The error message “Your Webcam is currently being used by another application” is known to occur, both while using the built-in camera on a Laptop computer and also while using an external Camera attached to a desktop computer.
There could be various reasons for this error, ranging from outdated or corrupted drivers to the video calling app not working properly, being damaged or lacking the permission to access the Camera on your computer.
Webcam is Being Used by Another Application
You should be able to fix “Webcam is being used by another application” error message on your Windows 11/10 computer using the following trooubleshooting steps.
1. Allow the App to Access the Camera
As mentioned above, the problem could simply be due to Skype (or any other App) being unable to access the camera on your computer.
1. Open Settings > click on the Privacy Icon.
2. On the next screen, select Camera in the left pane. In the right-pane, toggle ON Allow Apps to Access your Camera option.
3. Next, scroll down and toggle ON the slider next to Camera, located under “Choose which apps can access your camera” section.
4. On the same screen, scroll down further and make sure that the slider next to Skype is set to ON position.
Make sure you Restart the computer to implement this change.
2. Enable Camera on your computer
It is possible that you or someone else with access to computer may have disabled the webcam for security reasons or the webcam has been disabled by the security program on your computer.
1. Right-click on Start button > click on Device Manager.
2. On the Device Manager screen, expand Cameras (or Imaging Devices) section > right-click on your webcam and click on Enable Device option.
3. Reset the Camera App
It is quite possible that the error message is being caused by a software glitch or a bug in the Camera App.
1. Go to Settings > Apps > select Apps & Features in the left pane. In the right-pane, click on Camera > Advanced options.
2. On the next screen, scroll down and click on the Reset button.
3. On the confirmation pop-up, click on Reset to confirm.
Restart the computer and see if you are still getting the same webcam error message on your computer.
4. Update Camera Drivers
Follow the steps below to update the Camera drivers on your computer.
1. Open the Device Manager on your computer.
2. On the Device Manager screen, right-click on your webcam (under Cameras section) and click on Update Driver.
3. On the next screen, click on Search Automatically for updated driver software option.
4. Allow Windows to search for the updated driver and follow the prompts to install the updated driver (if available).
5. Use Desktop Version of Skype
If you are unable to fix the problem using above methods, you can try using the classic desktop version of Skype on your computer, instead of using the Skype App.
1. Open Chrome or any other web browser and download Skype for Windows on your computer.
2. Once the download is complete, double-click on the download Skype.exe File and follow the onscreen prompts to complete the installation of Skype.
3. After Installing Skype, restart the computer and open the New Skype Desktop App.
Using the classic version of Skype should allow you to make Skype video calls without encountering “Your webcam is currently being used by another application” error.