App-Specific Video & Camera Conflicts
How to Switch Webcams During an Active Google Meet Session
Google Meet supports switching cameras mid-call directly through its own in-call settings menu, without needing to leave and rejoin the meeting. Click the three-dot menu or gear icon visible during an active call and select a different camera from the video source list — the switch happens live, in seconds.
Changing Video Inputs Inside Google Meet
Google Meet, as a browser-based application running entirely within a tab, handles camera switching through its own in-page controls rather than any browser-level or OS-level mechanism — the switch is entirely something Meet's own interface manages internally once you're already connected to a call.
This is genuinely useful for a range of real scenarios: transitioning from a built-in laptop camera to a better external webcam partway through a long call, switching to a document or overhead camera to show something specific, or moving to a phone camera via Meet's companion mode for a different vantage point — all without the disruption of leaving and rejoining the meeting.
Troubleshooting Device Switching Stalls
Step 1: While in an active Meet call, click the three-dot "More options" menu
Or the settings gear icon, depending on your current Meet interface version.
Step 2: Select "Settings."
Step 3: Click the "Video" tab
Within that settings panel.
Step 4: Choose your desired camera
From the Camera dropdown list.
Step 5: The switch applies immediately
— no need to leave and rejoin the call. ↑ If a specific camera doesn't appear as an option, confirm it's working generally with the widget above first.
If switching seems to stall or the video freezes briefly during the change, that's normal — Meet needs a moment to re-negotiate the new video stream, similar to any camera handoff, and it typically resolves within a second or two on its own.
Companion Mode for Phone Cameras
Meet's companion mode lets you add a phone as a genuine second camera source alongside your main computer, both connected to the same meeting simultaneously — useful for showing a physical object, a whiteboard, or a different angle without giving up your primary computer's camera and screen sharing. This works differently from the standard camera-switching covered above, since it adds an additional device to the call rather than replacing your current one.
If a specific camera you expect to see in the dropdown is missing entirely, closing and reopening the settings panel after connecting it sometimes forces Meet to re-scan for available devices, since the device list isn't always refreshed automatically while the panel is already open.
Testing a new camera briefly before an important call, rather than switching for the first time live in front of other participants, is a reasonable habit — a quick solo check confirms the device is recognized and looks correct before you rely on it during an actual meeting.
This same switching process works identically whether you're moving between two physical webcams, switching to a virtual camera source from streaming software, or bringing in a phone camera through companion mode — Meet treats all of these as standard entries in the same device list.
A Few More Things to Check on Windows
How do I reset the Windows Camera app itself?
Go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find Camera, open its three-dot menu, and choose Advanced options → Reset. This clears the built-in Camera app’s own cache and settings without uninstalling it, which can fix a stuck, frozen, or permanently black preview even when the underlying device and driver are both working correctly. It only resets that one app — not your camera driver, and not other applications that use the camera.
Could my antivirus be silently blocking my camera?
Many third-party security suites — Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, and ESET among others — include their own webcam-protection feature that runs independently of Windows’ own privacy settings. That means Windows can show camera access as fully permitted while the antivirus software blocks it anyway, at a layer Windows has no visibility into. Check the antivirus program’s own settings, usually under a Privacy, Webcam Protection, or similarly named section, and confirm your browser or conferencing app is on its allow-list.
How do I re-enable my camera in Device Manager if it's disabled?
Right-click the Start button → Device Manager, expand Cameras or Imaging devices, and look for a greyed-out icon or a small down-arrow badge. Right-click that entry and choose Enable device. This is a different action from updating a driver — a disabled device won’t respond to any other fix until it’s explicitly re-enabled here first, so it’s worth checking before assuming the problem is a driver or a permission.
Is Windows' own camera privacy toggle blocking access, separately from anything else?
Windows keeps a system-level camera permission at Settings → Privacy & security → Camera, completely separate from Device Manager, the Camera app, and any antivirus software. This one screen has a master Camera access switch plus a per-app list beneath it — both need to be on. It’s worth checking directly, since a camera can show as fully enabled and working in Device Manager while this toggle silently blocks every app from reaching it.
For a full check of resolution, frame rate, and audio together, not just this one issue, the free webcam test covers all of it in one place.