Play Video as Webcam on Windows

The short answer

Windows has no standard setting that turns a video file into a webcam. To show a prerecorded clip in place of a live camera, you need software that creates a virtual camera. A virtual camera is a software device that video-call apps and browsers list alongside a real webcam, so you can pick it in the camera menu. The software plays your video into that device, and the call app treats it like camera footage.

One clarification changes what you need. If you only want other people to see a video during a call, screen sharing or the app's own media-sharing feature is usually simpler and also sends the sound. A virtual camera fits when the video has to appear in the camera slot itself, for example as your tile in a meeting or as a looping clip.

What you need

• 1. A program that can output a virtual camera on Windows. OBS Studio, a free and widely used recording and streaming program, includes a Virtual Camera feature, and other tools offer similar functions.
• 2. The video file you want to play, in a format the program can open.
• 3. A call app or browser that accepts virtual cameras. Most mainstream apps do, but some, such as certain exam or identity-check tools, deliberately block them.

The guide does not cover feature lists, version differences or format support for any specific program. Menu names can change between releases, so if a label below doesn't match what you see, check the program's current documentation.

Steps using OBS Studio's virtual camera

• 1. Install OBS Studio and open it. You can skip or cancel the auto-configuration wizard if it appears.
• 2. In the Sources panel, add a Media Source and choose your video file.
• 3. In the source settings, turn on looping if the clip should repeat, then confirm.
• 4. Resize the video in the preview so it fills the frame the way you want. The preview shows what the virtual camera will send.
• 5. Click Start Virtual Camera in the Controls panel.
• 6. Open your call app or browser and go to its video or camera settings.
• 7. Select OBS Virtual Camera as the camera.
• 8. Keep OBS open while you use the video. Closing OBS or stopping the virtual camera ends the feed.

How to verify it works

Check three things separately, because each one can fail on its own:

Check | What it confirms | What to look for

Camera listed | The app can see the virtual device | OBS Virtual Camera appears in the camera dropdown

Video captured | Frames are actually flowing | Your clip plays in the app's self-view instead of a black or placeholder image

Call quality | Others see it acceptably | A test call or the app's preview shows smooth playback without heavy blur or stutter

Test in the same app you'll use for the call or in a browser camera test. Virtual cameras don't appear in every Windows program, so a missing entry in one app doesn't prove the virtual camera is broken.

Sound is a separate path

A virtual camera carries picture only. The audio track in your video file will not reach the call through the camera device. If listeners need to hear the clip, you have to route its sound to the call through a virtual audio device or use the app's screen-share option with computer sound enabled. This guide does not cover setting up a specific virtual audio tool, so check that tool's own instructions.

If the virtual camera doesn't appear or shows black

• 1. Make sure the virtual camera is started before you open the call app, then fully restart the app or browser so it rescans its camera list.
• 2. In Windows Settings, open Privacy & security, then Camera, and confirm that camera access is on and that desktop apps are allowed to use the camera.
• 3. In a browser, check the site's camera permission and choose the virtual camera there, since sites can remember an earlier camera choice.
• 4. Confirm the video is playing in the OBS preview. If the preview is black, the problem is the source, not the call app.
• 5. If one app still refuses the device while others accept it, that app may block virtual cameras, and there is no reliable workaround on the user side.

Use it openly

Playing a recording in place of a live camera can mislead people who expect to see you in real time, and some workplaces, schools and platforms prohibit it. Use it where everyone knows what they're seeing, such as a looping intro screen, a demo or a graphic overlay.