On desktop Teams, my camera and screen sharing look as if they work fine, but they do not

Hi @Doron Ben-Ari,

Thank you for providing such detailed information about the issue you’re encountering with camera and screen sharing in Microsoft Teams. I understand how confusing and disruptive it can be when everything appears to work correctly on your end, yet other meeting participants are unable to see your video or shared screen - especially when the same devices work normally in other applications and on other computers.

To help isolate and resolve the issue on the affected Windows 10 computer, please try the following steps:

1/ Join the same meeting using Teams on the web

From the affected PC, join the meeting using Teams on the web (preferably in Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome).

• If camera and screen sharing work in the browser, this strongly indicates the issue is specific to the Teams desktop client, such as its cache, GPU usage, drivers, or local security software.
• If the issue also occurs in the web version, this may point to local firewall, security software, or Windows graphics subsystem issues on that computer.

2/ Verify Windows camera privacy settings

Even if the camera works in other apps, Teams relies on specific Windows privacy settings.

On Windows 10, go to: Settings > Privacy > Camera

Ensure the following are enabled:

• Camera access for this device
• Allow apps to access your camera
• Allow desktop apps to access your camera = ON

Teams is considered a desktop app, and this particular setting can block Teams specifically, even when other applications are unaffected.

3/ Run a Teams test call

In Teams, go to: Settings and more (… ) > Settings > Devices > Make a test call

This test helps verify whether Teams is able to capture, encode, and transmit camera and audio correctly from that PC and may indicate where the failure is occurring.

4/ Clear or reset the Teams client (most common fix)

A corrupted Teams cache can cause situations where camera and screen sharing appear to work locally but fail for other participants.

If you’re using New Teams:

• Go to Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft Teams
• Select Advanced options
• Choose Reset

Alternatively:

• Quit Teams completely
• Press Win + R, then paste: %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams
• Delete the contents of the folder and restart Teams.

Reference: Clear the Teams client cache - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn.

5/ Confirm screen sharing is not restricted by policy (for completeness)

Since screen sharing works from another computer using the same account, meeting policies are likely not the cause. However, for completeness, administrators can verify this under: Teams Admin Center > Meeting policies > Content sharing > Screen sharing.

If screen sharing is set to Not enabled, users will be unable to share their screen: Manage meeting policies for content sharing - Microsoft Teams.

I hope these steps help clarify and help resolve the issue. Please try them and let me know the results, especially whether Teams on the web behaves differently on the affected PC. If the problem persists, I’ll be happy to continue troubleshooting with you.

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On that specific Windows 10 computer, the issue is most likely related to how Windows is exposing the camera to desktop apps like Teams, or to how Teams is interacting with the video stack on that device.

Try the following steps on the affected PC:

1. Close other apps that might be using the camera
   • Quit any app that could access the camera (Skype, Zoom, browser meetings, etc.).
   • Open Task Manager (right‑click the taskbar → Task Manager) and end any processes that might be using the camera.
2. Verify Windows camera privacy settings for desktop apps
   • Select Start → Settings → Privacy & security → Camera.
   • Ensure Camera access is turned on.
   • Ensure Let apps access your camera is turned on.
   • Scroll down and make sure Let desktop apps access your camera is turned on. Microsoft Teams is a desktop app and requires this setting.
   • If any of these toggles are greyed out, an administrator or a policy may be blocking access.
3. Check for policy or security software blocking the camera
   • If this is a work device, camera access may be restricted by policy (error 0xA00F4292 scenarios). In that case, contact the IT admin to review group policy and device restrictions.
   • Ensure antivirus or third‑party security software is not blocking camera access.
4. Update Windows and Teams
   • Install the latest Windows updates on that PC.
   • In Teams, use Check for updates to ensure the latest Teams version is installed.
5. Test with another USB port or controller
   • If using an external webcam, plug it directly into a motherboard USB port instead of an expansion USB card or hub. There are known cases where moving the camera from an expansion USB 3 card to a motherboard port resolved persistent Teams‑only camera issues.
6. If the camera intermittently fails in Teams only
   • There are known issues where Teams loses the camera while other apps work. One reported mitigation is disabling Windows Frame Server mode via registry, but this is an advanced change and should only be done by an experienced admin, as incorrect registry edits can affect system stability.

If camera and screen sharing both work from another computer with the same account and camera, and the camera works in other apps on the problematic PC, the root cause is almost certainly local to that Windows installation (privacy settings, policy, USB/controller, or the way Teams interacts with the video stack on that device).

References:

• My camera isn't working in Microsoft Teams
• Camera doesn't work in Windows
• New Teams crashes whenever I turn on a webcam in a meeting - Microsoft Q&A
• Camera fails in Teams - Microsoft Q&A