Windows 11 comes with a boatload of cool features and a refreshing new graphical interface with a centered Start menu and taskbar, rounded corners windows, and themes and colors that make any Windows device look great. With all these great things, there’s also Windows 11 built-in camera app that allows you to video call, anyone, using your favorite apps like Zoom, Teams, Skype, and more. Some people are not comfortable with having a web camera or built-in camera app that can easily be gamed and misused for no good reason at all. Sometimes, you may be caught unaware in front of your camera in a compromising state. All these things can be a problem and that’s why Windows 11 allows you to disable or enable web cam and cameras when you need to. To get started with disabling or enabling the Window camera, follow the steps below:
Turn off Windows 11 Webcam
Windows 11 has a centralized location for the majority of its settings. From system configurations to creating new users and updating Windows, all can be done from its System Settings pane. To get to System Settings, you can use the Windows key + I shortcut or click on Start ==> Settings as shown in the image below: Alternatively, you can use the search box on the taskbar and search for Settings. Then select to open it. Windows Settings pane should look similar to the image below. In Windows Settings, click Privacy & Security, and select Camera on the right pane of your screen shown in the image below. On the Camera settings page, toggle the button to turn Off access to the Windows camera. This will turn off camera access to anyone using this device.
Enable Web Cam and Camera in Windows 11
If you want to enable access to the Camera, simply reverse the steps above. Go to the System Settings pane and select Privacy & Security from the menu list on the left. Then navigate to Camera and turn it On. You can also turn or enable on-camera access for individual apps for your camera instead of disabling all apps. In this way, only the apps that should have access will continue to do so. The rest of the apps will be denied access to the camera. So instead of turning off camera access for all apps, turn on Camera, then turn the feature that “Let apps access your camera” highlighted section below. Next, enable camera access for only the apps you select on the list. Remember, the settings and changes on the page above do not prevent you from signing in with your camera using facial recognition (Windows Hello). Also, some desktop apps that need camera access might not be listed. You might also need to do this in other camera apps you installed. Don’t forget to disable Bluetooth whenever possible. Conclusion: This post showed you how to disable or enable Windows 11 access to the built-in camera app. If you find any error above, please use the comment form below to report.
