But then what do you do when your webcam randomly freezes or suddenly won’t respond? Let’s explore some easy ways to fix a problematic Windows webcam.
1. Allow Camera Access on Your Device
This problem might often be caused by the way you’ve configured some of your privacy settings. As such, here’s how to check if you enabled camera access in your system settings:
Navigate to the Windows Start Menu > PC Settings > Privacy > Camera. Click the Change button under the Allow access to the camera on this device option. Next, turn on the Camera for this device button in the pop-up window.
When you finish, scroll down and turn on the button under the Allow apps to access your camera option.
Next, scroll down and locate the Choose which apps can access your camera setting. From there, turn on the buttons for all the apps that require webcam access.
When you finish, close the settings window and restart your PC.
2. Temporarily Disable Your Antivirus
This issue might sometimes be caused by security programs like antivirus software. To resolve the problem, you can try temporarily disabling your antivirus program and testing your webcam while it’s off.
The methods for disabling an antivirus differ from program to program, so you’ll need to poke around your software to find the setting to disable it. And always remember to re-enable it once you’re done. If you think you’ll forget, some antivirus programs have an option to temporarily disable it for a short period of time.
3. Test Your External Webcam on Another PC
If you’re using an external webcam, try testing it on another device. This can be another PC or laptop in your home or a friend’s PC.
If the webcam works on the other computer, then your PC is likely the cause of the issues and needs troubleshooting. However, if the webcam doesn’t work on the other device, then you might need to fix or replace the webcam.
4. Restart or Reinstall the Camera Driver
This issue could sometimes be caused by a corrupted camera driver. Usually, this might occur just after you’ve updated your Windows device. So, to resolve this issue, you can restart or reinstall the corrupted camera driver.
To restart your camera’s driver:
Press Win + X and select Device Manager in the pop-up menu. Double-click the Cameras option to expand it. Right-click the Integrated Camera driver and select Disable device. Finally, right-click the Integrated Camera driver, select Enable device, and restart your PC.
If this doesn’t resolve your issue, try reinstalling the Camera driver. Here’s how you can do this:
Open the Device Manager and the Camera option as per the previous steps. Right-click the Integrated Camera driver and select Uninstall device. Next, navigate to the Action tab and select Scan for hardware changes.
When you finish, restart your PC to automatically reinstall the Camera driver.
5. Use Windows’ Troubleshooters
Windows has a couple of troubleshooting tools that can help you resolve various system issues. In this case, we’ll show you how you can use the Windows Store Apps and the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter to get your webcam fixed.
Type Troubleshoot in the Windows search bar and select the Best match. If you disabled the search bar, you can also click on the Start button and start typing your search term there. Select the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter and press the Run the troubleshooter button.
When you finish, run the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter by following these steps:
Scroll down on the settings window and click the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter. Press the Run the troubleshooter button.
Wait for the process to complete and restart your PC.
6. Run an SFC Scan
The System File Checker (SFC) tool is a built-in troubleshooter that helps resolve system-related issues. As such, the tool could help fix your problematic webcam.
Here’s how you can get started with using SFC:
Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box. Type CMD and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt. Type the following command and press Enter:
7. Update the Camera App From the Windows Store
You could also resolve this issue by simply heading to the Windows Store and updating the camera app. This will install the latest updates and get rid of any bugs that might be causing issues to your webcam.
Here’s how you can update the camera app from the Windows store:
Type Microsoft Store in the Windows search bar and select the Best match. Next, type Windows Camera in the Microsoft Store search bar and then click the camera app when it appears. Click the Get button if you don’t have the app already installed. Otherwise, click the Update button below the Windows Camera icon.
8. Configure the Registry Editor
As a last resort, you could consider configuring some settings in the Registry Editor. However, you might first want to back up your Registry just in case anything goes wrong.
Otherwise, to fix your webcam issue using the Registry Editor, here are some simple steps you could follow:
Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box. Type Regedit and click OK to open the Registry Editor. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows Media Foundation > Platform. Right-click a blank space on the right-hand side pane, click New, and then select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name this new value as EnableFrameServerMode. When you finish, double click this value and set its Value data to 0. Click OK when you finish.
If you’re running a 32-bit version of Windows, then you can now close the Registry Editor and restart your PC to apply these changes.
However, if your PC runs on the 64-bit Windows version, then here are the final steps you should follow:
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > WOW6432Node > Microsoft > Windows Media Foundation > Platform. Add the EnableFrameServerMode value and set its Value data to 0 as per the previous steps.
When you finish, press OK and then restart your PC.
Your Webcam Is Up and Running Again
It’s so irritating when your webcam freezes while you’re in an important online meeting or taking pictures. However, resolving this issue isn’t complicated—just simply follow the methods in this article. And once you’ve fixed your webcam, you can start exploring various things with it—such as pairing it with the right webcam software program.
