How to secure webcam on Windows to avoid exposure

Revealing personal information via webcam is not uncommon and there have been many cases of privacy violations via webcam. Therefore, adjusting webcam privacy and webcam security is something you need to do. Below are some webcam security settings on Windows 11.

Control applications that use webcam

This is one of the many security features that Windows 11 offers that lets you choose which apps are allowed or not allowed to use the webcam on your computer.

Step 1:

Press Windows + I key combination then click Privacy & Security at the bottom of the list.

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Next, look at the content next to it, click on the Camera item to adjust.

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Step 2:

Now we will see the Let Apps Access Your Camera management list , with applications accessing the webcam on the laptop. You check this list again and if any application connects that you do not want, turn it off .

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Turn off webcam for specific websites

If you are concerned that a particular website may be accessing your camera, disable camera access for that website in your browser. Go to your computer's browser settings and adjust the camera permissions for the website.

Enable notifications when using webcam

Windows 11 will turn on the LED next to the camera when it is in use. If you want to receive additional notifications, follow the steps below.

Step 1:

Press Windows + R to open the dialog box and then type regedit in the interface to access.

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Step 2:

Then copy the link below and paste it into the path in the Registry Editor interface for quick access.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftOEMDeviceCapture

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Step 3:

Click on the NoPhysicalCameraLED value in this folder and enter 1 in Value Data . Click OK to save the changes.

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To turn off webcam notifications, go back to the link above and click on the NoPhysicalCameraLED value and change the value of this item to 0.

Turn off Remote Desktop Windows 11

Windows 11's Remote Desktop feature allows anyone to remotely access your computer's webcam. Please review and disable this.

Go to Settings, select System then look to the side and click on Remote Desktop .

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At this point you need to turn off the Remote Desktop feature on your computer.

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Update Windows webcam driver

An outdated webcam driver can be a vulnerability that allows others to access your webcam without your knowledge. To prevent this, update your webcam driver.

One way to update the drivers is to go to the camera manufacturer's website, download the latest drivers, and install them. Then, restart your computer.

Or you enter the keyword Device Manager in the search bar . In the new interface, right-click on Camera then select Update Driver to perform.

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Turn off Webcam on computer

If you don't want any application or service to use your webcam, simply disable the camera from Device Manager. Right-click on your camera and select Disable Device .

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Webcam Cover

An effective way to block access to your webcam is to cover the camera with tape. This way, even if an application or website accesses the camera, it won't be able to see anything because the camera is covered.

Samuel Daniel

Update 02 January 2025