If your Surface Pro X’s camera isn’t working, Microsoft has deployed a troubleshooter to help address the issue.
Ever since last week, Surface Pro X owners, and those with other Windows PCs that have an Arm-based chip under the hood have been reporting issues with their webcams. Windows would simply spit out an error code when trying to use the integrated webcam in any given app. The issue has now been acknowledged by Microsoft and mitigated with a workaround while the Redmond firm works with device manufacturers and driver partners on a permanent fix.
According to a document on the Windows release health page, Microsoft's recently deployed a critical troubleshooter to mitigate issues with these webcams. The troubleshooter, though, is applied automatically and can't be run manually. Even so, the fix sacrifices webcam quality, as some webcam features might be disabled, and the webcam quality might be lowered. Microsoft mentions that updated drivers will be coming to restore full camera functionality, and this workaround will not need to be undone. For those that are on managed devices where troubleshooters might be disabled, Microsoft recommends you do the following:
As is usual with these temporary fixes, Microsoft hasn't yet detailed when you can expect a full resolution. It appears that this is an issue tied to the device manufacturers and their drivers, so it could take a while for one to arrive. Either way, today's workaround definitely better than the original workaround that Surface Pro X owners discovered, where you'd set the date back to May 22, 2023. Of course, if you're not comfortable with the degraded webcam quality that comes with Microsoft's fix, you can use an external webcam with your laptop, which isn't impacted by this problem.
I have over six years of experience covering Microsoft, Surface, Windows, macOS and ChromeOS news and rumors for sites like Digital Trends and OnMSFT. I also write laptop reviews and how-to guides. I am a Microsoft fan and I have a drawer full of PCs and other devices. You can follow and interact with me on Twitter if you want to chat! I’m always there making new friends!
