How To Fix Webcam Problems
With broadband internet widely available, many PC users are actively using their webcams for video chatting and online meetings. Not only does the increased bandwidth facilitate the use of video over the internet, but improved webcams and better video compression also help a lot. But if your hardware is not working as it should be, a webcam is not much fun. So dealing with webcam problems can be a necessary evil. Webcam problems often simply mean there is no image to be seen, but in other cases, you might actually get an error message or will not be able to select the webcam as the video source in your programs.
In Windows Live Messenger, for example, you might get webcam error 0x8a70013, indicating a problem with the webcam device.
Steps to solve the webcam problems
Check the webcam connection
One of the very first steps is of course to check your webcam connection. Most webcams use the USB port to connect to the PC, so check if your USB cable is properly plugged in. For built-in webcams, these steps of course do not apply. Many new laptops have a built-in webcam. Also, try connecting your webcam directly to your PC instead of through a USB hub (if you are using one).
Enable the webcam
But don’t forget to check if you need to manually activate your webcam. In most cases, the webcam will be automatically activated by software that can use the webcam, but for some computer brands, it is necessary to press a certain key combination to activate the webcam (it will be a Function key, either with Alt or Ctrl or the Fn key, but check the laptop manual for details).
Some known key combinations:
<Fn> + <F9> (Alienware laptop webcams)
<Fn> + <F6> (Packard Bell laptops, MSI laptops, Lenovo laptops)
<Fn> + <F10> (Neo laptops, some Asus laptops)
Check the webcam in the Device Manager
The next thing to do is to check your Windows Device Manager and see if all hardware is recognized and installed properly. Use the Scan for hardware changes in the Action menu to make sure Windows lists all available hardware devices.
It might be that the hardware is recognized as a camera, but the right drivers are not installed. The yellow exclamation mark will indicate a problem.
If the device is not recognized in Windows, it will be listed under Other Devices.
In either case, you can try to update the drivers. Right-click the device, and in the popup menu select Update Driver Software (in Windows 11 – Update driver). Then follow the instructions on screen, but make sure you allow Windows to search the web for updated drivers.
In case no driver for the webcam can be found, you can try a third-party driver-finding program that scans your PC for installed hardware and allows you to install missing drivers.
Reinstall the webcam software
If this fails, the next step would be to uninstall the software that came with your webcam. Use the Add or Remove Programs feature in the Control Panel. If that does not work you can use a third party uninstaller.
After uninstalling the software, restart your PC and then reinstall the webcam software. In most cases, this will solve the problems. Depending on the software, you might need to unplug your webcam during the software installation. For many HP systems, you need to install the CyberLink YouCam software, which can be downloaded from the HP site (for Windows 7 and Windows 8). This program allows you to check the webcam feed to see if it is working.
Check the software settings
If the drivers and webcam software are correctly installed, and you still cannot see any video, there can be a problem with the program settings. Most chat and meeting software have a configuration option to select the video source for the webcam feature. If you have multiple devices that qualify for video, you might need to select your webcam device as the source for the webcam feature in that program.
Some webcams and programs require additional software, although that should be installed with the webcam if things are right. But is does not harm to check if your Java, Flash (discontinued in 2019) and Quicktime software (version 7.6) are installed and up to date. But certainly check your DirectX software, since all video applications, including webcams, use DirectX for video processing. Try downloading the latest DirectX version and install it (Windows XP: DirectX 9.0c – Windows Vista: DirectX 10 (version 11 for Vista with SP2) – Windows 7: DirectX 11 – Windows 8, 8.1: DirectX 11.2 is only available through the Windows Update function – Windows 10: DirectX 11.3 and 12 are included with Windows and updates are only available through Windows update).
Manual focus correction
Lastly, if your webcam’s image is not sharp, check to see if it has a focus ring. A blurry image can sometimes simply mean the webcam is not in focus. Adjusting the focus through the ring can solve that problem.
Adjust video capture quality
Other picture quality problems with webcams can be addressed by changing the video capture properties for the webcam. Most programs that can use a webcam will have the option to access the properties of the video source, which will bring up the video capture properties window.
Do keep in mind that not all settings will be enabled depending on the webcam and the webcam driver installed on your computer. In the example, you can see that some settings are disabled. The example shows the video capture properties for an Acer Crystal Eye webcam.
In Windows 11 the Camera properties look different. Access them by opening Settings from the Start menu, then select Bluetooth & devices in the left-hand pane, click Cameras in the right-hand pane, and then click your camera.
