Where Is the Camera on a Computer Monitor? Location, Microphone Input and What It Means for Speech

The short answer

When a computer monitor has a built-in camera, it is usually in the top bezel, most often centred above the screen. Some designs instead hide the camera in a pop-up or retractable module along the top edge. The main limitation is that many standalone monitors have no camera at all. In that case, any camera you see on top of the screen is a separate webcam clipped to the bezel, and it is a distinct device with its own connection and, in many cases, its own microphone.

No model-specific documentation was supplied for this guide. Treat the placements described here as common arrangements, not guarantees, and check your monitor's manual or product listing to confirm whether it includes a camera, a microphone, or both.

Why the camera's location matters for speech capture

For audio, the camera's position matters because a microphone built into a webcam or monitor housing is usually placed near the camera rather than near your mouth. That distance affects how much room sound and background noise the microphone picks up compared with your voice. This is a general principle of microphone placement, not a measured result for any particular monitor. Whether a given built-in microphone sounds acceptable on calls depends on the model, the room and the settings of your conferencing software. The material supplied here does not contain enough evidence to rate specific products.

How to tell whether the monitor or webcam has a microphone

An opening or perforated area in the casing does not prove that a microphone is present. Small holes can also be vents, speaker grilles, light sensors or purely cosmetic. Confirm that a microphone exists before relying on it, using the following checks.

• Read the manufacturer's specifications or manual for the exact model number, and look for an explicit mention of a built-in microphone or microphone array.
• Check the connection requirements. On many monitors with integrated cameras, the camera and any microphone only work when the monitor's USB upstream or USB-C data connection is attached to the computer. A video-only cable may not carry them. Confirm this in your model's documentation.
• Look at the computer's list of audio input devices with the monitor or webcam connected, then compare it with the list after disconnecting. An input that appears and disappears with the device is very likely its microphone.

Identifying the webcam microphone among other audio inputs

A computer often has several audio inputs at once, such as a laptop's internal microphone, a headset, a USB microphone, and a webcam or monitor microphone. Conferencing apps do not always choose the one you expect, so it helps to identify each input explicitly.

Where to look | What to check

Operating system sound settings (input section) | The device names listed. A webcam or monitor microphone is often labelled with the camera's or monitor's brand or model name, but labels vary by manufacturer, so verify the name against the connect/disconnect test.

Conferencing app audio settings | The selected microphone. Many apps offer a system default option, which may differ from the device you intend to use.

Input level meter | Speak normally and watch which input responds. Note that several microphones may react to the same voice, so use this together with device names rather than on its own.

Once you have identified the correct input, select it by name in both the operating system and the conferencing app, rather than relying on the default. If you also have a headset or a dedicated microphone, deciding which one to use is a practical choice. A microphone closer to your mouth will generally capture more voice relative to room sound than one mounted at the top of the screen.

Evidence gaps

This guide does not include model-specific camera positions, microphone counts, input labels or audio quality measurements, because none were supplied. For a definitive answer about a particular monitor or webcam, rely on the manufacturer's documentation and confirm the result with the device-list and level-meter checks above.