How To Activate and Deactivate the Laptop Camera – Troubleshooting

Laptops are widely used today because of how practical they are. They have practically everything a desktop computer would have in one body; for example, they own a Webcam. Now, for different reasons, some people would like to disable it, and here’s how to do this.

Basic features of a laptop camera

Generally, laptop webcams are not of the highest quality, but they are functional. These can have a resolution of between 320 × 240 pixels up to 1920×1080 pixels. In addition, the vast majority of them are fixed in the top of the laptop lid.

What is the correct way to turn the Webcam on and off of a Windows laptop?

To deactivate or activate the webcam of a laptop, press the Windows key on the keyboard, and type ‘Device Manager’. Then you have to press the Enter key and a new window will open on the computer. Being there you will see two options that will say ‘Sound, video and game device controls’ or ‘Image device’.

In either of the two options you can see that there is a device with the name ‘Webcam’, or a similar one. When you find it, you just have to right click and select ‘Disable’ and that’s it.

Do I need to disable my computer’s camera if I’m not using it?

The simple answer to this question is no – you don’t need to disable a computer’s webcam if it’s not being used. Since the camera remains off by default, it would be a waste of time to disable it.

What can I do to check the correct operation of my laptop’s camera?

This is quite simple, since you will only need a program or tool that requires the use of the webcam. One of these programs is webcamtests.com. You just have to enter the web, wait for the message to appear in green and click on ‘Test My Cam’.

Most frequent reasons why computers do not detect the webcam

Some of the reasons why a computer camera does not work or does not detect the same may be the lack of drivers, or controllers, of it. It could also be because the camera is disabled, and even because the antivirus is preventing detection. In any case, here are some solutions.

How should I proceed if my laptop’s camera is not working properly?

If a laptop webcam is not working properly, is simply not working or is not being detected, there are some solutions. Next, four of them will be said.

Verify that your antivirus does not interfere

Sometimes the antivirus prevents the webcam from transmitting video because it detects that it is trying to get information from the computer. Therefore, the first option should be to verify that this is not happening; can be done by looking if the antivirus is blocking the camera, or simply disabling it temporarily and checking.

Use your user manual

Although it seems silly, it can work. Sometimes user manuals may have a section for solving problems like this. In addition, checking it does not hurt to verify if any step has been skipped in the use of this device.

Manage system settings

Occasionally, it may happen that the laptop’s webcam simply have the operation permissions disabled. To solve this problem you have to go to the device settings, and in the privacy section select the camera section; there it will be possible to verify if the camera has permission to be activated.

Check the drivers

If none of the above has worked, it may be time to update your camera driver. To do this, you have to access the device manager and search for the Webcam device, right click and select ‘Update’. Another option would be to go to the computer manufacturer’s website and download the respective drivers.

As you can see, this small but functional gadget that is really useful can have some problems. However, these are easily solvable and without so many complications. For that reason, knowing this tutorial is highly recommended.