Disable a Webcam in Windows 11, 10, or Windows 8
Here’s how you turn off the webcam altogether on your Windows 10 computer: Your camera is turned off for all apps and services. If you want to use it again, return to the Device Manager window and click Enable device when you right-click your camera’s name.
Disable a Webcam in Windows for Selected Services
If you don’t want to disable your webcam completely, you can specify which apps and services are allowed to access it, and which ones are not. In Windows 11 and 10: This option is useful when you only want to set camera restrictions for social media or chat sites that your children use, for example.
Why Disable Your Webcam?
Most computers come with built-in cameras that applications and services can activate on their own if users give the appropriate permissions. If privacy is a concern, you may want to disable the integrated webcam on your computer altogether. You don’t want malware to take control of the camera to spy on you and your home. If you’re a parent, you have other reasons for disabling the webcam, all of them having to do with your kids’ safety. Instant messaging and interactive websites that use laptop cameras aren’t always child-friendly or appropriate, and you might decide that disabling the webcam for a particular website is the best way to protect your children and their identities. There’s no way to ignore the security concerns presented by the webcam built into your computer. Disabling the webcam entirely is probably your safest bet, but in case there are applications that you want to give access to, you can control them on a case-by-case basis.
Disable a Webcam in Windows 7
To disable your computer’s webcam in Windows 7:
