Chrome is undoubtedly one of the most popular browsers due to its advanced features and functionality, but it comes with its own problems. Sometimes errors occur. One of them is " An error occurred accessing the camera and/or microphone: Hardware access error " when making video calls using Chrome. This error is most common on Facebook Messenger, but it can also appear on other websites. The error seems to occur mainly due to failed permissions, browser conflicts, outdated drivers or incompatible applications. However, we have some workarounds for you to fix the hardware access error in Google Chrome. Let's see how.
Method 1: Allow camera and microphone in privacy settings
Step 1: Press the Win+I hotkey on your keyboard to open the Settings app .
Step 2: In the Settings app, click on Privacy .
Step 3: In the next window, click Camera on the left side of the panel .
Step 4: Now navigate to the right side of the window and under Allow access to the camera on this device, make sure Camera . displays Access is enabled for this device .
If it shows disabled, click the Change button .
Step 5: In the pop-up, move the slider to the right to enable camera access for this device .
Step 6: Now scroll down and move the slider under Allow desktop apps to access your camera to the right to enable it.
Step 7: Go to the Choose which Microsoft Store apps can access your camera section and check if the Camera app is enabled. If not, move the slider to the right to enable it.
Step 8: Now go to the left side of the window and click on Microphone .
Repeat Step 4 through Step 6 to enable your microphone access.
Now return to the website in your Chrome browser and try making a video call. It should work fine.
Method 2: Allow Chrome to use the camera and microphone
Solution 1: Through the management option
Step 1: On the website page in Chrome, you will see the camera icon on the far right of the address bar. Click on it and then click Manage at the bottom of the pop-up .
Step 2: You will be redirected to Site Settings page in Chrome .
Scroll down and click Camera in the Permissions section .
Step 3: On the Camera settings page, go to Ask before accessing ( recommended ) and move the slider to the right to turn it on.
At the same time, make sure the website is listed under Allow .
Step 4: Repeat steps 2 and 3 for Microphone to enable it.
*Note �\x93 When you open a calling or video calling website, you will be prompted to allow the camera and microphone . Make sure you press Allow to continue.
The hardware access error should now be resolved and you can make a video call normally.
Solution 2: Via Chrome settings
Step 1: On the far right of Chrome screen, click on the three vertical dots ( Customize and control Google Chrome ) and select Settings .
Step 2: On the Settings page, go to the Privacy & Security section and click Site Settings .
Step 3: Now go to Permissions and click on Camera .
Step 4: Enable the Ask before accessing ( recommended ) option.
Also, check if the website is listed under Allow .
*Note- Be sure to press Allow when you see a prompt asking for Camera and Microphone Permission for a website.
Now try making a video call and the error should go away.
Method 3: Reset Site Permissions
Step 1: Visit the website on Chrome and click the lock icon on the left side of the address bar.
Select Site Settings from the menu.
Step 2: On the Website Settings page , click Reset Permissions .
Step 3: Then click Restart Chrome button to restart your Chrome browser.
You may be asked for camera and microphone access. Press Allow to grant access and now your video calls should work fine.
You can now try making a video call and it shouldn't be a problem.
Method 4: Uninstall problematic software
Step 1: Press the Win+X keys on your keyboard at the same time and select Run to run the Run command .
Step 2: In the Run command, type appwiz.cpl in the search box and press OK to open the Programs and Features window in Control Panel .
Step 3: In the Programs and Features window , under Uninstall or change a program, right- click the problematic software and select Uninstall .
Wait for the software to uninstall. Now restart your PC and the hardware access error should now be resolved.
Method 5: Disable problematic devices/IR camera
Some of the devices that can conflict with the camera are IR camera, Bluetooth devices, secondary microphone, etc. For the camera, the conflict usually comes from a second camera or the IR camera. Google Chrome tries to detect two cameras and does not initiate the video call. In this case, disabling the second camera is the best option. Let's see how.
