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camera problem

graham.lovegrove
graham.lovegrove
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since a recent windows update, firefox doesnt acknowledge my normal camera. a few weeks before the update i used a temporary extra camera for a meeting on teams. i normally have meetings with zoom, teams, and a web-based teaching tool. after the update all 3 had switched to the temporary camera, which is not suitable for face-to-face. however zooms and teams offered both cameras and i was able to correct it. however firefox only shows the one (wrong) camera when i access the teaching tool. It does seem to be a browser problem, because the Edge browser does offer both camera. however I do not want to use the Edge or chrome for various privacy related reasons.

since a recent windows update, firefox doesnt acknowledge my normal camera. a few weeks before the update i used a temporary extra camera for a meeting on teams. i normally have meetings with zoom, teams, and a web-based teaching tool. after the update all 3 had switched to the temporary camera, which is not suitable for face-to-face. however zooms and teams offered both cameras and i was able to correct it. however firefox only shows the one (wrong) camera when i access the teaching tool. It does seem to be a browser problem, because the Edge browser does offer both camera. however I do not want to use the Edge or chrome for various privacy related reasons.

All Replies (3)

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 25 Contributor
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Hi Graham, can Firefox detect your main camera on a test page you haven't visited before, or does it not detect any camera, or is it stuck on the disconnected camera? For example:

https://mdn-samples.mozilla.org/s/webrtc-capturestill/

If Firefox can detect your currently available camera on the test page:

Try revoking camera permissions for sites that are not detecting the current camera. For example, using the Options page:

  • Windows: "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options
  • Mac: "3-bar" menu button (or Firefox menu) > Preferences
  • Linux: "3-bar" menu button (or Edit menu) > Preferences
  • Any system: type or paste about:preferences into the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it

In the tiny search box at the top of the page -- the cursor should be in there already -- type camera and Firefox should filter to the Permissions section. Click the "Settings" button to the right of Camera.

Highlight sites that have a problem and use the Remove Site button. Then click Save Changes.

When you revisit the site, does Firefox let you approve using the current camera?

If Firefox cannot detect your currently available camera on the test page:

Hmm...

graham.lovegrove
graham.lovegrove Küsimuse esitaja
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Thank you for your help. The test page did detect the camera (i.e. offered me both options and i was able to swap and take picture), but the web-site still only offers me the one. I did as you said and revoked and saved the permissions first. I also cleared the site cookies.

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 25 Contributor
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I'm having difficulty tracking down where the device associated with a site would be stored. There is a file named

enumerate_devices.txt

in the profile folder that contains site-specific device IDs. This file doesn't exist when you first install Firefox, it gets built over time as you use media input devices on different sites. I think you could remove this file without breaking anything. However, I don't know whether doing that will give you a full choice of devices on the next visit. If you want to give it a try:

Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, on the Profile Folder row, click the "Open Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in File Explorer.

Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > Exit
  • (menu bar) File > Exit

Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then rename enumerate_devices.txt to something like enumerate_devicesOLD.txt. (By default, Firefox hides the .txt file extension, but there aren't any other files with similar names.)

Start Firefox back up again. Any difference?