How to Fix Skype Camera Not Working on Windows 10

Do you have an important video call scheduled, but you found out that your Windows 10 PC camera is not working with Skype? 

Skype is one of the most popular video chat applications that has been around since 2003. Compared to when it was released, Skype has really come a long way in improving the overall performance of their application. 

However, the app still encounters a few hiccups from time to time, just like any other application. There have been reports from several users who are having a hard time using their camera on Skype.

Luckily, this kind of issue is relatively easy to fix especially if you are pointed to the right solution. 

Today, we are going to show you a few methods that you can perform on your computer to fix the problem with your camera not working on Skype. 

Let’s begin. 

 

 

1. Check Your Webcam. 

If you are using an external camera for your computer, the first thing that you should do is to physically inspect the camera itself. 

Make sure that the cable used to connect your camera to the computer is properly inserted. You can try reinserting the cable to your computer to make sure that it is properly recognized by your computer. 

On the other hand, if you just see a black screen when using your camera, you can try checking if your camera has a cover that blocks the lens from capturing anything. 

Lastly, it’s also worth mentioning that some camera models have a physical switch that allows you to turn ON or OFF your camera, make sure that it is set to ON. 

 

 

2. Restart Your Computer. 

After checking your webcam, the next thing that you can do is to restart your computer. 

Just like any hardware device, cameras also need drivers for it to function properly. It is possible that your camera drivers were not loaded properly the first time that you boot your computer. 

To rule out this scenario, you can try restarting your computer to allow the operating system to reload all of its resources. 

  1. On your keyboard, hit the Windows key to open the Start menu. 
  2. Next, click on the Power button to open the Power Options tab. 
  3. Lastly, click on Restart. 

 

Now, wait for your computer to completely reboot, then try to open Skype once again to see if your camera is already working. 

On the other hand, if your camera still won’t work on Skype, you can proceed to the next method below to try and fix the issue. 

 

 

3. Check Your Internet Connection. 

Skype requires a decent internet connection for you to enjoy its video chatting function. If it detects that your internet connection is not strong enough to handle video calls, then it will automatically disable your camera so that you can still use its voice call function. 

Now, if you know that your internet subscription is enough to handle video calls, you can try running a speed test on your browser to verify if you are getting the correct internet speed based on your monthly subscription. Try using Fast.com, which is a third-party website provided by Netflix that effectively measures your internet upload and download speeds. 

 

Skype camera not working

 

Once the test is done and the results come out slow or not close to the indicated speed bandwidth of your ISP (Internet Service Provider), what you can do is to restart your router. To do this, locate the power cable of your router and unplug it. Now, wait for at least 5-10 seconds before plugging back in the power cable. 

 

 

Wait for your router to startup, then perform another speed test to see if you are already getting the correct speed bandwidth. However, if you are still having issues with your internet connection, we recommend that you contact your ISP and report the issue that you are having with their internet service. 

 

 

4. Check Skype’s Servers. 

If you are sure that your internet connection is working properly, the next thing that you can do is to check the status of Skype’s servers. It is possible that some of its servers related to video chatting are currently experiencing issues which lead to your camera not working. 

Lucky for you, Skype has a dedicated website that displays the current status of its servers. On the page, you can check the status of Skype’s features like messaging, calls, and media sharing. 

 

Skype camera not working

 

If Skype is indeed currently having issues, then what you can do for now is wait for its services to go back to normal. Check-in on the website once in a while to see if their servers are already up and running. 

 

 

5. Update Skype. 

If you are using Skype’s dedicated application for Windows, what you can do next is to check for an update. It is possible that the current version of Skype running on your computer has a bug or glitch related to video calls which cause your camera to not work. 

In this case, you can check if an update has been rolled out by Skype to address the issue. 

  1. On your computer, go to the Desktop and launch Skype.
  2. Next, click on the Help tab on Skype’s main page. If you can’t locate the Help tab, you can press the ALT button on your keyboard, and the toolbar will appear. 
  3. Lastly, click on Check for Updates.

Skype camera not working

 

Follow the on-screen prompts on how to install the update on your computer. Once done, go back to Skype and try to call one of your friends to see if your camera already works. 

 

 

6. Update Windows. 

Windows releases updates on their operating system to address bugs and improve the performance of your system. The current version of Windows that you are running may have an issue related to your camera drivers which hinder it from functioning normally on your computer. 

