How to install and use a webcam

Updated: 06/30/2020 past Computer Hope

Computer webcam

In our increasingly mobile and technology-driven world, videoconferencing is becoming very pop, especially for companies that have employees working from dwelling house. In that location are many services and programs available to host and join a videoconferencing telephone call and a webcam is used to evidence your alive video.

For assistance with installing, testing, and using a computer webcam, and make up one's mind if your laptop has a congenital-in webcam, select a link below.

How to install a webcam

USB cable and port

Today, most webcams are universal, meaning they work on nigh whatsoever computer. Follow the steps below to connect and install a webcam on your computer.

  1. Plough on your computer and make sure the operating system is loaded.
  2. Nigh webcams have a USB cable continued to them. Plug the USB cable into an available USB port on your computer. USB ports are on the back of the figurer or the sides of a laptop.
  3. Newer operating systems, similar Windows 8 and Windows 10, should recognize the webcam every bit connected. The drivers are usually installed automatically, allowing the computer to apply the webcam.

If your operating organization does not automatically install the drivers, you can become to the webcam manufacturer'south website and download the necessary drivers. Install the downloaded drivers on your reckoner.

  1. If your webcam came with a CD containing software, you can install that software to add additional features for the webcam.
  • How to install software.
  1. The webcam needs to be placed in front end of you, and near the same height as your confront while sitting. The best location to mountain the webcam is at the height of your computer monitor. Most webcams sit down on acme of a monitor, having an adjustable clamp that braces itself confronting the back of the monitor to secure the webcam. Identify the webcam on top of the monitor and adjust the clamp as desired. When finished, the webcam should exist pointed at your face.

Adjustable clamp on a webcam

How to test a webcam

To test if your webcam is working, follow these steps.

Windows computers

Windows Camera app

If your reckoner has Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, or Windows 11, you can utilise the Camera app to test the built-in webcam. To open the Photographic camera app, follow these steps.

  1. Press the Windows key or click Start.
  2. In the Windows search box, type camera.
  3. In the search results, select the Photographic camera app option.
  4. The Photographic camera app opens, and the webcam is turned on, displaying a live video of yourself on the screen. You can adapt the webcam to centre your confront on the video screen.

Tip

You can utilize the Photographic camera app to record videos and take pictures of yourself or anything in front of the webcam.

macOS computers

Photobooth app

On a computer running macOS, you can test your webcam using the Photobooth app, located in your Applications folder. Yous tin utilise it to accept photos or videos using an attached webcam.

Linux computers

On a computer running Linux, you tin test your webcam using the cheese utility. It is available in most package managers. For example, to install it on Debian, Ubuntu, or Linux Mint, you tin can install it using apt.

sudo apt install cheese

If you want to activate the webcam whenever it detects motility, use the motion utility.

sudo apt install motion

How to use a webcam

Button or option to enable video in videoconferencing software

After you accept continued and installed a webcam on your computer, yous tin use it to show video of yourself on video conferencing services and software. Pop services and software for videoconferencing include Microsoft Teams, Skype, Webex, and Zoom.

When you connect to a conference call using videoconferencing services or software, you tin can activate the webcam to brandish live video. The service or software should have a push button with what looks like a video camera on it. Examples of the push are shown in the picture.

Click the video camera push to plow on the webcam and activate video sharing. Depending on the videoconferencing service or software, the live video sharing starts immediately or displays a preview of the video, and so you tin see how it looks. If a preview is displayed first, click the selection for "Commencement Video" or something like to begin sharing the live video to others on the videoconferencing call.

Does my laptop accept a built-in webcam?

Using an external webcam with a laptop is possible, just sometimes a bit more than clunky if placed on top of the laptop screen. The laptop screen is very thin, causing an external webcam to be less stable when mounted to the top of the screen.

Today, some laptops feature a built-in webcam, eliminating the need for an external webcam. However, the congenital-in webcam is non easy to see and piece of cake to miss. In most cases, laptop webcams are located in the middle of the summit edge of your laptop screen, in the plastic casing.

Laptop with built-in webcam

The built-in webcam is usually 1/ii" or less in size. It may be a small, night circle, or information technology may exist a pocket-sized night square, with a slightly less dark circle within information technology. Pictured below are two examples of a built-in webcam on the top border of a laptop screen.

Built-in webcam on laptop - small dark circle

Built-in webcam on laptop - small dark square with dark circle inside

If your laptop has a feature similar to the pictures above, your laptop likely has a built-in webcam.