When did my webcam start turning on by itself?

A background meeting app, a browser tab with camera permission, or Windows Hello could be activating it. The camera light alone doesn’t tell you which one—or mean someone is watching.

On Windows 11, open Settings → Privacy & security → Camera. Look for Recent activity or “Currently in use” information, where available, and compare it with when the camera light came on. This history doesn’t cover every type of camera access, so an empty list isn’t conclusive.

If it points to your browser, check the browser’s Settings → Site permissions → Camera and remove access for sites that don’t need it. For a meeting app, fully quit it from the icons near the clock; closing its window may leave it running.

If it happens only when signing in or waking the PC, Windows Hello face recognition may explain it. You can test by switching to PIN sign-in under Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options.

While investigating, close the camera’s physical privacy shutter or unplug an external webcam. If it continues without an identifiable cause, run a full scan through Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Scan options.