Fix Webcam Black Screen issue on Windows 11/10

Are you facing a black screen issue with your webcam on Windows 11/10? Many Windows users have reported encountering a black screen whenever they try to use their built-in camera or an external webcam on their PC. Webcam is an essential device to stream videos, record videos, do video calls, and do much more on your PC. Seeing a black screen whenever you try to use your webcam is frustrating. Now, if you are one of those users bothered by this issue, we got you covered. In this post, we are going to show you several methods to fix the webcam black screen issue on your PC. Before we mention the fixes, let us try and understand the scenarios that trigger the issue at hand.

Why is my webcam showing a black screen?

There can be multiple reasons why you might see a black screen on your webcam. Here are the potential causes:

• It might be the case that you haven’t granted the required permissions to your webcam. Hence, before trying an advanced fix, make sure to allow app permissions to your webcam.
• If you are using an old webcam that is not compatible with the newer version of Windows, you are likely to experience this issue. In that case, you will have to upgrade your webcam and get the one that is compatible with your PC.
• Too many USB devices connected to your PC can interfere with your webcam and cause the issue at hand. So, try disconnecting all other USB devices and check if the problem is fixed or not.
• The outdated or corrupted webcam driver can be a reason for the issue at hand. So, update or reinstall your webcam driver to fix the problem.
• There are chances that you will see a black screen on the webcam if your recording application is not updated. Hence, update your recorder app to fix the issue.
• Software conflicts on your PC can be another reason for this issue. So, restart your PC in a clean boot state to fix the issue.

Based on the above scenarios, you can try a suitable fix to get rid of the black screen issue on your webcam.

Fix Webcam Black Screen on Windows 11/10

Here are the fixes that you can try to get rid of the black screen issue in Webcam on Windows 11/10 PC:

1. Allow app permissions for your webcam.
2. Ensure that your webcam is compatible with your PC.
3. Unplug other USB devices and try connecting your webcam to a different port.
4. Update your webcam driver.
5. Reinstall your webcam driver.
6. Download & install all pending Windows updates.
7. Update your recording application.
8. Troubleshoot in a Clean Boot State.

1] Allow app permissions for your webcam

First of all, you need to ensure that your webcam has the necessary permissions to record video on your PC. You are likely to see a black screen if you have not provided the required access permissions to your webcam. So, allow app permissions for your webcam using the below steps:

1. Firstly, press Windows + I to open the Settings app.
2. Now, select the Privacy & security tab.
3. Next, scroll down to the App permissions section and click on Camera.
4. After that, make sure the Camera access toggle is enabled.
5. Now, ensure that the recording app you are using is allowed to access your webcam under the Let apps access your camera section.
6. Lastly, try using your webcam and see if the problem is fixed or not.

If the required permissions are granted and you still get the issue at hand, try the next potential fix.

2] Ensure that your webcam is compatible with your PC

The issue of a black screen with your webcam might be caused if your webcam is not compatible with your PC. If you are using an old model of a webcam, it might be compatible with Windows 11/10 and thus, the black screen issue. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you will be required to change your webcam and use the one that is compatible with your system.

If the issue still arises, go ahead and try the next potential fix to resolve the problem.

Read: Webcam flickering in Teams during video calls.

3 Unplug other USB devices and try connecting your webcam to a different port

If you are using a USB webcam, try unplugging other connected USB devices. You might encounter this issue if there are too many USB devices connected to your system. So, simply remove the USB devices that are not in use at the moment and then check if the problem is resolved or not.

In addition to the above workaround, you can also try connecting your webcam to a different USB port. Connect your webcam to every other USB port and see if the problem is fixed.

4] Update your webcam driver

Black screen issues are usually connected to outdated and corrupted device drivers. If you are getting a black screen on the webcam, the problem might be caused due to out-of-date webcam driver. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, update your webcam driver to fix the issue. Additionally, make sure your graphics driver is also updated.

You can use the below methods to update your webcam driver on Windows PC:

1. You download webcam drivers from the official website of the device manufacturer. It is one of the most common ways to get and install the latest version of your drivers.
2. Try opening the Settings app using the Win+I hotkey and then go to the Windows Update > Advanced options section. Now, tap on the Optional Updates option and install all the pending updates for the webcam and other drivers.
3. Use the Device Manager app to update the webcam driver.
4. You can also try a free third-party driver updater to automatically update your webcam driver.

After updating your webcam driver, check if the problem is fixed or not. In case the issue still persists, try the next potential solution to resolve the problem.

See: Fix Webcam keeps turning off and on again

5] Reinstall your webcam driver

If updating your driver doesn’t help, you may consider reinstalling your webcam driver. For that, you first need to uninstall your driver and then reinstall it. Here is how to do that:

1. Firstly, press Win+X and select Device Manager from the shortcut menu.
2. Now, in Device Manager, locate your webcam and expand the respective menu.
3. Next, right-click on your webcam driver and select the Uninstall device option.
4. Once the driver is uninstalled, click on the Action > Scan for hardware changes option to let Windows reinstall the missing drivers.
5. Finally, reboot your PC and see if the “Webcam black screen” issue is fixed or not.

6] Download & install all pending Windows updates

In many instances, such issues are caused if you are not using the most recent version of Windows. Hence, to improve system stability and fix such bugs, make sure your PC is up-to-date. To update Windows, launch Settings using Win+I and go to the Windows Update tab. Then, press the Check for updates button to download and install all the pending Windows updates.

7] Update your recording application

The problem might also be caused if your webcam recording application is not updated. Hence, try updating your recording app and see if the issue is resolved or not. You can get the latest version of the app from the official website of the application. If you are using a WIndows app, update the app from Microsoft Store. Check if this method fixes the problem for you.

Read: Webcam keeps freezing or crashing

8] Troubleshoot in a Clean Boot State

It can also be caused due to software conflicts with your webcam app. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can try performing a clean boot and see if the issue is fixed or not. To perform a clean boot, here are the steps to follow:

1. Firstly, open the Run dialog by pressing the Windows + R hotkey.
2. Now, type msconfig in the Open field and press Enter to open the System Configuration window.
3. In the System Configuration window, go to the Services tab and enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox. This will ensure that no essential Windows service is disabled by mistake.
4. After that, disable all the services, move to the Startup tab, press the Open Task Manager button, and disable all the startup applications.
5. Now, move to the System Configuration window and tap on the Apply > OK button to apply changes.
6. Once done, reboot your PC and see if the problem is fixed or not.

That’s it. Hopefully, this post will help you get rid of the webcam black screen issue on Windows 11/10.

How do you fix a black screen on a webcam?

To fix a black screen on your webcam, make sure your webcam device is compatible with your computer. Other than that, you can try updating your webcam driver, installing Windows updates, updating your recording application, etc.

Now read: Laptop Camera or Webcam not working in Windows.