Why is my camera off on Messenger?

Did you upgrade your Windows 10 build recently? Then chances are, you are facing errors while using the webcam. Many users do and that’s why we are here. The webcam may stop working for Skype, Hangover, and even for Facebook Messenger.

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While the Facebook messenger is an extremely popular video calling medium these days, giving tough competition to Skype and WhatsApp, it also gets an error when trying to make a video call. The problem seems to be with the web camera and that’s again due to the latest Window 10 update. However, it can be fixed. Let’s see how.

Table of Contents

• Solution 1: If  facing this issue in Chrome, Check camera settings
• Solution 2 : Check in settings
• Solution 3 : Disable IR camera
• Solution 4 : Through Registry Editor
• Solution 5: Upcam webcam drivers

Solution 1: If  facing this issue in Chrome, Check camera settings

1. Open Chrome browser.

2. Go to chrome://settings/content/camera

3. Now, make sure that camera access is turned ON.

Also , make sure correct webcam is selected as shown below.

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Solution 2 : Check in settings

1. Press Windows key + I together to open settings

2. Now, click on Privacy.

3. Now, click on camera from the left menu.

4. Make sure the Camera is Turned ON in the right.

5. Now, in the right side locate the section Choose which Microsoft Store apps can access your camera.

6. If you are facing this issue on a browser such as Chrome , then make sure Chrome is turned ON from the list.

If you are facing this issue on a browser such as Microsoft Edge , then make sure Microsoft Edge is turned ON from the list.

Note that if you have a messenger app installed and you are facing this issue on messenger app, then scroll down the list , locate messenger app from the list and make sure messenger is turned on in the list.

Solution 3 : Disable IR camera

1. Search Device manager in Windows 10 search box.

2. Now, Expand imaging devices or Camera section and try to locate any IR camera devices in device manager.

If any IR device exists , just right click and disable it.

Solution 4 : Through Registry Editor

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys together on your keyboard to open the Run command. Now, type regedit in the search field and hit OK to open the Registry Editor window.

Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the below path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows Media Foundation\Platform

Now, on the right-hand side of the pane, right-click on an empty area, select New from the right-click menu, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Step 3: Name the new value as EnableFrameServerMode.

Step 4: Double-click to open the Value. In the Edit DWORD (32-bit) value dialogue box, check the Value Data field. It should be set to 0. Press OK to exit.

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That’s all. Your problem should be resolved now and you will now be able to use the Facebook Messenger camera.

Solution 5: Upcam webcam drivers

1 -Search Device manager in taskbar search box of windows PC and then click on device manager from the search result to open it.

The crammed versatility of Facebook Messenger and Facebook’s idea to unify messaging in their apps are probable reasons for global outages. However, there are times when everything is working for the majority of people and certain users have a hard time using certain apps. In this case, the Facebook Camera is not working for some users. Is it another global outage or just an isolated case? Who knows. But can you fix it? Definitely. Check the steps below.

Table of contents:

1. Check the Facebook status
2. Inspect Messenger permissions
3. Clear local data from Messenger
4. Leave the Beta program
5. Reinstall Facebook Messenger
6. Reset App preferences
7. Rollback to an older version of Facebook Messenger

What do you do when your Messenger camera is not working?

We already get accustomed to major server-side issues in Facebook’s apps so, if the Facebook Messenger camera is not working, check if the app is not down globally.

In case this is an isolated case, clear data or reinstall Facebook Messenger. Don’t forget to check Camera permission in system settings, too.

1. Check the Facebook status

Before doing anything else, make sure that the problem is not on your side. Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp have had a few major worldwide outages recently and there’s a good chance that this occurred again.

To learn if Facebook Messenger is down, navigate to Down Detector, here. If there are many reports about the app crashing, not loading, or certain features not being available, just stay put. They’ll fix it fast as issues this big are usually addressed in a matter of hours.

On the other hand, if the problem continues and there are no clear signs of a major outage, continue troubleshooting with the steps provided below.

2. Inspect Messenger permissions

Like any other Android app, Facebook Messenger requires certain permissions for sensors it utilizes. This includes camera, location, storage, phone, and others. So, in order for you to use the camera in Facebook Messenger, you’ll need to grant access.