Step 1: Right-click on the Start menu and select Run .
Step 2: The Run Command window will open. Type devmgmt.msc in the search box and press OK .
Step 3: In the Device Manager window that opens, go to Cameras/Imaging devices/Sound, video and game controllers section and expand it.
Right-click the secondary camera (causing the issue) and select Disable device .
You should now be able to make video calls normally.
If it doesn't work, you can re-enable it.
Method 6: Update system drivers and Windows
Solution 1: Update Windows to the latest version
Check for recent updates. If yes, update your Windows to the latest version. You can update Windows manually as follows:
Step 1: Press Win+I key combination on your keyboard to open Settings window .
Step 2: In the Settings window , click Update & Security .
Step 3: You will be taken directly to the Windows Update page in Settings .
Go to the right side of the window and click Check for updates .
If updates are available, Windows will automatically download and install them. Once your Windows 10 is updated, you can try making a video call and it should go normally.
Solution 2: Update the system drivers
You can try updating the system drivers through Device Manager.
Step 1: Right-click on the Start menu and select Device Manager .
Step 2: In the Device Manager window, expand Network Adapters section .
Now right-click on the device or devices whose drivers you want to update and select Update driver .
Step 3: In the Update driver window , select Search automatically for updated driver software .
Step 4: It will search for drivers and automatically update to the latest version if there are any.
Reboot your system and you should no longer see Hardware Access.
Alternatively, you can download and install the system drivers manually by visiting the manufacturer's website to get the updated driver version for the camera or microphone.
Method 7: Uninstall and reinstall conflicting drivers
Step 1: Press Win+X key combination on your keyboard and select Device Manager .
Step 2: In the Device Manager window, expand Cameras/Imaging devices/Sound, video and game controllers section to include your camera.
Right-click the camera device and select Uninstall .
Step 3: In the pop-up Uninstall device window, click Uninstall again to confirm .
Step 4: After uninstalling, go to the Action tab at the top of the Device Manager window and select Scan for. hardware changes .
Step 5: Repeat the process from step 2 to step 4 for your microphone device. p>
Now go to the website and try making a video call and it should work fine.
Method 8: Edit Registry Editor
Before making any changes to your Registry Editor data, be sure to back up the registry data so that you can restore it in case you lose data during the process.
Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and choose Run to open Run Command .
Step 2: Type regedit in the Run command search box and press Enter .
Step 3: In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows Media FoundationNow select the Platform key under Windows Media Foundation .
Then go to the right side of the window, right-click on an empty space and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value .
Step 4: Rename the new DWORD to EnableFrameServerMode and double click on it.
Step 5: In the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value dialog box that opens, change the Value data to 0 .
Press OK to save changes and exit.
Exit Registry Editor and restart your PC. Now visit the website and try to make a video call. It should go through normally.
Method 9: Get Messenger app from Windows Store
This method is especially useful for those who have a problem when making video calls using the browser-based Facebook messenger.
Step 1: Go to Start and type Microsoft Store in Windows search bar .
Step 2: Left click on the result to open the store .
Step 3: On the Store , go to the search bar at the top right corner of the window and type messenger .
Select the first result - Messenger app .
Step 4: Click Get to download and then click Install to finish installing the app.
Wait for the Messenger app to finish installing.
Now open the Messenger app, log in and try to create a message Deo call through the app. You shouldn't have a problem anymore.
Method 10: Start a voice call and switch to video call
Step 1: Open Facebook in Chrome and select the contact you want to call.
Step 2: From the contacts window, click the phone icon to make a voice call.
Step 3: Now, while the voice call is active and you both can hear each other, press the camera icon to switch to the video call.
*Note- In a group video call, all users should turn on their cameras one at a time.
This should fix the hardware access error issue and help you make a video call.
However, if none of the above methods work, switch from Google Chrome to another browser to make online video calls. You can also reset the Chrome browser or just try another app like Skype to make video calls.
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