Device Manager not showing Camera!? Imagine the situation where your camera is not working on your PC, and when you open the Device Manager to fix the issue, the camera does not exist! If the same happens on your Windows 11/10 PC where the Camera is missing or not showing in Device Manager, then this post will help you.
Camera missing or not showing in Device Manager
If the Camera is missing or not showing in Device Manager on your Windows 11/10 PC, then one of the following suggestions is sure to fix the issue for you. Before you begin, first, check the USB and cable of the camera you connected.
- Update drivers
- Scan for hardware changes
- Run the hardware troubleshooter
- Add a Legacy hardware
Let’s see the fixes in detail.
Device Manager not showing Camera
1] Update drivers
Corrupted or pending driver updates might be the cause of the camera missing or not showing in Device Manager. You have to update the drivers to fix the issue. Also, check for system updates if there are any pending.
Read: Device Manager not showing Sound, video and game controllers
2] Scan for hardware changes
To find any changes in the hardware of your PC and issues with it, you need to scan for hardware changes. It might help you find the camera in the hardware changes. Open Device Manager by pressing Win+X and clicking on the Device Manager among the list.
On the Device Manager window, click on Action and then click on Scan for hardware changes.
You will be notified of any changes and it might fix the camera missing problem.
3] Run the Hardware troubleshooter
There might be chances that the camera is missing from Device Manager due to an error in the hardware or its related programs. Run the hardware troubleshooter which is available in the list of troubleshooters available on Windows. It will find the issue and fix it.
4] Add a Legacy hardware
If all the above methods are tested and still the camera is missing from the Device manager, add the camera manually using the Add legacy hardware feature in Device Manager. To do that, open Device Manager and click on Action and then select Add legacy hardware.
It will open an Add Hardware window. Click on Next at the bottom of the window to proceed.
Then, check the radio button beside Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced) and click on the Next.
Select Cameras from the list under Common hardware types and press the Next button.
Then, follow the instructions on the screen to add the camera and finish the setup. It will add your camera to the Device Manager.
This way, you can fix the camera missing from the Device Manager on your PC.
Related: Laptop Camera or Webcam is not working in Windows.
How do I know if my antivirus is blocking my camera?
The antivirus on your PC will notify you whenever some program is trying to use the camera. It also shows that it had blocked the camera. You must manually disable the blocking if you need to use the camera. The antivirus also blocks the microphone along with the camera. You need not do anything. Your antivirus program itself notifies you about the camera being blocked.
Related: How to disable Camera using Group Policy or Registry Editor.
