Webcam Test

Why Is My Webcam Not Working?

Most of the time your webcam is fine — it is a permission, driver, or app conflict that is getting in the way. Before you start worrying about hardware, try the test on this page first. If the camera loads here, the issue is almost certainly inside a specific app, not the webcam itself. If it does not load here either, work through the list below.

• Browser permission was denied — If you clicked 'Block' the first time the browser asked, it will never ask again automatically. Go to your browser settings, find the camera permission for this site, switch it to Allow, and refresh the page.

• Another app is already using the camera — Only one app can access the webcam at a time. If Zoom, Teams, OBS, or even a background app grabbed it first, the browser gets locked out. Close any other apps using the camera and try again.

• Wrong camera selected — If your device has more than one camera — like a laptop with a built-in cam plus a USB webcam — the browser might be pointing at the wrong one. Check your browser or app settings to switch to the correct device.

• Webcam not recognised by the system — For USB webcams, try unplugging and plugging back into a different port. Sometimes Windows or macOS simply needs a second to register the device properly.

• Outdated or missing camera driver — Especially on Windows, a driver that broke after a system update can make the webcam disappear entirely. Open Device Manager and look for any warnings under Cameras or Imaging Devices.

• Camera disabled in privacy settings — Windows 10/11 has a system-level camera privacy toggle that can block all apps at once. Go to Settings > Privacy > Camera and make sure camera access is turned on.

• Physical cover or hardware switch — Some laptops have a small sliding cover over the lens or a dedicated privacy key on the keyboard. It sounds obvious but it is easy to forget — check for both before anything else.