Why is my webcam showing a black screen?
There can be multiple reasons why you might see a black screen on your webcam. Here are the potential causes:
It might be the case that you haven’t granted the required permissions to your webcam. Hence, before trying an advanced fix, make sure to allow app permissions to your webcam.If you are using an old webcam that is not compatible with the newer version of Windows, you are likely to experience this issue. In that case, you will have to upgrade your webcam and get the one that is compatible with your PC.Too many USB devices connected to your PC can interfere with your webcam and cause the issue at hand. So, try disconnecting all other USB devices and check if the problem is fixed or not.The outdated or corrupted webcam driver can be a reason for the issue at hand. So, update or reinstall your webcam driver to fix the problem.There are chances that you will see a black screen on the webcam if your recording application is not updated. Hence, update your recorder app to fix the issue.Software conflicts on your PC can be another reason for this issue. So, restart your PC in a clean boot state to fix the issue.
Based on the above scenarios, you can try a suitable fix to get rid of the black screen issue on your webcam.
Fix Webcam Black Screen on Windows 11/10
Here are the fixes that you can try to get rid of the black screen issue in Webcam on Windows 11/10 PC:
1] Allow app permissions for your webcam
First of all, you need to ensure that your webcam has the necessary permissions to record video on your PC. You are likely to see a black screen if you have not provided the required access permissions to your webcam. So, allow app permissions for your webcam using the below steps: If the required permissions are granted and you still get the issue at hand, try the next potential fix.
2] Ensure that your webcam is compatible with your PC
The issue of a black screen with your webcam might be caused if your webcam is not compatible with your PC. If you are using an old model of a webcam, it might be compatible with Windows 11/10 and thus, the black screen issue. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you will be required to change your webcam and use the one that is compatible with your system. If the issue still arises, go ahead and try the next potential fix to resolve the problem. Read: Webcam flickering in Teams during video calls.
3 Unplug other USB devices and try connecting your webcam to a different port
If you are using a USB webcam, try unplugging other connected USB devices. You might encounter this issue if there are too many USB devices connected to your system. So, simply remove the USB devices that are not in use at the moment and then check if the problem is resolved or not. In addition to the above workaround, you can also try connecting your webcam to a different USB port. Connect your webcam to every other USB port and see if the problem is fixed.
4] Update your webcam driver
Black screen issues are usually connected to outdated and corrupted device drivers. If you are getting a black screen on the webcam, the problem might be caused due to out-of-date webcam driver. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, update your webcam driver to fix the issue. Additionally, make sure your graphics driver is also updated. You can use the below methods to update your webcam driver on Windows PC: After updating your webcam driver, check if the problem is fixed or not. In case the issue still persists, try the next potential solution to resolve the problem. See: Fix Webcam keeps turning off and on again
5] Reinstall your webcam driver
If updating your driver doesn’t help, you may consider reinstalling your webcam driver. For that, you first need to uninstall your driver and then reinstall it. Here is how to do that:
6] Download & install all pending Windows updates
In many instances, such issues are caused if you are not using the most recent version of Windows. Hence, to improve system stability and fix such bugs, make sure your PC is up-to-date. To update Windows, launch Settings using Win+I and go to the Windows Update tab. Then, press the Check for updates button to download and install all the pending Windows updates.
7] Update your recording application
The problem might also be caused if your webcam recording application is not updated. Hence, try updating your recording app and see if the issue is resolved or not. You can get the latest version of the app from the official website of the application. If you are using a WIndows app, update the app from Microsoft Store. Check if this method fixes the problem for you. Read: Webcam keeps freezing or crashing
8] Troubleshoot in a Clean Boot State
It can also be caused due to software conflicts with your webcam app. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can try performing a clean boot and see if the issue is fixed or not. To perform a clean boot, here are the steps to follow: That’s it. Hopefully, this post will help you get rid of the webcam black screen issue on Windows 11/10.
How do you fix a black screen on a webcam?
To fix a black screen on your webcam, make sure your webcam device is compatible with your computer. Other than that, you can try updating your webcam driver, installing Windows updates, updating your recording application, etc. Now read: Laptop Camera or Webcam not working in Windows.
