Why won't my webcam work on my HP Chromebook?

Webcams are more critical than they have ever been to keep in contact with your team, friends and family. Nothing is more frustrating than popping on a video call to find your webcam isn't working. 

HP Chromebooks are one of our favourite Chromebooks, and we recommend them to our clients for use by their knowledge workers who need to be able to work from everywhere. 

Webcam Privacy Controls

While it is unlikely, your Chromebooks webcam will ever be hijacked and used to spy on you (this is far more common on Windows laptops). Manufacturers have built-in privacy controls which prevent the camera from functioning - called privacy mode. 

Some manufacturers such as Lenovo do a terrible job at implementing webcam privacy controls - making the setting very hard to find. HP does a great job with an easy to find (once you know its there) physical switch you can flick.

What to do if your HP Chromebook webcam is not working

If you HP Chromebook is from 2020 of newer there will be a physical switch down the left-hand side of the Chromebook. Flick this switch, and your camera should start working. Then flick it again to put it back into privacy mode. However, we recommend closing the Chromebook if you are not using the device. 

Would you like to know more about Chromebooks and Chrome OS?

Privacy and security are fundamental aspects of Chromebooks - if you care about your team and the files they use daily, you should consider switching. Chromebooks are impenetrable to viruses and ransomware. When a Chromebook boots up, it checks everything is how it should be, and auto fix themselves is anything is wrong. Book a video call to find out more.