Edge will not give me the option to allow camera access

Hi Chaos maker,

When a website requests camera access, the browser only shows the Allow/Block prompt if a usable camera device is detected at that moment. If no supported camera is detected, the permission prompt and camera option in the address bar will not appear. This behavior is consistent across modern browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Chrome, and Firefox.

Some websites, especially login, verification, or identity‑related sites, are designed to work only with physical webcams and may not recognize virtual cameras (such as OBS Virtual Camera), even if other test sites do.

In addition to Q&A Assist's answer, here is the clarified list of the possible troubleshooting steps that you can try:

1, Verify Windows camera access for desktop apps

• Select Start > Settings
• Select Privacy > Camera
• Confirm the following are turned On:
  • Camera access for this device
  • Allow apps to access your camera
  • Allow desktop apps to access your camera

2, Confirm Edge is allowed to request camera access

• Open Microsoft Edge
• Select Settings and more (…) > Settings
• Select Cookies and site permissions > Camera
• Ensure Ask before accessing (recommended) is turned On

Some practical workarounds that you can also consider:

• Use a physical USB webcam - This allows the site to detect a supported camera and display the permission prompt correctly.
• Start the virtual camera before opening the browser - Some sites detect devices only at page load, this may help in certain cases but depends on the website.

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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In this scenario Edge and Windows already allow camera access, and the virtual camera works on at least one site, so the issue is most likely per‑site permissions or how Edge is handling device access for specific web apps.

Try the following steps focused on Edge and site permissions:

1. Confirm Edge’s global camera setting
   1. In Edge, select Settings and more (⋯) > Settings.
   2. Select Cookies and site permissions.
   3. Select Camera.
   4. Make sure the Ask before accessing (recommended) toggle is on. If this is off, Edge can silently block camera access for sites.
2. Clear per‑site camera blocks and re‑prompt
   1. Still under Camera, scroll to the Block and Allow lists.
   2. Remove any entries for the affected sites from both lists so they are not permanently blocked or forced.
   3. Go back to the site, refresh the page, and try to start video again so Edge can show a fresh permission prompt.
3. Check the lock icon and site permissions UI
   1. On the affected site, select the lock icon in the address bar.
   2. Open Permissions or Site permissions.
   3. If Camera appears there, set it to Allow or Ask instead of Block.
   4. Reload the page after changing this.
4. Verify Windows camera privacy settings Since Windows controls whether apps and browsers can see any camera at all:
   1. Select Start > Settings > Privacy > Camera (Windows 10) or Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Camera (Windows 11).
   2. Ensure Camera access for this device is turned on.
   3. Ensure Allow apps to access your camera is turned on.
   4. Ensure Allow desktop apps to access your camera is turned on, because Edge is a desktop app and needs this setting.
5. Test with another browser Since Microsoft Teams on the web and other apps rely on browser permissions, testing in another supported browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari) can confirm if the problem is specific to Edge’s site-permission store. If another browser prompts correctly, the issue is almost certainly Edge’s per‑site settings and can usually be fixed by clearing them as in step 2.

If the virtual camera continues to work on the test site but not on others even after clearing permissions and enabling Ask before accessing, the remaining likely causes are:

• The affected sites are not actually requesting camera access (for example, blocked by their own app logic or policies).
• An IT or group policy is restricting camera use for certain sites or for Edge; in that case, check with the administrator to review any browser or device policies that control camera access.

References:

• Troubleshoot device features in Microsoft Teams on the web
• Camera doesn't work in Windows