How To Fix Discord Camera Not Working

Your camera is showing a black screen in Discord, leaving you unable to broadcast video during calls. This usually happens because Windows privacy settings are blocking the app or your camera device isn't correctly selected in your Discord user profile.

Why this happens

Privacy permissions often restrict apps from accessing hardware, or an outdated driver may be causing a communication breakdown between the OS and the device.

What you will need

You only need administrative access to your Windows system settings and your Discord login.

Steps

1. 01
   Open the Start menu, type Windows Update, and select Check for updates to ensure your drivers and OS are current.
2. 02
   Open the Start menu, type Camera privacy settings, and click the result to open your privacy controls.
3. 03
   Ensure the toggle for Let apps access your camera is set to On and verify that the switch next to Discord is also enabled in the list below.
4. 04
   Launch Discord, click the gear icon to open User Settings in the bottom left corner, and navigate to the Voice & Video tab.
5. 05
   Scroll to the Camera section and ensure your physical camera model is explicitly selected from the dropdown menu rather than using the default option.

Still not working?

If you still see a black screen, try disabling hardware acceleration in Discord under Advanced settings. If the camera works in other apps like Zoom or the Windows Camera app but fails only in Discord, try reinstalling the Discord client to clear out corrupted configuration files.

Frequently asked questions

Will changing these privacy settings expose my computer?

No, these settings are standard security features designed to give you control over which apps have permission to use your camera hardware.

Does this fix work for external webcams?

Yes, once you select the specific device in the Discord Voice & Video menu, these permissions apply to both built-in laptop cameras and external USB webcams.