camera is not working in particular programs, make sure the Lenovo EasyCamera is set as the default camera for those programs. 2. MSI laptop camera not working
3. HP laptop camera not working
4. Dell laptop camera not working on Windows 10
5. Asus laptop camera not working
Let us know in the comments section below whether any of these solutions worked to resolve the laptop camera issue. Also, leave there any other questions you may have. Frequently Asked Questions
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