Surface Laptop 7th edition, Win 11 - camera stopped working

As the device is only 8 months old so go straight for Microsoft Warranty Service.

Visit:

https://account.microsoft.com/devices

Then:

• Add your device (if not already added)
• Click “Get support” → “Start repair order”
• Problem: Camera not working
• Also mention: Windows Hello not working

Try the following steps in order on the Surface Laptop (7th Edition) running Windows 11:

1. Confirm app permissions for the camera
   The camera can appear as “working” in Device Manager but still be blocked for apps.
   • Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Camera.
   • Make sure Camera access is On.
   • Make sure Let apps access your camera is On.
   • Scroll down and ensure the specific apps (for example, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Camera) are allowed.
   • If using desktop apps like Zoom, ensure Let desktop apps access your camera is turned On.
2. Test the camera in the built‑in Camera app
   • Open Start > Camera.
   • If the preview works here but not in Zoom/Hello, the issue is with app settings rather than the device.
3. Run the camera troubleshooter
   • Open the Get Help app and run the camera troubleshooter, which will automatically run diagnostics and attempt to fix most camera issues.
4. Check Surface app health and updates
   • Open the Surface app.
   • Go to Help & support and check the update status.
   • Select Check for updates to open Windows Update and install all available updates, including firmware and drivers.
   • Use Get help in the Surface app if it detects any issues.
5. Force a restart of the Surface
   • Select Start > Power > Shut down and wait for it to power off.
   • Then press and hold the power button for 20 seconds. Even if the logo appears, keep holding until it appears a second time. This can clear firmware/driver glitches that normal restarts do not.
6. Remove and reinstall the camera driver (Intel AVStream)
   Do not do this step on Windows Arm‑based devices; Surface Laptop (7th Edition) is explicitly listed as an Arm‑based device, so skip this step on that model. For completeness, the general guidance (for non‑Arm Surfaces) is:
   • Open Device Manager.
   • Expand Cameras and look for Intel(R) TGL AVStream Camera or Intel(R) AVStream Camera.
   • Double‑click the camera, go to the Driver tab, choose Uninstall Device, check Attempt to remove the driver for this device, and select Uninstall, then restart.
     On Surface Laptop (7th Edition), uninstalling drivers is not recommended because restoring them requires a full system reset.
7. If still not working: restore or reset
   If the camera still does not appear in apps (including Windows Hello) after permissions, updates, and a forced restart, use Restore or reset Surface for Windows to repair the OS and drivers. On Arm‑based Surfaces like Surface Laptop (7th Edition), this is the supported way to fully restore camera drivers.

If the issue persists even after a reset, this indicates a likely hardware fault and the device should be serviced via official Surface support.

References:

• Surface camera not working
• Camera doesn't work in Windows