How to Disable the Built-In Camera in Windows

This article explains how to disable your webcam in Windows, either for all apps or only a select few. Instructions are provided for Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7.

Disable a Webcam in Windows 10 or Windows 8

Here's how you turn off the webcam altogether on your Windows 10 computer:

1. Right-click on the Windows 10 Start button and select Device Manager.

2. In the Device Manager window that opens, select the arrow to expand Imaging devices.

3. Right-click your camera's name and select Disable device.

   You'll probably need to expand the Imaging Devices category to see your camera. To do this, click the right-pointing arrow to the left of the category name. This opens the category and shows all the devices within that category.

4. If asked for confirmation, choose Yes.

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 10 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 10:

1. Select the Settings icon in the Start menu.

2. Choose Privacy.

3. In the Camera section, turn on Allow apps to access your camera to allow access by some apps and services.

4. Tap the slider next to each app or service in the list to allow some apps and services to access the webcam while preventing others from having access. 

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:

1. Go to the Start menu on your desktop and click Control Panel.

2. Select Hardware and Sound.

3. Choose Device Manager.

4. Select Imaging Devices and double-click your webcam in the list.

5. Click on the Driver tab and select Disable to disable the webcam.

6. Choose Yes when asked if you want to disable your webcam.