Windows 11 camera not working? 9 fixes to try

By Saadat Rafiq · 2 min read · 9 steps · Published 6 October 2026

Device

Windows

Shown on

Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 (build 26200.9457), Microsoft Cloud PC

App

Camera

Real screenshots

5 of 9 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. Look for a switch or cover

   Many laptops have a sliding shutter over the lens, a camera key on the keyboard (often with Fn) or a small switch on the side. Make sure the camera is not covered or switched off.

   Done

2. 

   Check the privacy settings

   Open Settings, Privacy & security, Camera. Switch on Camera access and Let apps access your camera.

   Done

3. 

   Test with the Camera app

   Click Start and open Camera. If you see yourself, the camera works and the fault is in the other app. If it says We can't find your camera with the code 0xA00F4244 NoCamerasAreAttached, Windows sees no camera at all: check the switch, the cable and the driver.

   Done

4. 

   Allow the app you use

   Back on the Camera privacy page, switch on the app in the list. On our PC even the Camera app itself is Off. For programs that are not from the Microsoft Store, such as Zoom or a browser, Let desktop apps access your camera must be On.

   Done

5. Restart the PC

   Click Start, Power, Restart. Microsoft points out that waking a PC from sleep is not the same as a restart.

   Done

6. 

   Check for updates

   Open Settings, Windows Update and click Check for updates. Then click Advanced options, Optional updates, and install any camera driver listed there.

   Done

7. External camera: try another USB port

   Plug a USB webcam into a different port on the PC, without a hub in between.

   Done

8. Check the antivirus program

   Some security programs block the camera. Look in the settings of your antivirus program for a webcam protection option and allow the app.

   Done

9. 

   Update, roll back or reinstall the driver

   Right-click Start and open Device Manager. Find the camera under Cameras or Imaging devices, right-click it and choose Update driver. If the camera stopped after an update, open Properties, the Driver tab, and click Roll Back Driver. As a last step choose Uninstall device and restart: Windows installs the driver again.

   Done

About this guide

When a video call shows a black picture, the camera is usually switched off: by a cover, by a key or by a privacy setting. The driver is the cause far less often.

The screenshots are our own, taken on Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 (build 26200.9457) running as a Microsoft Cloud PC, a Windows PC that runs in the cloud. The Settings app is the same on Home and Pro PCs; where the Cloud PC shows something different, the step says so.

Our Cloud PC has no camera, so its Camera app shows the real error you get when Windows finds none.

Good to know

Only one program can use the camera at a time. Close other video programs before a call.

For the microphone in calls, see Windows 11 microphone not working: 6 fixes to try.

In short: Cover or switch, privacy settings, Camera app, restart, updates, other USB port, antivirus, driver.