Fix Camera Not Working in Teams or Zoom on Windows 11

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Ankit Kumar
Windows 11AppsPeripheralsTroubleshootingFix

The Problem

When the camera works in the Windows Camera app but fails in Teams or Zoom, the hardware and driver are fine. What is failing is one of three things: the app does not have camera permission, another program is already holding the camera, or the app is pointed at the wrong device — often a virtual camera left behind by OBS, Snap Camera, or NVIDIA Broadcast.

Windows only lets one application own a camera stream at a time on most webcams. That single fact explains the majority of "device is already in use" errors.

Camera not working anywhere, including the Camera app? That is a driver or hardware problem — start with fix a webcam not working. Microphone failing too? See fix a microphone not working.

Symptoms

  • Black screen or "We can't find your camera" in Teams while the Camera app works.
  • Zoom shows "Camera is being used by another application" or error code 3113.
  • The camera light comes on but the preview stays blank.
  • The camera works in the desktop app but not the web version, or the reverse.
  • Video worked yesterday and stopped after a Windows or app update.

Step 1: Confirm the Camera Works at All

Establish a baseline before changing anything.

  1. Open the Camera app from the Start menu.
  2. If you see yourself, the hardware and driver are fine — skip to Step 2.
  3. If the Camera app also fails, stop here and work through fix a webcam not working first.
  4. Close the Camera app completely afterwards. Leaving it open is itself a cause of "camera in use" in Teams.

Step 2: Grant Camera Permission at Both Levels

Windows 11 has two separate gates, and both must be open.

  1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Camera.
  2. Turn on Camera access at the top — this is the system-wide switch.
  3. Turn on Let apps access your camera.
  4. Scroll down and turn on the specific app: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or your browser.
  5. Crucially, scroll to the bottom and turn on Let desktop apps access your camera. Zoom and the classic Teams desktop client sit under this heading, not in the list above — this is the single most common miss.
  6. Restart the app afterwards; permission changes are not picked up while it is running.

Step 3: Find What Is Already Using the Camera

  1. Close every app that could claim it: Camera, Skype, Discord, OBS, Snap Camera, NVIDIA Broadcast, Windows Hello sign-in prompts, and other browser tabs on a video call.
  2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Details tab, and end any leftover Teams.exe, ms-teams.exe, Zoom.exe, or obs64.exe processes.
  3. Check Settings → Privacy & security → Camera → Recent activity, which shows which app last used it and when.
  4. Reboot if in doubt — it releases every stream cleanly.

Step 4: Select the Right Camera Inside the App

Virtual cameras insert themselves at the top of the device list and win by default.

  1. Teams: click ⋯ → Settings → Devices, and set Camera to the physical device, not "OBS Virtual Camera" or "NVIDIA Broadcast".
  2. Zoom: click the ^ next to Stop Video → Video Settings, and pick the correct camera from the dropdown.
  3. Uninstall virtual camera software you no longer use: Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
  4. In a browser, click the camera icon in the address bar and confirm both the permission and the selected device.

Step 5: Check the Physical Privacy Shutter and Key

  1. Many laptops have a sliding shutter over the lens — check it is open.
  2. Others have a function key (often F8 or F10, with a camera icon) that disables the camera in firmware. Press Fn + that key.
  3. Some ThinkPads and Dell models also have a camera toggle inside the vendor utility (Lenovo Vantage, Dell Optimizer) — check there.
  4. External webcams: try a different USB port on the back of the PC, not a hub or monitor.

Step 6: Reset or Repair the App

  1. Settings → Apps → Installed apps → find Teams or Zoom → ⋯ → Advanced options → Repair, then Reset if repair does not help.
  2. For classic Teams, clearing the cache often fixes device selection: close Teams, then delete the contents of 
    %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams
  3. For Zoom, sign out, quit fully from the system tray, and sign back in.
  4. Update the app itself — both clients ship device fixes regularly.
  5. If the Store will not update apps: fix the Microsoft Store not working.

Step 7: Reinstall the Camera Driver

  1. Right-click Start → Device Manager.
  2. Expand Cameras — and also check Imaging devices and Sound, video and game controllers.
  3. Right-click the camera → Uninstall device. Tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device only if you have the vendor driver ready.
  4. Restart. Windows reinstalls the standard driver automatically.
  5. If it does not appear, click Action → Scan for hardware changes.
  6. On a laptop, install the camera driver from the manufacturer's support page for your exact model: how to update outdated drivers.

Step 8: Check Antivirus Webcam Protection

Several security suites include camera blocking that reports itself as a Windows error.

  1. Look for "webcam protection", "camera guard", or similar in Kaspersky, Bitdefender, ESET, or Norton.
  2. Add Teams and Zoom to its allow list, or disable the feature briefly to confirm it is the cause.
  3. Also check Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Protection history for a block entry.
  4. If the built-in protection is not running properly: fix Windows Defender not working.

Step 9: Repair Windows and Roll Back a Bad Update

  1. In Terminal (Admin): 
    sfc /scannow

    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  2. Reboot and re-run sfc /scannow: how to run SFC and DISM.
  3. If video broke right after a Windows update, remove it: fix Windows 11 after a bad update.
  4. Check the Application log for the faulting module: how to use Event Viewer to find why your PC crashed.

What Not to Do

  • Don't leave "Let desktop apps access your camera" off and then hunt for driver problems. Check it first — it costs ten seconds.
  • Don't run two conferencing apps at once and expect both to see the camera. Most webcams support one consumer at a time.
  • Don't install a "webcam fixer" utility. Everything above uses built-in tools.
  • Don't disable Windows Hello to free the camera. It releases the stream automatically once you are signed in — see fix Windows Hello not working if it does not.

Still Not Working?

Test the same account in the browser version of Teams or Zoom. If the browser works and the desktop app does not, reinstall the desktop client. If neither works but the Camera app does, create a new Windows user account and test there — that separates a damaged profile from an app fault.

For an external webcam that fails on every PC, the device or its cable has failed.

Related: fix a webcam not working and fix a Discord mic not working.

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