Webcam not showing up on a call? Check these 4 things

Suddenly, it happens. You’re about to use your computer to join a video meeting and connecting goes perfectly. You can talk, chat, and see all the other participants just fine, but the problem is that no one else could see you.

Does this sound familiar? Here are four common solutions.

Video apps such as Teams and Google Meet have a camera mute button so you can decide for yourself when others should see you. It can also be useful if you have a poor internet connection, which causes the call to stutter. If everyone switches off their cameras, you’ll save bandwidth and get better audio quality. In some cases, the camera is switched off by default when you start the call, so you’ll need to switch it on yourself.

Another common reason is that you’ve accidentally pressed the wrong key on your computer. Many computers have shortcut keys to turn off the camera, which is useful if you want to quickly prevent others from seeing you. This button is often found on the top row of keys (F1–F12) and usually features an image of a camera. As a rule, you switch the camera on and off by pressing the Fn key together with the appropriate specific F keys, such as F1.

Some computers also have a slider next to the camera that physically hides it behind a small plastic cover. Slide this to the side to turn the camera on.

It’s also possible that you’ve enabled the camera block in Windows. In that case, you can unlock it by opening Windows Settings (via the Start button at the bottom left). Select Bluetooth & devices, then Cameras, and make sure no camera is disabled. If it is, simply click Enable.