Laptop camera not working: how to fix it on Windows and Mac

How to test a laptop webcam

Open our webcam test, press Start webcam test and choose Allow. What you see tells you where to look:

• A picture appears: the camera, the system and the browser all work. Read the Resolution and Frame rate under the picture; if a single app still fails, see mic and camera in meeting apps.
• A black picture, but the test runs: almost always a closed privacy shutter or a camera switched off by a key. Start with the next section.
• "Camera access is blocked": a browser or system permission says no. See the privacy sections below and our browser permissions guide.
• "No camera found": the system does not see the camera at all (switched off by a key, disabled in Device Manager, or a driver problem).
• "The device is busy": another app holds the camera.

Open the privacy shutter and check the camera key

Microsoft notes that some laptops have a switch or button that turns the camera off, and a camera turned off this way can make Windows report no camera at all.

• Shutter. Many laptops have a small slider above the screen that covers the lens; you may see a dot, a stripe or an orange or red mark when it is closed. Slide it open. Some models put the switch on the side of the case instead.
• Camera key. Look on the function row for a key with a camera symbol, often with a line through it (commonly one of F6 to F10, sometimes with Fn). Press it once and watch for an on-screen message such as "Camera on".
• Stickers and covers. A webcam cover or a protective film from a new laptop blocks the view as well.

Keep our webcam test open while you try these: the picture appears the moment the shutter or key is right.

Windows 11 and 10: camera privacy settings

Browsers and meeting apps are desktop apps, and Windows can block them separately from Store apps.

Windows 11

1. Open Start › Settings › Privacy & security › Camera.
2. Turn on Camera access.
3. Turn on Let apps access your camera.
4. Turn on Let desktop apps access your camera. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Zoom and Discord need this one.

Windows 10

1. Open Start › Settings › Privacy › Camera.
2. Under Allow access to the camera on this device, select Change and turn it on.
3. Turn on Allow apps to access your camera and pick apps under Choose which Microsoft Store apps can access your camera.
4. Turn on Allow desktop apps to access your camera.

If the device switch is greyed out, the laptop is managed by work or school and an administrator has to change it.

On Windows 11 you can also open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Cameras to see connected cameras; on version 24H2 and later, select the camera, then Edit under Advanced camera options to turn on Basic camera, a troubleshooting mode that turns off hardware acceleration and maker plug-ins that sometimes stop it from working.

Close apps that are using the camera

A laptop camera can usually serve one app at a time. If Teams, Zoom, Discord, OBS or a browser tab has it, everyone else gets a black picture or a "busy" error.

1. Close meeting apps completely, including from the tray next to the clock.
2. Close other browser tabs that used the camera.
3. On Windows, right-click the taskbar, open Task Manager, right-click an app that may hold the camera and select End task.
4. On Windows 11, Settings › Privacy & security › Camera lists the desktop apps Windows has seen using the camera, which helps you spot the one holding it.
5. Press Retry in our test.

When the camera is on, its light should glow. If your laptop has no light, Windows shows a notification when the camera turns on or off.

Windows: check Device Manager and drivers

1. Select Start, type "device manager" and open it.
2. Look under Cameras, Imaging devices or Sound, video and game controllers.
3. If the camera is missing, select Action › Scan for hardware changes. If it still doesn't appear, check the camera key and the BIOS/UEFI settings, where some laptops can switch the camera off.
4. If it shows Enable device when you right-click it, select that: the camera was disabled.
5. If it stopped after an update, right-click it › Properties › Driver › Roll Back Driver.
6. Otherwise right-click it › Uninstall device, tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device (Windows 10: Delete the driver software for this device), then Action › Scan for hardware changes and restart.

Microsoft also suggests the Get Help app's camera troubleshooter (Windows 11: Settings › System › Troubleshoot › Other troubleshooters › Camera; Windows 10: Settings › Update & Security › Troubleshoot). Antivirus apps sometimes have their own webcam protection that blocks access; look in their settings.

Mac: FaceTime camera not working

Macs have no camera key or Device Manager, so the checks are shorter.

1. Give apps permission. Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera and turn on your browser and call apps. Quit and reopen the app afterwards.
2. Check Screen Time if you use it: System Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy › App Restrictions (or Apps), and make sure Camera is allowed.
3. Quit apps that may hold the camera, then try again.
4. Restart the Mac. On a Mac with an Intel processor, Apple also suggests resetting the SMC.
5. Update macOS in System Settings › General › Software Update.

The green light next to the Mac camera shows that the camera is on. Apple says that if the camera still doesn't work, or the green indicator light flashes, the Mac may need service.

In Safari, also check Safari › Settings › Websites › Camera for the site.

Once the picture is back, check the full call setup with webcam + mic and the mic test. Mic trouble too? See mic not working on Windows or on Mac.