Troubleshooting
Camera Not Working in Edge? How to Get It Back
Camera not working in Edge? Click the padlock or site-information icon to the left of the address, set Camera to Allow, and reload. If Edge still shows black or no camera, open edge://settings/content/camera and check that your real webcam is selected at the top.
Edge comes with Windows and shares its engine with Chrome, but its menus, profiles and the Microsoft apps that come with it create their own snags. Here they are, from most to least likely.
Spot the problem in 30 seconds
- A camera icon with a red cross at the right of the address bar: Edge blocked this site. Click it, choose the option to always allow, click Done and reload.
- Allowed, but still nothing: Windows may be blocking Edge, or another app has the camera.
- A dark, grainy or greenish picture: on some laptops Edge picks the infrared face sign-in camera instead of the normal one.
- Fine in Chrome, broken in Edge: permissions are separate for each browser, and for each Edge profile.
Fix 1: Set the site's camera permission to Allow
- Click the padlock or site-information icon at the left of the address bar.
- Open Permissions for this site and set Camera and Microphone to Allow (names may differ slightly by version).
- Reload the page.
How to tell it worked: the red-crossed icon disappears and Edge shows a recording indicator on the tab while the camera is live. For more detail, including how to take access away later, see how to allow camera access in Edge.
Fix 2: Choose your webcam at edge://settings/content/camera
Edge keeps the camera choice and the allow and block lists in one place, so this page fixes a lot of Edge not detecting the camera you expect.
- Paste edge://settings/content/camera into the address bar. Through the menu it's under Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Camera; the section has moved between versions, but the address always works.
- Open the dropdown at the top and pick your real webcam.
- Turn on Ask before accessing if it's off.
- If the site appears in the Block list, remove it.
- Reload the site.
Laptops with Windows Hello face sign-in sometimes list a second camera with IR or infrared in its name. That's the sign-in sensor, which gives a dark, grainy image; choose the other one. Virtual cameras from effects tools, OBS or phone-as-webcam apps show up here too.
Fix 3: Let Edge past Windows camera privacy
To Windows, Edge is a desktop app, so it depends on a different switch from apps installed through the Microsoft Store.
- Windows 11: Settings → Privacy & security → Camera → turn on Camera access and Let desktop apps access your camera.
- Windows 10: Settings → Privacy → Camera, with the same two switches.
Do the same under Microphone, then restart Edge. If these are on and even the Windows Camera app can't see your webcam, the Windows webcam guide covers drivers, Device Manager and laptop camera keys.
Fix 4: Close Teams and other apps using the camera
On Windows, a webcam usually serves one app at a time. Teams is a common culprit on PCs that came with it, because it keeps running in the system tray after you close its window. Zoom, Discord, OBS and the Windows Camera app can do the same.
- Click the ^ arrow on the taskbar to show hidden icons, then right-click meeting and camera apps and choose Quit or Exit.
- Close other Edge tabs, and other browsers, that have calls or webcam tests open.
- Reload the page, or press Try again on Omlet's Camera is busy message.
Can't find what's holding it? Our guide to the camera being used by another app shows how to track it down.
Fix 5: Profiles, policies, updates and a reset
- Profiles: each Edge profile has its own permissions. If you use a work profile and a personal one, allow the site in the profile you're actually using; its picture is at the top left of the window.
- Extensions: open an InPrivate window (Ctrl+Shift+N). Extensions are off there unless you've allowed them, so if the camera works InPrivate, disable extensions one at a time at edge://extensions.
- Managed by your organization: if Edge says this in Settings, open edge://policy. A policy can block the camera, and only your IT team can change it.
- Update: Settings and more (…) → Help and feedback → About Microsoft Edge (edge://settings/help). Edge downloads any update and asks you to restart.
As a last resort, edge://settings/reset → Restore settings to their default values resets startup and search settings, turns off extensions and clears cookies and other temporary site data. Favorites, history and saved passwords stay.
Because a reset clears site data, on Omlet it resets your device identifier and removes a country filter you paid for in Edge. Try every other fix first.
Edge webcam not working: quick reference
| What you see | Probable cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red-crossed camera icon | Site blocked in Edge | Fix 1 |
| Dark, grainy or greenish image | Infrared or virtual camera selected | Fix 2 |
| Allowed in Edge, still refused | Windows desktop-apps switch is off | Fix 3 |
| Camera is busy on Omlet | Teams or another app holds the camera | Fix 4 |
| Works in one Edge profile only | Permissions are per profile | Fix 5 |
| Works in InPrivate only | An extension | Fix 5 |
Edge on a Mac, and when to suspect the hardware
Edge on macOS needs its own switch in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera. Everything else on the Mac side is in camera not working on Mac.
If the Windows Camera app also shows nothing, Edge isn't the problem: check for a privacy shutter or camera key, then the Windows guide above. If your camera works everywhere except Edge after all of this, use another browser for now; Firefox users have their own set of fixes.
Back up and running? Our Windows PC guide shows how to use Omlet in Edge and install it from the address bar.