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Fix & Allow: Chrome Can’t Access Your Camera or Microphone
Your browser setting can interfere with peripherals
7 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers for the Windows platform. But, several users reported that Chrome can’t access the camera or microphone.
When the browser tells you that an error occurred when trying to get access to the camera and/or microphone, the first thing to do is check the settings for that hardware.
Try the solutions below and we hope that you’ll get rid of the error in no time.
Why can’t I access my camera or microphone?
If Chrome can’t access the camera or microphone, it could be due to issues with the browser settings, website settings, or even the system settings.
In case the problem is limited to a particular website, it’s likely that the relevant permissions have not been granted and the website settings need to be modified. While if the issue is encountered across websites, it’s the browser or system settings to blame.
Conflicting programs or corrupt/outdated drivers may also lead to the problem. Several users also reported that the issue started after updating the OS, and the simplest solution for it would be to wait for the next version.
Some of the error message that you might come across are:
Let’s now head to the solutions when Chrome can’t access the camera or microphone in Windows.
How do I get Chrome to access my camera & mic?
1. Consider using a different browser
If the problem persists even after trying all troubleshooting steps, then your only option left is to simply switch to another browser.
One browser that is just as good, if not better, than Chrome is Opera One. Both tools are based on the Chromium engine, so their extensions are cross-compatible, but Opera One focuses more on speed and a high level of customization.
More so, it is updated frequently, so any potential errors that you may find will not be there for long, especially since you can easily send error logs if they do happen somehow.
Finally, if you love private browsing, you’ll like knowing that Opera One has a built-in VPN and an ad-blocker, unlike most browsers that have these only via extensions, and most of the time those are limited anyway.
Opera One
2. Turn access for camera and microphone for Chrome in Windows
Restart your PC and check for any improvements. If Chrome still can’t access the camera or microphone, head to the next method.
3. Enable camera and microphone access in Chrome
If you have blocked access to your camera for any website, you may see that a hardware error has occurred for the webcam.
4. Remove recently installed hardware
If you noticed that Chrome can’t access the camera or microphone after you installed a new hardware device to your PC, remove the device or uninstall it.
Some hardware devices such as Bluetooth speakers and other wireless devices can create conflict with the web browser and apps, resulting in this error. Make sure you uninstall the hardware device completely and restart the PC.
5. Remove recently installed software
Third-party software might lead to this issue due to the incorrect configuration. To fix the error, it’s best to uninstall them and prevent future conflicts.
6. Update camera and microphone drivers
A better way to update your drivers is to use third-party tools such asOutbyte Driver Updater. By using it, you’ll be able to automatically update all drivers on your PC with just a couple of clicks.
⇒GetOutbyte Driver Updater
Disclaimer:Some functions of this tool might not be free
7. Update Windows
If Chrome can’t access the camera or microphone after an update, it’s likely a bug in the current version, and a patch for it should be available in the subsequent releases.
Fix: There was an error trying to activate your camera or microphone
This error message is encountered due to the same reasons as the ones discussed earlier, and the solutions for it too pretty much remain the same.
In addition to these, you can also try disabling the antivirus for a while to verify if that’s preventing your camera or microphone from activating. Also, terminate tasks that are currently using the camera to fix the error.
How do I grant my browser permission to use my webcam?
These are our proposed solutions if Chrome can’t access the camera on Windows, and one of the must-have fixed the error for you.
Also, find out what to do if youcan’t print from Chrome.
If you used another way to restore your mic or camera functionality, let us know in the comments.
More about the topics:Google Chrome Errors
Tashreef Shareef
Tashreef Shareef is a software developer turned tech writer. He discovered his interest in technology after reading a tech magazine accidentally. Now he writes about everything tech from Windows to iOS and streaming services to IoT at WindowsReport.
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