Webcam is not working in Chrome and Edge [Fix]

A webcam is required for various purposes in a web browser, like for attending office meetings, while streaming online, etc. If for some reason, your webcam is not working in Chrome and Edge, this post will show you what you can do to fix this issue.

Webcam is not working in Chrome and Edge

If your webcam is not working in Chrome and Edge, use the following suggestions to fix this problem.

Use the latest version of the browser
Make sure that the webcam is enabled
Temporarily disable your antivirus
Reinstall your webcam driver
Disable the built-in webcam (if applicable)
Disable the required flags
Disable Hardware Acceleration
Disable your extensions
Check Camera permissions in Edge and Chrome
Check Privacy settings on your system
Reset Edge and Chrome

Below, we have explained all these fixes in detail.

1] Use the latest version of the browser

Make sure that you are using the latest version of Edge and Chrome. The issue might be occurring due to a bug. If an update is available, it will fix the bugs. Update Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge to the latest version and see if the issue persists.

2] Make sure that the webcam is enabled

Laptops of some brands have a dedicated key to enable and disable the webcam. Check if your laptop has such a key. If yes, you might have accidentally pressed that key which disabled the webcam. For example, on my ASUS Vivobook laptop, the F10 key enables and disables the webcam. Press that key again to enable the webcam.

3] Temporarily disable your antivirus

Your antivirus might be blocking the access to webcam by Chrome or Edge browser. To confirm this, disable your antivirus. If your webcam starts working after disabling the antivirus, check your antivirus settings to allow your webcam access.

4] Reinstall your webcam driver

The problem may also be associated with the webcam driver. We suggest you uninstall and reinstall your webcam driver.

Follow the steps provided below:

Open the Device Manager.
Expand the Cameras branch.
Right-click on the camera driver and select Uninstall device.
Visit the official website of your computer manufacturer and download the latest version of your camera driver. If you have an external webcam, download its driver from its official website.
Install the driver and restart your computer.

Now, check if the issue persists.

5] Disable the built-in webcam (if applicable)

If you are a laptop user and you are using an external webcam, disable your laptop’s internal webcam. To do so, disable your laptop’s webcam driver.

The following instructions will help you:

Open the Device Manager.
Expand the Cameras branch.
Right-click on your webcam driver and select Disable device.

6] Disable the required flags

If the following flags are enabled in Edge or Chrome, you may experience camera issues. We suggest you check this and disable these flags (if required).

Open Edge or Chrome.
Visit chrome://flags in Google Chrome.
Visit edge://flags in Microsoft Edge.

Search for the following flags one by one and disable them:

MediaFoundation Video Capture
Enable Zero-Copy Video Capture

Alternatively, you can also reset all the flags to default. This action will restore all the flag settings to the default values. Therefore, all the changes you have made to flags will reset.

7] Disable Hardware Acceleration

Sometimes, the hardware acceleration feature in Edge and Chrome has been found causing issues. If you have enabled this feature, we suggest you disable it and see if your camera starts working in Edge and Chrome or not.

8] Disable your extensions

The extensions installed on a web browser make our work easier. However, in some cases, they can cause problems. If your camera is not working in Chrome and Edge, we suggest you disable all the extensions and check if the issue persists. If this fixes the issue, an extension is causing the problem.

Now, enable any one extension and see if the issue reappears. Repeat this until the problem occurs again. When the problem occurs again, the extension that you have just enabled is the culprit. Uninstall that extension and find its alternative.

You can enable and disable extensions in Chrome and Edge by opening the Manage Extensions page. You can visit the page by typing the following URLs in a new tab:

Microsoft Edge: edge://extensions
Google Chrome: chrome://extensions

9] Check Camera permissions in Edge and Chrome

We also suggest you check the Camera permissions in Edge and Chrome. Google Chrome users can follow the following steps:

Open Chrome Settings.
Go to “Privacy and security > Site settings.”
Now, select Camera.
Your camera should be selected in the drop-down and the following option will be selected under the Default behavior section:
- Sites can ask to use your camera.

Also, check if you have blocked the website from accessing your camera in Chrome in the Computerized behavior section. If yes, delete that website.

If you are using Microsoft Edge, open its Settings and go to Cookies and site permissions > Site permissions. Select Camera and make sure that the “Ask before accessing” option is turned on. Also, check if the website is blocked from accessing your camera. If yes, delete it.

10] Check Privacy settings on your system

Windows 11/10 allows users to manage their privacy by allowing and blocking access to different apps. Check if you have accidentally disabled the Camera access to Chrome and Edge.

Go through the following instructions:

Open your system settings.
Go to “Privacy & security > Camera.”
Turn on the following options:
- Camera access
- Let apps access your camera
Now, expand the Let apps access your camera tab and scroll down to locate Chrome and Edge. Turn on the switch.

11] Reset Edge and Chrome

If the issue still persists, we recommend you reset Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome to the default settings.

That’s it. I hope this helps.

How do I enable my webcam on Microsoft Edge?

To enable your webcam in Microsoft Edge, first enable the Camera access to Edge in Windows 11/10 Settings. Now, open the Edge settings and find Camera permissions there. Once you find it, turn on that option.

Why is my webcam not working online?

There can be many reasons why your webcam is not working online. You might have blocked access to your webcam in Windows 11/10 Settings. Sometimes, antivirus software also blocks webcam access.