Camera Not Working On Windows 10: Easy Fixes

The Windows 10 camera not working issue can come up when the driver of the imaging device is not up to date. 

There can be many other reasons why this error can occur after all.

If the ‘Privacy Settings’ are not allowed, then there is a possibility for you to get this issue.

Also, if the antivirus blocks the accessibility of the camera device, then you might face this issue. Further, if there is some glitch within the Camera application, then there is a chance for you to meet with this issue. 

Read this article fully, to learn the solutions to rectify this issue.

Windows 10 Camera Not Working: Fixes to Follow

In this section, we will discuss the methods, utilizing which you can easily resolve the inoperative camera on your Windows 10 PC. Follow the fixes and apply them one by one to resolve this glitch in your system.

Solution 1: Troubleshooting Windows Store Apps

This subsection will provide steps that will allow you to troubleshoot the Windows Store Apps. Follow these steps: 

• First, press the keys ‘Windows + R’ together. This will open a new ‘Run’ dialog box. Now, within that dialog box, type in the following text “control panel” on the blank area, beside the label ‘Open:’. Then, tap on the ‘Enter’ key.
• This action will launch a new window titled ‘Control Panel’. Within that window, there will be various categories of computer settings, which you can alter whenever there is a need for doing so.
• Now, go to the search box within that window. Then, inside it, write ‘troubleshooting’ and press the ‘Enter’ key.
• Next, from the output of that search, choose the ‘Troubleshooting’ option. Now, a new page will come up with the title ‘Troubleshooting’ and the heading ‘Troubleshoot computer problems’.
• After that, navigate to the left panel and then tap on the ‘View all’ link. Now, again a new page will show up having the title ‘All Categories’. Inside that page, you will get names of all the troubleshooters present within the computer.
• From that list, locate and then click on the ‘Windows Store Apps’, which will open a new window with the same name.
• Now, select the ‘Next’ button and follow the instructions accordingly that come up on the screen and try to resolve this issue.

Solution 2: Register the Windows Store Application Once Again

Sometimes, you can find that the camera is not working on Windows 10 if the Windows Store applications are not correctly registered. The best solution to get rid of this problem is to register the Store software.

In order to know how it is done, follow the steps provided underneath.

• First, press on the ‘Cortana’ logo, to launch the default ‘Search’ section with the Windows Operating System. Then, inside that section, type in ‘command prompt’. 
• Next, from the search output, locate the ‘Command Prompt’ option and right-click on it. After that, from the popup menu that comes up, choose the ‘Run as administrator’ option.
• As soon as you click on that option, a new window with the black background and white text having the title ‘Command Prompt’ will come up.
• Inside that window, input the following command – “PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command “& {$manifest = (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore).InstallLocation + ‘\AppxManifest.xml’ ; Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $manifest}”.
• Hit Enter to run the command.
• This command will allow you to register the Windows Store applications.
• Once the execution of this command is over, quit from ‘Command Prompt’ window.
• Lastly, start the computer once again and then check whether this error shows up or not when you try to use the camera.

Solution 3: Reset the Camera Application

The camera app not working on Windows 10 issue can come up if the imaging device software is not set properly. The best way to resolve this issue is to reset the camera application. Here are the steps that you can follow.

• First, tap the ‘Windows’ logo on the taskbar. This will open the ‘Start Menu’.
• Now, within this menu, locate and then choose the ‘Gear’ icon just above the ‘Power’ icon. As soon as you do that, a new ‘Settings’ window will come up.
• Within that window, click on the ‘Apps’ category. This action will launch a new page with the name ‘Apps & features’.
• Now, go to the left pane of that page and then choose the ‘Default apps’ option. Next, go to the right pane of the page and select the ‘Camera’ application from the list.
• After that, just below the name ‘Camera’ select the ‘Advanced options’ link. Now, a new page will come up, in it, the settings for ‘Camera’ will be present which you can alter accordingly.
• Inside that page, tap on the ‘Reset’ button. This action will simply set the ‘Camera’ software once again.
• Lastly, reboot the computer and then start the ‘Camera’ application to see if this error is still present or not.

Solution 4: Check Whether the ‘Camera’ Hardware is Active or Not

The integrated camera not working on Windows 10 can show up if the ‘Camera’ hardware is not active. The only feasible solution to resolving this issue is to enable the ‘Camera’ hardware of the computer.

To achieve this feat, follow the steps mentioned underneath.

• First, press on the keys ‘Windows + I’ simultaneously to launch the ‘Settings’ window. This will launch a new window with the heading ‘Windows Settings’.
• Within this window, there will be various settings categories specifically for the Windows OS.
• Next, out of all those categories choose the one that says ‘Privacy’. Now, a new page will come up within this window, in it, navigate to the left panel and then choose the ‘Camera’ option.
• Now, move to the right pane of this page, with the heading ‘Camera’. Then, under that heading, below the label ‘Let apps use my camera hardware’, inspect whether the toggle switch is ‘On’ or not.
• If the switch is ‘Off’ then just swipe it to the right side to turn it ‘On’.
• At last, reboot the computer and then check whether you encounter this error while attempting to use the ‘Camera’.

Solution 5: Update the Driver of the Camera Hardware

You can get this problem if the Camera device driver is not up to date. The best solution to resolve this issue is to perform an update of the webcam driver. Follow the steps below.

• First, right-click on the ‘Windows’ logo. This will launch the ‘Options Menu’. From this menu, choose the ‘Run’ option.
• As soon as you do that, a new ‘Run’ dialog box will open at the bottom left corner of the screen. Next, within that dialog box, type in the text – “devmgmt.msc” on the empty space beside the label ‘Open:’. Then, click on the ‘OK’ button.
• Now, a new window with the title ‘Device Manager’ will come up. In this window, there will be all the devices and their drivers within a list.
• From that list, locate and then double-click on the ‘Cameras’ device category. This action will expand a sublist, where the driver of the chosen device will be present.
• Next, from the sublist, right-click on the driver of the webcam and then from the popup menu, select the ‘Update driver’ option. 
• A new window will then appear with two specific links. Among those two links, choose the one that says “Search automatically for updated driver software”. This action will automatically begin the search process for any updates to this driver.
• If there is an update available for the ‘Camera’ device driver, then that will be downloaded and installed automatically.
• Once the installation process is complete, restart the computer and see if this issue comes back or not when you try to access the Camera.

To Conclude

In order to fix the Windows 10 camera not working issue, you need to follow the methods given above. However, if even after following each and every step above, you’re still stuck with the same issue, then, do not worry a bit.

Just, provide all the details of the problem that you are facing on the comment section below and get an instant reply from a professional.