Camera Privacy Settings Causing Webcam Problems
Starting with Windows 8.1 (and Windows 10) there is a privacy setting in Windows that allows (or blocks) access to the camera. If access to the camera is blocked to Apps, your webcam will not work in certain applications.
Here are the steps to ensure that the camera is not blocked in Windows 10:
- From the Start menu, select Settings.
- In the Settings window, click on Privacy.
- Make sure that the setting for Let my apps use my camera is turned On.
Fix Flipped Camera Issues
Having the image from the camera shown as mirrored or upside down has been a long-time problem on some Windows-compatible webcams. In most cases, the right device driver for the camera will fix the issue.
If the camera image is not showing correctly, or changes to an incorrect image when using it to capture video, try the options below to fix it.
Registry tweak to flip camera
Although this solution is not applicable to all webcams, it is good to check if it is applicable in your case.
- Open the Registry Editor using the Windows + R keys and then type
regeditin the Run box. Press Enter or click the OK button. - In the Registry Editor, select the top-level entry (Computer), and then use the File menu Export option to make a backup of the registry.
- Next, locate the following registry entry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\
{6BDD1FC6-810F-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F}\0000\VIDEOPROCAMP - With the key selected, change entry in the right-hand panel called
HFLIPfrom 0 to 1 (or from 1 to zero, depending on the current value). If the entry does not exist, you can create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value with that name.
Note: Use theVFLIPentry for a vertical flip.
If you cannot find the key, this option probably will not work for your webcam.
Use software settings to flip the camera
If you cannot get the webcam image corrected in Windows itself, using the driver, settings, or registry tweak, you can often use program settings to correct the webcam image.
Do keep in mind that many video chat programs show you the mirrored image of the webcam while people on the other end see the correct image of you. So consider if it is really something that needs to be addressed!
In Zoom you can toggle video mirroring to change the image.
- Click the up arrow in the Video button on the Zoom meeting window.
- Select the Video Settings option in the popup menu.
- In the Video settings pane, unmark the option Mirror my video.
- Close the Video settings pane.
- Close and restart Zoom (close it completely from the Taskbar icon).
If you prefer working with web-based interfaces for online meeting and chat programs like Zoom, Google Meet, and others, installing a browser plugin or extension is the better way to go. For Chrome, there is VideoMirror, which is free and supports camera mirroring. There are others, but make sure to check that the mirror function is available in the free version before you install it.
If you are using your webcam for instant messaging / video chatting with one of the popular chat programs, have a look at ManyCam, which allows you to record your webcam but also allows screen recording, which allows you to record any video stream! Third-party programs like ManyCam act as a virtual webcam and even work to mirror the camera image in Discord, which is not otherwise possible.
Windows 10 Camera Problems
In one of the initial Windows 10 updates, a camera problem was introduced that needed a specific fix. The update causes the camera to stop working in most apps trying to use it. The update pertained to the Windows Frame Server Mode for processing webcam images. Microsoft disabled support for webcams using MJPEG and H264 compression. The way to address this is to disable the Frame Server Mode to allow it to work.
- Open the Registry Editor in Windows.
- Make a backup of the registry using the File -> Export option.
- Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Media Foundation\Platform - Right-click in the left-hand pane and select New in the popup menu.
- Select DWORD (32-bit) Value and enter the
EnableFrameServerModeas the name. - The value should be zero (0) by default, if not, change it to zero (0) by double-clicking the new key.
- If you are running a 64-bit version of Windows, you need to repeat these steps for the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows Media Foundation\Platform - Close the Registry Editor and check if the camera issue is fixed.
A restart of Windows should not be required, but if the fix does not work, restart Windows to make sure the changes take effect.
Realtek Webcam Problems
If your Windows system is using a webcam that is using Realtek components, a specific problem can occur. The Windows service host will report errors that report the camera frame service terminated unexpectedly. The error is caused by a Realtek driver file (RsProvider.dll). The file resides in the path: C:\Program Files\Realtek\RsProviders\RsProvider.dll (unless your system drive is not the C-drive).
You can either delete or rename the RsProviders folder or try a registry option to disable it. Lenovo provides a patch for its affected systems to disable it. The patch removes the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Analog\Providers\RsProvider
Before you change the registry, make a backup! If you decide to delete the RsProvider folder, also make a backup first (the better option is to try and rename it first).
Windows 11 Camera Troubleshooter
Microsoft has included a troubleshooter feature in Windows 10 and Windows 11 that can help fix common problems. So, if you experience a camera-related problem in one of these Windows versions, run the Camera Troubleshooter first.
