How to Make Sure a Webcam Is Working
Computer software manipulates your webcam via the device driver, a program that translates instructions from high-level software into code that the webcam can understand. The webcam then carries out the instructions as directed by the high-level software. If the device driver isn't working, or if the webcam isn't connected or enabled, the camera won't receive instructions from the computer software and therefore won't work. To test if your camera is working, confirm that the device driver is active, then attempt to turn on the webcam with the computer's camera software.
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Instructions
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Click "Start." Select "Control Panel" from the right pane on the main menu. Enter "device" into the search box.
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Click "Device Manager." Find "Imaging Devices" in the list of categories, then click the arrow icon located to the left of it. Double-click the webcam.
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Check the "Device Status" in the "General" tab. If an error message appears, write down the error code, then look up the error on Microsoft Support for further assistance.
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Click the "Enable Device" button, if available, then restart the computer to activate the device. If the device is enabled, exit from Device Manager.
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Click "Start." Enter "cam" into the search box. If a web camera application appears in the list, click the program.
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Select the option from the menu bar to capture a picture or record a video. If the webcam feed appears, the webcam is working. If the webcam feed doesn't appear, make sure that the camera is plugged in and that the webcam is enabled.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't have webcam software on your computer, you can download and install a program such as YouCam, Skype or Google Talk to test the camera.
