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Stop Windows Apps from Accessing Your Webcam: What to Change

Windows lets you revoke camera access for listed Microsoft Store apps, block supported desktop apps collectively, or deny a specific website permission in Edge.
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To stop one listed Microsoft Store app from using your webcam, turn off its camera permission in Windows. For desktop apps, Windows offers a collective control rather than an individual toggle; to block a website, change that site’s camera permission in your browser as well.

Choose the right camera control

Windows has three relevant permission layers. Use the narrowest one that matches what you want to block.

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Control Scope Where to change it
Device camera access Turns camera access off broadly for the device Windows Camera privacy settings
App permission Individual toggles for listed Microsoft Store apps; one collective switch for supported desktop-app access Windows Camera privacy settings
Website permission Blocks a particular site in the browser The browser’s site permissions

Turn off camera access for a Microsoft Store app

  1. Open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Camera in Windows 11. In Windows 10, open Start > Settings > Privacy > Camera.
  2. Make sure device camera access is on if you want to change permissions for individual apps without disabling the camera for everything.
  3. Find the app under the list of Microsoft Store apps and switch its camera access off.

If the app is not listed, it may be a desktop app. The individual app toggles apply to listed Microsoft Store apps.

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Stop desktop apps from using the camera

On the same Camera settings page, turn off Let desktop apps access your camera to block camera access collectively for supported desktop-app methods. This can affect multiple programs at once, including desktop browsers and video-conferencing apps. If you want to block only one desktop app, Windows does not provide an individual desktop-app toggle on this page: Microsoft says, “Camera privacy settings for desktop apps can’t be changed at an individual desktop app level.”

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The desktop-app activity list is not a complete inventory of every possible access path. Windows shows apps it detects using supported methods; when access is indirect, a component may appear instead of the app you expect.

Block a website’s camera permission in Microsoft Edge

Windows permission for a browser and a website’s permission are separate. To block one site in Edge, open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site Permissions > All sites, select the site, and set Camera to Block. Blocking camera access may stop that site from working properly, for example during a video call.

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Turn camera access off for the whole device

In Windows Camera privacy settings, switch off camera access at the device level to disable access broadly. This is a wider change than revoking access for one Store app or one website. If the device-level setting is unavailable or greyed out, Microsoft says an administrator must change it.

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Check what the camera indicator means

Microsoft says, “If your device has a camera light, the light turns on when the camera is active.” If your device has no camera light, Windows displays a notification when the camera turns on or off. These indicators can help you notice camera activity, but the desktop-app activity list has the detection limits described above.

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Windows Hello may use the camera to sign in even when app camera access is off. Camera and microphone permissions are separate settings, so changing webcam access does not by itself turn off microphone access.

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Windows version and administrator notes

These settings paths apply to Windows 11 and Windows 10. Microsoft’s supported desktop-app camera and microphone controls were available starting with Windows 10, version 1903, so older installations may show different options. Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025; see Microsoft’s camera-permissions guidance for the current instructions and support-status information.

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For more detail on camera activity, app permissions, and the distinction between camera and microphone settings, see Microsoft’s Windows camera, microphone, and privacy article. If an organization manages your device, its administrator may control which settings you can change.

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