The prompt asking for camera access usually appears the first time you run the app but, if you accidentally declined it, you should navigate to App Settings and check permissions.

Here’s how to give camera access to Facebook Messenger:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Expand All Apps. You might need to select App manager or Manage apps on some Android skins.
4. Locate and open Facebook Messenger from the list of all installed apps.
5. Tap Permissions.
6. Grant Camera and Microphone access to Facebook Messenger.

3. Clear local data from Messenger

The next thing you should try is to reset the app by clearing all locally stored data. Every app will store some data locally, to speed up the loading time. Facebook with its social media apps is notorious for taking a lot of storage space and, as the more data piles up, the bigger the chance for data corruption.

So, make sure to clear local data from Facebook Messenger and, hopefully, the camera will start working again. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Again, navigate to Settings > Apps > All apps > Messenger.
2. Tap Storage.
3. Clear data and restart your Android.
4. Open Facebook Messenger and sign in with your credentials.

If that doesn’t help and the Facebook Messenger camera is still not working, check the next step.

4. Leave the Beta program

Being an early adopter for Android apps is usually risk-free since Beta versions are usually quite stable. However, sometimes it’s just better to stick to the public release and avoid Beta versions. I have had a hard time with the new Instagram Creation mode and Reshare feature while using Instagram Beta. The moment I opted out for the stable version, the issues stopped and I was able to share favorite memes for a small group of my followers again.

So, with that in mind, it’s not the worse idea to ditch Facebook Messenger Beta and stick to the stable version. Follow these steps to leave the Beta program:

1. Open Play Store and search for Facebook Messenger.
2. Expand the app from the list of results.
3. Swipe down and, under the Beta section, tap Leave.
4. Wait a couple of minutes and then restart your device.
5. Get back to Play Store and update Facebook Messenger.

5. Reinstall Facebook Messenger

If the issue persists, we recommend reinstalling the app. The best way to address issues like this is to start from scratch. And a clean install will not only clear all data but also provide you with the latest version of the app.

Follow these instructions to reinstall Facebook Messenger on your Android:

1. Again navigate to Play Store and open Facebook Messenger.
2. Tap Uninstall.
3. Restart your device, get back to Play Store, and install Facebook Messenger again.
4. Sign in with your credentials, start the camera, and grant permissions when prompted.

If the Facebook Messenger camera is still not working, try resetting App preferences or use an APK to roll to an older version of Facebook Messenger.

6. Reset App preferences

Some users claim that resetting App preferences fixed the problem for them but we can’t say with certainty. Nonetheless, it’s worth a try and you won’t lose anything except some time if you want to disable some apps again. Basically, the explanation prompt appears but you can learn even more about it in this article, here.

Here’s how to reset App preferences on your Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps & notifications (Apps).
3. Tap All apps (App manager or Manage apps).
4. Now, tap on the 3-dot menu and select Reset app preferences.
5. Confirm the selection.

7. Rollback to an older version of Facebook Messenger

Finally, if none of the previous steps worked for you, there’s still one step we can recommend. Some might suggest resetting your device to factory settings but that doesn’t seem like a good idea in this scenario. It won’t do much and you’ll lose a lot of time to restore all apps and tweak settings to your liking.

Instead of all of that nuisance, we recommend giving the APK rollback a try. What does this mean? Well, for starters, if you want a better insight, check this article we wrote about the procedure.

To sum things up, Play Store provides only the latest versions of apps compatible with your device. And, often, the latest version will have some issues. To overcome that, you can use APKs to download and install older or newer (beta and alpha versions) of certain apps.

Here’s how to roll back Facebook Messenger with an APK:

1. Uninstall Facebook Messenger.
2. Navigate to APK Mirror, here.
3. Download an APK of Facebook Messenger. Focus on older versions but not too old.
4. Run the APK and, when prompted, allow installation from unknown sources.
5. Sign in, grant permissions, and try out the camera.

And, on that note, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions with us. The comments section is just below and your feedback is always welcome.

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