Even the best webcams are useless if you don’t know how to turn on your webcam. Fortunately, doing so is pretty easy. Keep reading to learn more, and you’ll be recording in no time.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- First, if you have an external webcam, plug it in.
- From there, navigate to the search bar in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
- Search for “Settings,” select “Privacy,” and look underneath “App Permissions” for a section called “Camera.”
- In the “Camera” section, ensure the slider is turned on for your webcam. Also, turn on the slider that allows apps to access your webcam.
How to Activate Your Webcam On
As mentioned, turning your webcam on is an easy task, like learning how to turn off a webcam. You’ll just be working in reverse. It’s also paramount to use your device effectively, like learning how to update a webcam driver.
Insider Tip
A green light should come on when your computer registers your webcam, which tells you it’s working.
STEP 1
If you have an external webcam, plug it in using the USB cable. For those with built-in cameras, you can skip this step. Next, you’ll want to see whether your webcam light is on. This is an indicator that the webcam is working.
STEP 2
After this, navigate to the search bar in the bottom-right corner of your screen. Type in “Windows” and then look for “Settings” in the window that opens. From here, select “Privacy.”
STEP 3
Look underneath “App Permissions,” and you should see a section called “Camera.” From here, you can disable or enable your webcam. Simply turn the slider back and forth to turn it off and on. You should also hit the slider under “Allow apps to access your camera.”
STEP 4
Your webcam should now be turned on and working. If, instead, you’re left wondering, “Why is my webcam not working?” it’s time for some troubleshooting.
Warning
If your webcam isn’t showing up in your list of devices, it might not be installed correctly.
STAT: During a survey it was found that 66 percent of men and 73 percent of women aged 25 to 34 years made online calls via webcam in Sweden during 2017. (source)