To fix this, you can check for a Windows update that can possibly address the bug or error on your operating system. 

  1. On your computer, press on the Windows key + I to open Windows Settings. 
  2. Next, click on Update & Security. 

 

  1. Lastly, click on the Windows Update tab and it will automatically scan for any update available to your operating system. 

 

If available, follow the on-screen prompts to install the update on your computer. Now, restart your computer and try to call one of your contacts on Skype to see if you can use your camera normally. 

 

 

7. Check Skype’s Camera Settings. 

Skype has a feature that allows users to switch between cameras that they prefer to use. 

You may have selected the wrong camera for Skype to use, which causes the problem. To fix this, you should ensure that you have chosen the correct camera for Skype to use. 

Check out the guide below on how to do this. 

  1. On Skype, click on the three-dot button located next to your Profile picture. 
  2. Next, click on Settings.
  3. After that, click the Audio & Video tab from the side menu. 
  4. Lastly, click on the dropdown menu for the Camera tab and make sure that you have selected the camera that you want to use. 

Skype camera not working

 

Now, go back to Skype and try to use the video chat feature to check if your camera is already working on the program. 

However, if you are still having problems with your camera on Skype, you can proceed to the next method below to fix the issue. 

 

 

8. Check Your Privacy Settings. 

After checking Skype’s camera settings, you should also check your privacy settings. Skype may not have the proper permissions on Windows privacy settings to access your camera, which causes the problem on the application. 

To fix this, you should ensure that Skype has the proper permissions to access the camera that you want to use. 

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key + I to open Windows Settings. 
  2. Now, click on Privacy. 

 

  1. After that, click on the Camera tab from the side menu. 
  2. Lastly, scroll down to the Desktop Apps tab and make sure that Skype is allowed to access your camera. 

Skype camera not working

 

Restart your computer and go back to Skype to check if the problem with your camera is already fixed. 

 

 

9. Update Webcam Drivers. 

Just like any computer hardware, your camera also needs the proper and updated drivers for it to function properly. It is possible that the current driver installed on your computer is not supported by Skype or the driver installed on your computer is faulty or corrupted. 

In this case, you can try updating your camera drivers to fix the issue. 

  1. On your computer, press on the Windows key + S and search for Device Manager. 
  2. Next, click on Open.
  3. After that, click on Cameras. 
  4. Lastly, right-click on your Camera driver and click on Update Driver. Follow the on-screen prompts to update the driver on your computer. 

Skype camera not working

 

Once done, restart your computer and try to use Skype once again to see if the problem with your camera is already fixed. 

 

 

10. Reinstall Camera Drivers. 

If updating your drivers did not work in fixing the issue on your camera, you can try reinstalling the driver on your computer to fix bugs and glitches that are present on the current driver installed on your system. 

To reinstall camera drivers, check out the guide below. 

  1. On your computer, press on the Windows key + S and search for Device Manager. 
  2. Next, click on Open.
  3. After that, click on Cameras. 
  4. Lastly, right-click on your Camera driver and click on Uninstall Device. Follow the on-screen prompts to completely remove the driver on your system. 

Skype camera not working

 

Now, restart your computer and Windows will automatically install the proper drivers for your camera. Try to use the video call feature once again on your computer to check if the problem with the Skype camera not working on Windows is already fixed.

 

11. Reinstall Skype. 

For the final solution and as a last resort, you can try reinstalling Skype on your computer. 

There could be application files on your computer that got corrupted during use which causes Skype to not function normally. 

Reinstalling Skype is pretty straightforward and the steps below will guide you on how to do so: 

  1. On your computer, press on the Windows key + S and search for Add or Remove Programs. 
  2. After that, click on Open. 

Skype camera not working

 

  1. Next, scroll down and click on Skype. 
  2. Lastly, click on Uninstall. Follow the on-screen instructions to remove the app from your system. 

Skype camera not working

 

Go to Skype’s official website and download the latest version of Skype on your computer. Once done, sign in to your account and try to use the video chat feature to see if your camera already works. 

This ends our guide on how to fix the Skype camera not working on Windows 10. If you have found an alternative solution to fix this specific issue, feel free to share it below. We will also give you credit for the solution the next time we update this post. 😀

 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

 

 

 

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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