Windows 10: Disable Integrated Camera or Webcam in Windows

How to: Disable Integrated Camera or Webcam in Windows

How to Disable Integrated Camera or Webcam in Windows


In Windows 10, having a camera as part of your device or system lets you make Skype video calls, take pictures, etc. Many apps and services request and use the camera, and Windows settings give you control over which apps can use your camera.

Some people worry about unknown apps, organizations, or malware using their camera. Whenever your camera is used, you should be in charge. Thats why youre always told when your camera is turned on:

• If your device or camera comes with a camera light, the light will turn on when the camera is in use.
• If your system doesn’t have a camera light, you’ll get a notification to let you know when the camera turns on or off.

For more information, see: Windows 10 camera and privacy

If you have a tablet, laptop, or notebook with a integrated (built-in) camera (aka: webcam), you may be wondering how to disable it for privacy and security reasons when it's not being used.

Disabling the camera can be important since there is a potential for malware to take over the camera and spy on you with it.

This tutorial will show you how to completely disable an integrated camera or webcam as needed in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: Enable or Disable Camera or Webcam using Kill Switch
• Option Two: Disable Camera or Webcam in Device Manager
• Option Three: Enable Camera or Webcam in Device Manager

OPTION ONE [/i] Enable or Disable Camera or Webcam using Kill Switch

*note Some newer laptops (ex: HP Spectre x360) now have a physical switch that turns off your PC's camera.
1. Toggle on or off the privacy camera kill switch for what you want. (see screenshot below)









OPTION TWO [/i] Disable Camera or Webcam in Device Manager

*note You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do this option.
1. Open Device Manager (devmgmt.msc).

2. Expand open Cameras or Imaging devices depending on which one you have available. (see screenshot below step 3)

3. Right click on your camera device, and click/tap on Disable device. (see screenshot below)

*note If you have a separate IR camera type device listed, this would be the infrared camera used by Windows Hello face recognition.



4. Click/tap on Yes to confirm. (see screenshot below)



5. When finished, you can close Device Manager if you like.





OPTION THREE [/i] Enable Camera or Webcam in Device Manager

*note You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do this option.
1. Open Device Manager (devmgmt.msc).

2. Expand open Cameras or Imaging devices depending on which one you have available. (see screenshot below step 3)

3. Right click on your disabled camera device, and click/tap on Enable device. (see screenshot below)



4. When finished, you can close Device Manager if you like.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Allow or Deny OS and Apps Access to Camera in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Camera and Microphone in Application Guard for Microsoft Edge in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable the Microphone in Windows

:)

 

Enable or Disable Camera or Webcam using Kill Switch

I prefer a hardware solution.

 

Enable or Disable Camera or Webcam using Kill Switch

Exactly...

 

Integrated webcam not working

Hello,

0xA00F4244 error code may be caused by an antivirus software that's blocking the camera or it could be an outdated webcam driver. Follow the troubleshooting steps below:

Method 1: Disable antivirus.

In your antivirus app, look for settings related to blocking access or permission to use your webcam. For help, visit your antivirus software company’s website.

Method 2: Check for an outdated webcam driver.

• Select the Start button, type Device Manager, and then select
  Device Manager from the search results.
• Find your webcam under Imaging devices or Sound, video and game controllers.
• Press and hold (or right-click) the name of your webcam, and then select
  Properties.
• Select the Driver tab, select the Driver Details button, and look for a file name that includes
  stream.sys. If it’s there, your webcam was designed before Windows 7 and you'll have to replace it with a newer webcam.
• If you don't find a file name that includes stream.sys, try rolling back your webcam driver.

Method 3: Roll back your webcam driver.

• In Device Manager, press and hold (or right-click) your webcam, and then select
  Properties.
• Select the Driver tab, select Roll Back Driver, and then choose
  Yes. (Note that some drivers don’t provide a rollback option.)
• After the rollback is complete, restart your PC, and then try opening the Camera app again.
• If rolling back didn’t work or isn’t available, uninstall your webcam driver and scan for hardware changes.
  

Method 4: Uninstall your webcam driver and scan for hardware changes.

• In Device Manager, press and hold (or right-click) your webcam, and then select
  Properties.
• Select the Driver tab, select Uninstall >
  Delete the driver software for this device, and then select OK.
• In Device Manager, on the Action menu, select
  Scan for hardware changes. Wait for it to scan and reinstall updated drivers, restart your PC, and then try opening the Camera app again.
  
• If your webcam still doesn’t work, try looking for help on the webcam manufacturer’s website.
  

Let us know the result of the troubleshooting steps.

 

Setting up a webcam as the camera default

Hi Kevin

Method 1: If the Webcam is listed under Devices and printers, please follow the steps.

a. Press Windows key + R

b. Type: control printers

c. Hit Enter

d. Check if the Logitech webcam is listed.

e. Right click on Logitech webcam.

f. Click on Set this device as default.

Follow method 2 if webcam is not listed.

Method 2: What best we can do is we can disable the Internal webcam. You will be able to enable the webcam anytime you want.

Please follow the steps to disable HP Envy Webcam.

a. Press Windows + X, click Device Manager.

b. Click Imaging devices.

c. Right click on webcam.

d. Click Disable.

 

Problem with Lenovo integrated camera

Hi,

Thank you for posting on Microsoft Community. I understand the inconvenience you are facing. I will certainly help you with this. This issue may arise due to driver corruption issue. Kindly follow the below given steps to
troubleshoot the issue:

Method 1:

I suggest you to run the Hardware and Devices
troubleshooter and check if it helps.

• Type troubleshooting in the search bar.
• Select Troubleshooting.
• Select View all on the top left corner.
• Click on Hardware and Devices.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to run the troubleshooter.
• Check if issue persists.

Method 2:

You may also update the Camera driver from Device Manager manually and check if this helps.

• Press (Windows key + X) and click on “Device Manager”.
• Expand “Other devices”.

• Right click on the “Integrated webcam” drivers and select “Update Driver Software”. Once this is done, restart the computer and check if the issue persists.

Method 3:

If issue persist, I suggest you to try installing it in compatibility mode. Compatibility mode runs the program using settings from a previous version of Windows. Follow these steps to install the drivers in compatibility mode and check if that helps.

• Download the Integrated webcam drivers from the manufacturer’s website.

• Right-click on the driver setup file and click on ‘Properties’.
• Click on the ‘Compatibility’ tab and check the box
  ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for’ and select Windows 8/8.1 operating system from the drop down menu and proceed with the installation. Once this is done, restart the computer and check if the issue persists.

Hope this information is helpful. Do reply if you need further assistance, we will be happy to help you.

Thank you.