In this long-suffering epidemic caused by coronavirus, computer webcams have become a staple for anyone who wants to make video calls with family or friends.
In addition, for months, video calls have become a much safer way to communicate with customers and colleagues if you have to use telecommuting at home.
Somehow, we all became experts in video shooting via Zoom, Microsoft Groups, or Google Meet (formerly Hangouts). If not, we invite you to learn something special about the best apps for group video calls.
But what if the web camera on your PC or laptop fails? Laptops have been integrating low-end 720p web cameras for many years, something that is changing behind this trend and a new need.
Hardware manufacturers are now taking the Full HD (1080p) resolution sensors as a new standard, in order to offer a sturdy front-facing camera as standard for standard video calls.
Whether your webcam is built on a laptop, or connected externally to a PC via USB, here are a few things you can try on your Windows computer if it turns out that the webcam signal does not display the image.
1) Check the webcam and other equipment
If you have an external webcam that fails, trying another computer should be the first recommendation. Connecting it to another PC (actually something like a large form) is one way to find out which product is failing; Computer or webcam.
Perform a complete setup process and try a video call to make sure nothing is preventing your webcam hardware from working properly.
2) Make sure the device is enabled
Even if you have just connected to a webcam, computers have an unusual habit of not selecting new devices such as automatic installation, confusing the laptop camera and the one you may have connected.
Make sure the application for the video call is set up with the webcam image you want.
3) Check your webcam settings
There are other settings that can prevent your webcam from working properly. Here’s how to check it out and change it if necessary:
Go to ‘Settings> Privacy’ and select ‘Camera’ from the left panel.
Make sure ‘Camera access for this device’ and ‘Allow apps to access this camera’ are enabled.
Scroll down to say ‘Choose which Microsoft Store applications can access the camera’ and make sure the software you are using is turned on. The ‘Camera’ app and Zoom, Microsoft Teams or others should be able to access.
4) Update webcam drivers
Some devices stop working properly when drivers or drivers
- Right-click on the start menu icon at the bottom left of the screen and select ‘Device Manager’.
- Double-click on the ‘cameras’ window that appears and view the compatible device (some external webcams may appear under ‘Sound, video and game controllers’ or under ‘Imaging devices’ instead).
- Right click and check the options that appear. When you see the ‘Enable device’ option, click on it, but when it says ‘Disable device’, you don’t need to do anything.
- In the same context menu, select ‘Update Driver’
- Select ‘Automatically search for updated driving software’
- After a few seconds of searching, Windows will ask you to download any available updates. If you see the message ‘Your device’s advanced drivers are already installed’, you do not need further attention.
5) Check connection (wireless or wireless)
An unreliable connection may cause the external device to disconnect from the computer with insufficient bandwidth. With a wired connection, this is not a problem: swipe the cable to see if your PC can detect it, or simply unplug it from the USB port and reconnect it.
Wireless webcams usually connect via Bluetooth, so it’s worth going to the Settings menu to see if you can connect to your computer. If you do not see anything, try turning your PC and webcam on and off.
6) Check the USB ports
If you have connected an external webcam to a USB port, the hole itself may cause a problem. Install another device and check that the computer can detect it. You can also try connecting a webcam with another USB port.
Alternatively, cleaning the interior of the harbor with a brush or compressed air can help in this situation. If you continue without solving the problem, you will not spend money spent on compressed air, because you can clean your keyboard.
7) Seek technical support from the manufacturer
Most of the time, the web camera maker will have specific details for each model to solve the problems. Check out the user manual that came with them or the official website for more details.
When your webcam is active again, we will show you the article how to change the background image of your video calls with Zoom, if it is a tool you often use.
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