- Open the Settings from the Start menu.
- Select Bluetooth & devices in the left-hand pane.
- Click Cameras in the right-hand pane.
- Select your Camera (USB2.0 HD UVC WebCam in the example).
- Click the Troubleshoot button.
Errors that can be solved this way include the 0xA00F4244 error showing NoCamerasAreAttached. The Camera window will show the message “We can’t find your camera“.
A second frequent error in Windows 10 and Windows 11 relating to the webcam is error 0xA00F429F WindowsShowFailed. The message, in this case, is “Can’t start your camera“.
In most cases, this is an App access issue (permissions), but just run the troubleshooter to see if it can be fixed by Windows automatically.
also, my webcam wouldn’t work so i disabled it and enabled it, it worked….but now on facebook i get the error message, “Camera no found”….thanks for the help
Actually, I just restarted my computer after setting the date for Feb. 1st (I think that this problem is less than a month old), and it still detects an unknown device.
hello, my built in webcam is slow and stops after a short seconds of use. Any ideas? thanks
I don’t think anything major changed. I might be wrong though, but I really don’t remember installing anything big or worth mentioning recently. I am gonna try to set the date to one month ago and see if things go back to normal.
@Jonathan Assouline – Did you also try using system restore to bring the configuration back to a few weeks ago when everything did work fine? If you can somehow pinpoint the change that took place when the problems started, it might be possible to solve it. No new hardware or software?
@Emma jenkins – Are you using the HP MediaSmart Webcam software? Maybe try downloading that and reinstalling. The link is to the Vista version, but the others will be available on the HP support website as well.
i have a hp pavilian dv6 1203ax webcam will not work it says no device is connected but it is inbuilt in the instructions it says to turn on using webcam 1000 on desktop but that isnt there and doesnt come up in a search. i have installed drivers for it but nothing is working. please help
I actually already tried. I uninstalled it, restarted the computer, and it reinstalled it. At first, it says unknown USB device correctly installed and operational, but after a few minutes, it says as usual: unrecognized USB device…” Even during this little interval right after it reinstalled the device, the cam doesn’t work.
When I try to update the unknown device, it says that the best driver for it is already installed.
I really don’t know what to do…
@Kate – That could just as well be a problem on your dad’s computer. Try the video chat with someone else and see if that works. Also check if you and you dad have the same version of msn messenger installed.
@maricela – Try using a different program instead of Youcam (ManyCam maybe) and see if that works. Second thing to try is to reinstall the webcam drivers.
@yol – Most likely you are not receiving the other person’s webcam image. Does this happen with everyone? And what program are you using for the video chat?
@Sean – Weird. Did you try reinstalling the webcam drivers and software after you started using the the TV connection? At least try that, so you are certain all original files for the webcam are installed.
@Nusrat – JUst reinstalling the webcam software should fix that.
@Marina – Does your webcam show up in the Device Manager without errors? And is this a built-in webcam or external webcam?
@Benjamin – First try reinstalling the Toshiba webcam application. It is available as a download on the Toshiba support site.
@Jonathan Assouline – An unknown device message like that definitely means the drivers are not installed or not working. Reinstalling them should solve that.
@Marika – There are different widgets for adding webcam video to MySpace, have you tried more than one? Anycam is an option I know off.
@Chloe – If you do not see the webcam device in the Device Manager, then it is not detected. Have a look at our tips to solve usb not detected devices, but if that does not help, and it is really broken, you can always get an additional external webcam.
@Phil Calverley – It is not coming up at all, not even under the “other devices” as an unknown device? Did you try reinstalling the webcam drivers?
My webcam is no longer working. It doesnt appear on my device manager and it isnt coming up anywhere. I dont know what to do to get it back.
Please help :(
Thanks :)
well ive a built in webcam on my advent laptop but i broke it about two weeks ago ands its really annoying me anytime i want to go on webcam to my friends i cant because its not working the adive you wrote at the top saying to you on device manager , i went on that but when i went on sound , video and game controlers there was only two things but nothing to do with webcam on it
soo can you please help me as fast as you posibily can?
please hurry :(:(
So i have this bulit in webcam but i cant seem to get it work for myspace. It doesnt even seem to be reading thebuild in webcam… please help me. Thank you.
*Marika*
Hi there! I have a problem with my webcam. I have a HP pavillion laptop (about 2 years old) that runs with Vista and has a built-in cam.
It worked fine until a week ago, but it started not working at all.
The thing that I noticed is that, every time I start the computer, a window opens and says “USB device non recognized and not installed properly” or something like that. Of course, their solution is to check if my cam is well plugged in, but it’s built-in!
