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We’re going to guide you through how to use the camera on a laptop in simple and easy-to-follow steps. Using a laptop you’re not familiar with can be a huge headache when starting.
You’ll find the exact steps you need to follow to open and use the camera on your laptop. We’ll show you how it differs across a different versions on Windows and even on a Mac.
By the end of the guide, you’ll know what to do, which settings work best, and how to get the most out of your laptop’s inbuilt camera!
Let’s jump into the guide!
How to Use the Camera on a Laptop
We’ll show you how to open and best use the camera on your Windows 7, 8, and 10. You’ll also learn how to set up and install a new camera and how to use an external webcam.
We’ll give you some helpful tips and tricks along the way to help you through any issues you might come across.
Let’s get started!
How to Turn on the Camera on a Laptop with Windows 7
The first thing to do is check whether or not you have the camera software installed on your laptop to open and interact with your camera.
To do this, click Start and type in “Camera” or “Webcam”. If you have the software on your laptop, you’ll see a camera icon that you can click to open your webcam.
If the camera app opens, but you only see a black screen, your webcam might be covered. If you have an in-keyboard webcam, consult your user manual to see which key it’s hidden under.
There might also be a slider over the webcam that you need to manually open to show the camera.
If you don’t have the software or drivers, follow these steps:
- Click Start and then click on Control Panel
- Select System and Security
- Under the System section, click on Device Manager
- Find the expand arrow next to Imaging Devices and right-click on the camera name
- You might also find the camera drivers under the USB or unknown devices section
- Right-click on the camera name and click on Uninstall, then click OK
- In the menu bar, click Action and then find and click on the Scan for Hardware Changes
- Once this is done, restart your laptop to reinstall the drivers
If these steps don’t work, then you’ll need to download and install third-party camera software such as CyberLink YouCam (but you can choose any software that’s compatible with your operating system and version of Windows.
How to Turn on the Camera on a Laptop with Windows 8
Here are the steps you have to follow to open up your inbuilt camera on a Windows 8 laptop:
- Open the side Charms bar by moving your mouse to the bottom right corner of the screen
- Select Start from the options
- Look for the icon tile that says Camera and click on it
- Click Allow when the permission prompt pops up (for access to your camera and microphone)
- Now you can choose from the Video or Photo modes on the right-hand side of the interface
If the camera doesn’t show up in the menu, then you’ll need to type “Camera” into the search bar and select it from the results.
If you click on the camera and get a message saying “Connect a camera”, that means your laptop doesn’t have a camera and you’ll need to buy an external one.
How to Take a Photo from a Laptop Camera in Windows 10
First, we’ll show you how to open the camera app in Windows 10:
- Click on the Start button in the bottom left corner
- There should be a list of apps showing up beginning with Most Used and then moving into alphabetical categories
- Scroll down the list until you reach the apps under the letter “C”
- Click on the Camera app tile
- Alternatively, you can click the Start button and type “Camera” and click on the app
- If this is your first time opening the app, you’ll need to allow the app access to your camera and microphone in the popup that requests it
You should see yourself in the interface now. If you can’t, make sure your webcam isn’t covered (or hidden in a key on the keyboard).
Here’s how to take the photo:
- On the left side of the screen, you can adjust the time delay (between pressing the photo button and when the photo is taken) and the brightness
- On the right side of the screen, you’ll find the shutter button
- Click it to take the photo
- You can view the photo by clicking on it in the bottom right corner of the screen
Before you take another photo, you can adjust settings like resolution, grid type, and shooting mode. The settings button is in the top left corner of the screen.
Read Also: How to Use a Phone as a Webcam
How to Use an External Webcam on a Laptop
Here we’ll show you how to install a USB webcam on your laptop. Make sure the webcam is plugged into a functioning and tested USB port.
Head over to your Control Panel and open System and Security. Click on Device Manager. You’ll see a new window pop up.
Browse through the list until you see the Imaging Devices option and click on the “>” arrow to its left top to expand the list. Right-click on your laptop’s native webcam (the inbuilt one) and click Disable Device.
This will disable your laptops inbuilt webcam so that it doesn’t get used instead of the USB webcam.
If your USB webcam came with an installation CD, insert it now. This will let you install the webcam software and relevant drivers.
Insert the webcam into the working USB port and wait for a few seconds while the computer installs the device and sets up the drivers.
Once the installation process is complete, you can open your video conferencing app and select your newly installed webcam as your video or webcam source.
How to Install a Webcam in a Laptop
This is piggybacking off the last section of the device manager. It’ll help you enable your computer’s webcam in case it’s not registered.
Head over to your Control Panel and open System and Security. Click on Device Manager. You’ll see a new window pop up.
Go through the list until you see the Imaging Devices option and click on the “>” arrow to its left top to expand the list. Right-click on your laptop’s native webcam (the inbuilt one) and click Enable Device.
If this doesn’t work, you’ll need to uninstall the webcam and restart your laptop. The driver will reinstall when the laptop reboots (this will be the factory-set driver and may need to be updated.
Final Thoughts
Well done for taking the time to get educated and prepared. These issues can be quite overwhelming and frustrating, especially if you’re not familiar with the operating system you’re using.
Take what you’ve learned here on how to use a camera on a laptop and try it out for yourself. You’ll learn what does and doesn’t work – and what’s best for your specific setup. Good luck!
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