Hi there @ lucyd133 , and welcome to the community forums.
Here are some steps that might help:
You may have tried some of these, but it never hurts to double check.
Open Lenovo Vantage and check if the Camera and Microphone privacy settings is on. Turn them off.
Also make sure that you have not accidentally clicked the "FN" button and the hotkey (F8 for Camera and F4 for Microphone) for turning the devices on and off on your keyboard.
Make sure there is nothing obscuring the camera. Some devices come with a small latch that can be used to cover the camera.
Please make sure there is no visible damage to the camera or around the camera area. Also check around the microphone area.
- In Windows, Press the Windows button+X , select "Search" and start typing "Camera Privacy Settings" and or "Microphone Privacy Settings", they are located in the same area.
- Make sure the Privacy settings are set to "off" and that Camera access is set to "On". Do the same for Microphone.
- Scroll further down to see a list of apps that are using your camera and do the same for the Microphone.
- Try to find the programs you are trying to use and make sure they have access to your camera/microphone, by sliding the bar to the right.
If this does not fix the issue, continue below.
Step 1. Rolling back to a previous Win 10 Version :
- You only need to perform this step if the camera was working before a Win 10 Update to your system.
- Open the Windows 10 Settings Menu by clicking the gear icon in the Windows Start menu, or by pressing “Windows+I” keys.
- Click “Update & security”
- Click the “Recovery” tab on the sidebar.
- Under “Go back to the previous version of Windows 10,” click “Get started.”
- After some elapsed time, this option might not be available. Please continue below.
Step 2. Disable Automatic Hardware drivers update
- Right click the Windows Icon, select the "Search" Function.
- Type "Control Panel" and select "Small icons" or "Large Icons" in the "View By" top right.
- Click the "System Icon"
- Navigate to "Advanced System Settings" -> "Hardware"
- Click "Device Installation Settings" and Select "No"
In the event that this is not successful or the Rollback is not available, continue below:
Step 3. Uninstall Camera Device + Drivers.
- Press the Windows key+X , select "Device Manager"
- Under "Cameras" and/or "Imaging devices" - Select the camera in question, right click and select "Uninstall Device"
- Under "Audio Inputs and outputs" - Select the microphone in question, right click and select "Uninstall Device"
- If prompted to uninstall drivers associated with the device, tick the box and continue.
- Perform a restart of the computer to have Windows install the most generic drivers for this device.
Download the newest drivers for you device from https://pcsupport.lenovo.com
- Just plot in the Serial Number(S/N) of your device in the field and hit enter. You might have to hit enter twice.
- Download and Install the newest drivers from the Drivers & Software section.
- Now double check the privacy settings and the app access to your camera as described above.
Step 4. Check your antivirus software
In your antivirus software settings, look for settings that block access to your camera or permission to use your webcam. For help, visit your antivirus software company’s website.
- You might want to try and update the BIOS/Chipset/Serial IO drivers from the Drivers & Software section as well if nothing else works.
Good luck
Voithos
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