Skype camera not working? How to fix it

Skype camera not working? Skype has been retired

Microsoft shut down Skype on May 5, 2025. Calls and video no longer work in the Skype app, so no camera setting can bring them back. Your contacts and chat history were moved to Microsoft Teams (free), where you sign in with the same Microsoft account.

Start with the camera test at the top of this page. If your picture appears here, the camera is fine and you only need to set it up in Teams. That one check tells you whether to fix Teams or the device itself, and saves you from trying fixes that cannot help.

Quick checks first

• Install Microsoft Teams (free) or open teams.live.com in your browser, and sign in with your Skype account.
• Uninstall the old Skype app so it cannot hold on to the camera in the background.
• Skype for Business was retired earlier and was replaced by Teams for work accounts.

Video calls on Windows after Skype

1. Open Teams, go to Settings and more (…) › Settings › Devices and select your camera.
2. Open Settings › Privacy & security › Camera (on Windows 10: Settings › Privacy › Camera). Turn on Camera access and Let apps access your camera, then check that Microsoft Teams is allowed in the list. Programs installed from the web appear under Let desktop apps access your camera, which must also be on.
3. If the camera fails everywhere, see the Windows camera guide on this site.

Video calls on Mac after Skype

1. Open Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera and turn on Microsoft Teams. Quit and reopen Microsoft Teams afterwards. On macOS Monterey and earlier the switch is in System Preferences › Security & Privacy › Privacy › Camera.
2. Remove Skype from the Applications folder, then restart Teams.

Video calls on iPhone after Skype

1. Install Microsoft Teams from the App Store and sign in with your Skype account.
2. On your iPhone, open Settings › Apps › Teams (on iOS 17 and earlier: Settings › Teams) and turn on Camera. If Camera is missing from that screen, Teams has never asked for access: start a video call once and tap Allow.

Video calls on iPad after Skype

1. Install Microsoft Teams from the App Store and sign in with your Skype account.
2. On your iPad, open Settings › Apps › Teams (on iOS 17 and earlier: Settings › Teams) and turn on Camera. If Camera is missing from that screen, Teams has never asked for access: start a video call once and tap Allow.

Video calls on Android after Skype

1. Install Microsoft Teams from Google Play and sign in with your Skype account.
2. Open Settings › Apps › Teams › Permissions › Camera and choose Allow only while using the app. On Android 12 and later, also swipe down twice and make sure the Camera access tile in Quick Settings is not turned off.