We're calling on all EU-based Mozillians with iOS or iPadOS devices to help us monitor Apple’s new browser choice screens. Join the effort to hold Big Tech to account!

This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Avatar for Username

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

This thread was archived. Please ask a new question if you need help.

my webcam wont work when i use firefox

paulgt
paulgt
more options

when i switched to firefox my web cam stopped working,the camera light comes on but the web cam screen is black. the cam works fine when i use edge,so i am confussed why it wont work with firefox.it is a built in camera on a hp probook4540s lap top

when i switched to firefox my web cam stopped working,the camera light comes on but the web cam screen is black. the cam works fine when i use edge,so i am confussed why it wont work with firefox.it is a built in camera on a hp probook4540s lap top

All Replies (2)

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 10 Contributor
more options

Some webcams require a proprietary plugin. The regular release of Firefox 52+ only allows one plugin, which is Flash. The Extended Support Release (ESR) of Firefox 52 will still run proprietary plugins, Java, etc.

More information on this change and where to get the ESR version of Firefox: Why do Java, Silverlight, Adobe Acrobat and other plugins no longer work?

Windows Users: When you get to the ESR installer list, you'll notice at least two different downloads for Windows:

  • Windows installer is the standard version for Windows that runs on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista through 10 (and 32-bit XP), the best choice for most users
  • Windows 64-bit installer ONLY runs the Flash and Silverlight plugins, so that is not what you're looking for. (If someone reading this only needs Silverlight and is considering switching to 64-bit, there may be some extra file cleanup to do on your system. See: How to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Firefox)

Success?

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 10 Contributor
more options

If the camera documentation doesn't mention requiring a special plugin, it may work with either Flash or built-in HTML5 media features.

Flash

Check that the Firefox compatible Flash plugin is installed using Adobe's test page here: https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html

HTML5 Media

Did you get a prompt from the site for permission to use the camera? It would normally drop down from the left end of the address bar. You also can check the site's permission using the Page Info dialog. Either:

You can call that up using any of these:

  • right-click a blank area of the page and choose View Page Info > Permissions
  • (menu bar) Tools menu > Page Info > Permissions
  • click the padlock or "i" icon to the left of the site address, then the ">" icon, then More Information > Permissions

Scroll down to "Use the camera" and uncheck the "Use default" box, and then select the permission you prefer.

If Flash is already installed and activate and the site already has permission to use the camera in the HTML5 player, it may be some kind of incompatibility. You could check for error messages in the Web Console. See:

https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Tools/Web_Console