Virtual meetings have grown in importance in our daily lives since the epidemic. Even while you may rely on your preferred web browser Chrome and applications like Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, there may sometimes be a few glitches. One such problem is when Chrome’s camera and microphone quit functioning.
Attending online meetings or lectures shouldn’t be hampered by a lack of proficiency with your camera and microphone. In this article, we’ll discuss a few troubleshooting techniques that should permanently resolve the Google Chrome camera and microphone problem.
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In This Article
1. See if the camera is in use
If your camera and microphone are already in use by another software, such as Camera, Skype, Microsoft Teams, or any other app for that matter, Google Chrome cannot access them. You can check to see whether Chrome is now functioning properly by first closing any programs that may be using the camera and microphone on your PC.
2. Restart your computer
You can then try restarting your computer. You should be able to use the camera and microphone on Google Chrome after restarting your computer if the problem was brought on by a background process or a small bug.
3. Enable the camera and microphone on Chrome
If restarting the computer doesn’t solve the problem, look into whether Chrome has been permitted to use Windows’ camera and microphone. This is how:
1. To open the Settings app, press the Windows key + I.
2. On your left, choose the Privacy & security option. Now go to the Camera section in the App Permissions section.
3. Verify that the Camera can be accessed by your PC.
4. You should also make sure that desktop programs like Google Chrome are permitted access to the Camera.
5. Return to the Privacy & Security tab and choose Microphone from the App Permissions section.
6. Verify that your PC and other desktop programs have been permitted to access the microphone.
Restart Chrome immediately to check whether the camera and microphone are operating properly.
4. Verify Access Permissions
Despite granting the required system permissions, you should check Chrome’s Site permissions if you still can’t use the camera or microphone. How? Read on.
1. Open Google Chrome. To access Settings, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen.
2. Select Site settings under the Privacy and Security option on your left.
3. Click on Camera in the Permissions section by scrolling down.
4. Decide which website you want to have access to the camera on.
5. Next, switch the site’s camera and microphone authorization to Allow.
5. Turn off the antivirus
If the problem continues, you can try looking at the antivirus software settings that are set up on your computer. A privacy feature on certain antivirus products prevents PC applications from accessing the camera or microphone. If so, you need to explore the options of your antivirus software and turn it off.
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6. Turn off Extensions
One of the main reasons why consumers pick Chrome over its rivals is that it is undoubtedly supported by third-party extensions. However, these extensions can sometimes disrupt browser operations and lead to problems like this one.
You can test using Chrome in incognito mode to be sure. If you can use the camera and microphone there, then one of the extensions is undoubtedly the cause of the problem.
Enter chrome:/extensions in the URL bar to deactivate extensions in Chrome.
Now turn off all of the extensions from this page. After that, switch each one of them on individually to see which one caused the problem.
7. Delete All Cookies and Cache
Chrome keeps cache data to enhance your surfing experience, much like the majority of browsers. However, if that data becomes outdated or faulty, it can interfere with Chrome’s functionality and cause problems. If that’s the case, try emptying Chrome’s cache and cookies to see if it fixes the problem.
1. Open the Clear Browsing Data tab in Google Chrome by using the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Del.
2. Select All time from the drop-down box using the Time range option. Check the boxes next to Cached pictures and files Cookies and other site data. Click the Clear data option to finish.
Once everything is clear, check to see whether Chrome lets you use the camera and microphone.
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8. Use a different browser
If the problem still exists, you can try using a different browser, such as Firefox or Microsoft Edge, to see if you can access the camera and microphone there. If it succeeds, you’ll need to reset Chrome using the strategy after that.
In other circumstances, the issue may be with your PC rather than Chrome if you’re experiencing difficulties using the camera and microphone on other web browsers as well. Consequently, you can use method 10 to launch the Windows troubleshooter instead of method 2 to reset Chrome.
9. Reset Chrome
You may need to take the difficult step of restarting Chrome itself if other browsers can use the camera and microphone just fine. Please be aware that resetting Chrome will erase all of your installed extensions, cache, and history. This is the procedure.
1. Open Google Chrome, enter chrome://settings/reset in the address bar at the top of the screen, and then click OK. Now choose Restore settings to their values.
2. To confirm, choose Reset Settings from the confirmation pop-up window.
Check to see whether the camera and microphone are again operational after restarting Google Chrome.
10. Run the Camera Troubleshooter
If Chrome still won’t let you use a camera or microphone, there could be a systemic problem. Thankfully, most of Windows 11’s tools come with a troubleshooter. To enable Windows to recognize and address problems on its own, you can try running the camera and microphone troubleshooter. How? Read on.
1. To start Windows Search, click Windows Key + S. Type “troubleshoot settings” and hit Enter.
2. Select Additional troubleshooters.
3. To start troubleshooting, click the Run icon next to the Camera and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Return and run the troubleshooter once again for recording audio.
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Bonus: Update or reinstall your camera and microphone drivers
Such camera and microphone issues often result from old or incompatible drivers. In such a case, you could try upgrading them by doing the things listed below.
1. From the Taskbar, click the Search icon, type device management, and then press Enter.
2. Click the Cameras tab, then from the context menu, choose Update driver. To update them, follow the on-screen directions.
3. Expand Audio inputs and outputs in the Device Manager window at this point. Update the driver by performing a right-click on the Microphone option.
One more idea on the Google Chrome Camera or Microphone Issue
If the issue doesn’t go away, corrupted drivers may be to blame. As a result, you must remove them by following the aforementioned instructions. Restart your computer after removing them so Windows can reinstall them. The camera and microphone problems in Google Chrome should now be resolved for you, and you can resume participating in your virtual meetings.