How To Fix Zoom Camera Not Working On Windows 11

You are sitting in a meeting with a black screen and a camera that refuses to cooperate. This usually happens because Windows privacy settings are blocking the feed or another application has already grabbed control of your camera hardware.

Why this happens

Windows restricts camera access for privacy, or multiple apps are fighting over your hardware. Zoom can only pull a feed from one source at a time, and it often defaults to the wrong driver.

Steps

1. 01
   Open the Start menu, search for Windows Update, and click Check for updates to ensure your drivers are current.
2. 02
   Press the Windows key, search for Camera privacy settings, and ensure Let apps access your camera is toggled on.
3. 03
   Scroll down within the same privacy menu and ensure Let desktop apps access your camera is also enabled.
4. 04
   Open Zoom, click the settings gear in the top right, and go to Video to select a different device from the camera drop-down menu.
5. 05
   Close background applications like Teams, Skype, or open browser tabs that may be using your camera.
6. 06
   Restart your computer to finalize driver updates and clear any stuck background processes.