Got a new laptop and would like to record a video or chat with someone using your webcam, but have no idea how to activate it?
No problem, we will show you how you can turn on your webcam on your device if you are using Windows 10.
If Your Webcam Drivers Are Installed
Step 1: Make Sure You Installed Your Webcam Drivers
First of all, you will have to make sure that all of the drivers for your camera are installed. You can check this by heading into device manager or if you have installed them previously, then it will work.
Step 2: Open Settings
Click on settings.
Next, to turn on your camera is going to be stepping into the settings of Windows 10. Open the start menu and click on the Settings Icon in there. In Windows 10 you can also hit the Windows + I keys to open the settings screen.
Step 3: Click on Privacy
Click on Privacy.
Next step is clicking on Privacy. This is where we will enable your camera to work with every app.
You can either get to this screen by following the instructions mentioned above or you could also use the search box and search "Privacy" in Windows 10.
Step 4: Enabling Apps to Use Your Camera
Click on Camera.
On the left-hand side of the window, click on "Camera", this select will get you on a screen where you may manage the settings of your webcam.
To enable a certain software to use your camera, just slide the toggle to the "On" position and enable/disable the software that you want to access/not access your webcam.
If you want to keep your camera secure, just turn this option to off. Keep in mind that will stop every program from accessing your webcam.
Slide the option to "On".
To enable a certain software to use your camera, just slide the toggle to the "On" position and enable/disable the software that you want to access/not access your webcam.
If you want to keep your camera secure, just turn this option to off. Keep in mind that will stop every program from accessing your webcam.
If Your Webcam Drivers Are not Installed
Step 1: Turn on your camera
Usually, you can turn on your device just simply by plugging it in, but some older devices have on/off switches that you have to check.
Step 2: Head into Device Manager
Click on it.
The next step is going to be heading into the device manager. This is a place in Windows 10 where you can see what hardware and devices are installed in your system or are connected.
You can either right-click on the menu Windows icon and select it from the menu options or you can type using the search bar "Device Manager" and select it from the options.
Step 3: Look for your Camera and Click on Update
Update the driver of your web cam.
Find your camera in the list of devices, right click on it and select "Update Driver".
Windows then is going to automatically update the driver of your camera and it should be working fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won't my camera work on my laptop?
First, Make sure your camera is plugged in. Move the cord and the USB plug to make sure you don't have any connectivity issues or a partially broken cable. If everything seems fine with the cable, then you either don't have the drivers installed or your camera is faulty.