I tried to fin the program in control panel and device manager, but it disappeared. There is no trace of any webcam anywhere.
Last thing I tried is to uninstall the “unknown USB device” thinking that it would reinstall properly next time I would restart the computer, but it did the same thing again.
I don’t know what to do. Can somebody help me?
i have a toshiba satelite A500-02F and the intergrated webcam is not working anymore when i get onto msn or even when i want to take some pictures.
Ive gone to the device manager and i cant find the device in it anywhere. i get a message saying. ” Web camera initialization failed. please check your camera decive and restart application or computer”
can you help me?
Hello Kyle,
I was wondering if you can help me out? This is is probably really simple, but I really don’t know anything about computers. I have a Dell XPS (laptop) everytime i go into my webcam it shows me this message: Please reconnect your camera. I’ve tried to but I have no luck finding that section. If you could please help me I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you for you time
my webcam was working few days ago but yesterday when i turned it on it wasnt working.my amcamp folder is on my desktop and the other shortcut which is located at C:/ i deleted it. so i thought if i restore it will work but nothing happened. now, plz help me!!! as i need my webcam very much since my big bro move 2 another place so i need to satay in contact
Nope, no new software was installed or anything. I possibly could be mistaken but I’m pretty sure it was working one day then another time I used it and it was all blurry. My last post was #646. I can’t seem to figure out what’s wrong.
i see my own image on another person’s cam when i chat.. why is that?
hye…
i have a hp laptop, with vista, and it has a built in web cam…
i have cyberlink youcam…as soon as i open it i get the following messege:
cannot connect to this video device (usb video device). please select another device via settings or close any application that may be using this video device and restart YouCam.
i went to device manager and i dont see any promblem there and i dont have any other programs running using the web cam…can you help me…what can i do??
Hi, I have a Lifecam VX5000 and i use it with Windows Messenger so video call, It has been great up until a few weeks ago. I video call my Dad who lives overseas and he has the same camera, I can see and hear him and he can hear me, but my camera doesn’t show my picture. I know the camera works because I can go to My computer and it is there when I double click the camera comes on and I see myself.
I have tried uninstalling and re-installing but it doesn’t seem to work. Do you have any suggestions?
Many Thanks
Kate
@Erwin – That has to be a network issue. Check you firewall and router settings, as the network traffic is possibly somehow filtered or blocked. This of course assuming you did not change anything on the laptop between you moving away to study…
@Rachel – The cause for an upside down webcam is normally the driver. Did you try installing the original webcam driver for your laptop? Asus mostly uses Chicony and Suyin webcams in their laptops, so check the camera driver first. What is your Windows version?
@Julien – Never seen this problem to be related to a brwoser, so I would recommend you first reinstall the webcam driver. If that does not help, try uninstalling Safari.
@justin – Did you try a generic webcam program like SplitCam or Manycam? Do they detect and show the webcam? I am assuming here that you already tried reinstalling the drivers and that the webcam is showing up without problems in the Device Manager.
@Sam – What Movie Maker version and Windows version are you using, because the later versions (after Windows XP) actually do not support recording from webcams anymore. Have a look at an alternative program for webcam recording we described.
Hi. I’m trying to use my webcam with Windows Movie Maker, but when i click the button “Capture from video device”, it says “A video capture device was not detected. Verify that a device is turned on and connected properly, and then try again.”. How do I fix this?
i have a rocketfish webcam that when i try to use the screen is black, when I open the program for it, it tells me that it can not put capture device in graph. how do I fix it?
Got the same problem in Safari. In IE8 I had no problems, but when I installed Safari my webcam showed upside down.. Please help us! :D
I have an ASUS N50Vseries and a built-in USB2.0 2.0M UVC WebCam, and after having to perform a system restart, my webcam started showing up as upside down. I’ve searched how to fix it, but none of the answers seem to work, I’ve tried uninstalling, and reinstalling the software, I’ve tried disabling it, but nothing seems to get it right-side up. I haven’t got a program that allows me to use the webcam by itself, but I have got messenger, and I went into the video options and I couldn’t change anything in the camera control, because the options were was disabled but I could alter colour in the Video Proc Amp. Can you please help me fix it?
Hello. I have a Dell Inspiron with a built-in cam. It used to work whenever I used it at home. Now I’m studying far from home and it just does not connect to the internet. Webcam stills works but everytime I try to send my cam to anyone else they can’t see me. It happens in both msn yahoo and msn windows live.
Thanks.