Mi webcam no funciona: How to Find Out Why Your Webcam Isn't Working

The short answer

When a webcam stops working, the cause usually falls into one of three layers: the computer is not detecting the camera, an app or website is not allowed to use it, or the app is set to use a different camera. Work through them in that order. Detection comes first because no permission setting or app option can fix a camera the system cannot see.

Two conditions change where you should start. If the camera works in one app but not another, detection is fine, so skip to permissions and camera selection. If it works nowhere, including the operating system's own camera app, start with the physical and detection checks.

This guide covers video from the webcam. A webcam's built-in microphone is usually listed as a separate audio input. Your video can work while the microphone does not, or the reverse, and each has its own permission and input setting.

Step 1: Rule out physical blocks

• Check whether a privacy shutter or sliding cover is closed over the lens. A closed shutter often gives a black image rather than an error.
• Some laptops have a function key or a side switch that turns the camera off. Look for a camera icon on the keyboard. What it does depends on the manufacturer.
• For an external USB webcam, unplug it and plug it into a different port, ideally directly into the computer rather than through a hub.
• Restart the computer. This clears a camera that another process has left locked or in an unresponsive state.

Step 2: Confirm the system detects the camera

Detection means the operating system recognizes the camera as a connected device. That is separate from whether any app is allowed to use it.

• Windows 10 and 11: Open Device Manager and expand Cameras or Imaging devices. If the webcam is missing, marked with a warning symbol or shown as disabled, the problem is detection or the driver. Right-click it to enable it or update the driver. You can also uninstall the device and restart so Windows reinstalls it.
• macOS: Open the Apple menu, choose About This Mac, then System Report (on older versions, More Info, then System Report). Look under Camera, and under USB for external webcams. If the camera is not listed, macOS is not detecting it.
• Linux: Check whether a video device exists. Most webcams use the UVC (USB Video Class) driver, which is included in standard kernels.

ls /dev/video*
v4l2-ctl --list-devices

The second Linux command needs the v4l-utils package. If no video device appears after reconnecting the camera, the kernel has not recognized it.

If the camera is detected but shows nothing in the operating system's own camera app (Camera on Windows, Photo Booth on macOS), the problem is still below the app level. A driver issue, a hardware fault or another program holding the camera are all possible. This guide has no information about specific webcam models, so check the manufacturer's support resources for model-specific drivers or known issues.

Step 3: Check camera permissions

If the camera is detected but a particular app shows a black screen, an error or no camera at all, access permission is a common cause. Permissions sit at two levels, and both must allow access.

• Windows 11: Settings > Privacy & security > Camera. Turn on camera access, turn on access for apps, and confirm the specific app is allowed. Traditional desktop programs are covered by a separate setting for desktop apps on the same page.
• Windows 10: Settings > Privacy > Camera, with similar switches.
• macOS Ventura and later: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera, then turn on the app. On earlier versions, use System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Camera. Some apps need to be quit and reopened after you change this setting.

For video calls in a web browser, the website also needs permission. In Chrome, Edge and Firefox, click the icon at the left of the address bar to see the site's camera permission and change it to Allow. Then reload the page. If you blocked the camera earlier, the site will not ask again until you change this setting. On macOS, the browser itself also needs camera permission in the system privacy settings.

Step 4: Make sure the right camera is selected

An app can have permission and still show the wrong source. This happens most often when a laptop has a built-in camera and an external webcam is also connected, or when virtual camera software is installed. Open the app's video or audio and video settings and choose your webcam from the camera list. Browsers usually offer the same choice in the site's permission panel or in the call app's settings. Selecting the microphone in that menu does not change the camera, and selecting the camera does not change the microphone.

Step 5: Check whether another app is using the camera

Depending on the operating system and driver, a camera that is already in use by one program may not be available to another. Close other video call apps, browser tabs with calls open, and camera utilities, then try again. On Windows 11, the Camera page under Privacy & security can show which apps have recently accessed the camera.

How to read the result

What you see | Most likely layer | Next step

Camera missing from the system device list | Detection | Reconnect, try another port, update or reinstall the driver, check the hardware

Camera listed but black in every app | Physical block, driver or another app using the camera | Check the shutter and camera key, close other apps, restart

Works in the system camera app but not in one program | Permission or selection | Allow the app in privacy settings, then choose the camera inside the app

Works in desktop apps but not on a website | Browser or site permission | Allow the camera for the site and for the browser, then reload

Video works but people cannot hear you | Microphone, not webcam | Check microphone permission and the selected audio input separately

If the camera is still not detected on more than one computer after these checks, a hardware fault is a reasonable possibility. Contact the manufacturer or the place of purchase.