Skype - device not found: camera, microphone, speakers

Good time everyone!

Despite the fact that now there are good alternatives to Skype, it is still quite popular (especially on PC).

I myself rarely use it (1-2 times a month), and this is probably why not so long ago I accidentally ran into one problem: while trying to talk over the network, Skype told me that the devices (camera and microphone) were not found! An example of an error is shown in the screenshot below.

From here, in general, the topic for this article was born. By the way, if your Skype cannot establish a connection to the network at all, then I recommend that you familiarize yourself with this instruction: //ocomp.info/skype-ne-udalos-ustanovit-soedinenie.html

Device not found ... (Skype, Settings, sound and video) / Problem example

If Skype can't see the camera or microphone

And so, first of all, I recommend checking the status of Skype (its various functions: messaging, calls to mobiles, sending multimedia, etc.). You can do this on the official website: //support.skype.com/ru/status/

Please note that opposite each item (ideally) there should be a status indicating that everything is working fine (as in the screenshot below). If something is wrong, you just have to wait for the specialists to restore the software to work ...

Are Skype functions functioning normally?

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Check your privacy settings

This advice is relevant for Windows 10 users. The fact is that this OS is very zealous about the security of personal data - in its privacy settings, access to the camera and microphone for Skype and other programs may simply be closed!

To check whether this is so, you must first open the Windows settings (either through START or using the Win + i combination).

Windows 10 settings

Next, go to the section "Confidentiality" .

Confidentiality

In subsection "Camera" make sure that you have the device itself turned on and that Skype is allowed to use it (example in the screenshot below).

Privacy - Camera - Skype

The same applies to the "Microphone" subsection ....

Microphone - Skype

Then try again to enter the Skype settings in the section "Sound and video" (in my case, both the camera, the microphone, and the speakers started working - you could start adjusting their sensitivity). An example is in the screenshot below.

Camera and microphone setup

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Try restarting Skype

For some failures and errors, you may need to restart Skype (with a profile restart). This is done quite simply: in the upper part of the program window (on the left, above the list of contacts), click on the "three dots" and select from the menu "Go out" .

Note: before exiting the program, remember your username and password (they will need to be entered again the next time you start Skype).

Skype - sign out

When asked whether to remember the account settings on this PC, answer "Not" .

No, don't remember

Then start Skype again and enter your authorization data (username and password).

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Drivers not installed

It is possible that the camera (microphone) is not working due to the lack of a driver. This is not so rare, especially if your camera is not the simplest (for which standard drivers are suitable).

To see if there are drivers for all devices, and if there are any problems - open device Manager ... To do this, go to the control panel, switch the view mode to large icons and you will see a link to launch it.

Control Panel - Device Manager

Then open the tabs "Cameras" and "Sound, game and video devices" - look for devices with exclamation marks (indicating the absence of a driver).

Note!

To update the driver, you can try using either the function of the device manager itself (just right-click on the device), or special. utilities - //ocomp.info/update-drivers.html

Driver check

As an example - there is no driver for this device

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Camera (microphone) can be used by another app

If your devices, for example, a camera (less often a microphone) are already used by some programs, then Skype simply will not be able to access them. By the way, it is not always easy to find the program using your camera (the process can be in the background ...).

In this case, I would advise you to just restart your computer first, and then start Skype first (so that it is the first to gain access to devices).

If this does not help, you need to go to the device manager and open the properties of the camera (I will show it as an example).

Camera properties

Further in the tab "Intelligence" open properties "Physical device object name" and copy its value.

Physical device object name

After you need a special. utility from Microsoft - Process Explorer (link to the official site). It allows you to view all running processes, their load, properties, forcibly close them, and much more. By the way, you need to run it as administrator !

Run as administrator

Further in order:

first press the search button - "binoculars" (or Ctrl + F);
paste there the name of the physical device of the camera (which we copied a couple of steps back) and click the "Search" button;
the search results will show the software that uses this device (the name can be easily found among the list of processes);
it remains only to right-click on the process and select "Kill" (i.e. close it);
after the application using the camera (microphone) is closed - try to start Skype again and check its performance.

Finding the processes that use the camera

Note!

If your old webcam has become unusable, then in Chinese online stores you can order a new one for almost nothing - //ocomp.info/kitayskie-internet-magazinyi.html

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Close resource-intensive applications

This recommendation applies more to those cases when, in addition to the invisibility of a device, you have a problem with connecting to the network. In general, to view all running applications (and estimate their network and CPU load), you just need to use task manager ... To launch it, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc .

Network load // Windows 10

It is recommended to close all applications that create an excessive load (often these are video, audio, torrents, etc.).

By the way, if you are working with a laptop, check the current power supply settings (note: in some laptops, when the power supply is low, a number of devices may turn off). As a rule, to change the power supply mode, it is enough to click on the battery icon in the tray (next to the clock), see example below.

Maximum productivity

You can also change the power mode in the Windows Control Panel under "System and Security / Power Supply" ... See screenshot below.

High performance

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Disable antivirus and firewall for the duration of the diagnostics

Modern antiviruses not only protect against viruses, but also take responsibility for the security of the network, online banking, security of personal and private data, etc. Often, they can restrict access to the camera for a number of applications (in general, Skype rarely falls into their field vision, and yet ...).

While searching for the causes of problems with the camera or microphone in Skype, I recommend disabling the antivirus (in order to do this simply and quickly with most products).

Disable Avast antivirus for 1 hour

As for the built-in Windows Defender, to disable it, you must first go to the control panel in the section "System and Security / Firewall" , and in the menu on the left click on the link Turn Windows Defender On and Off (see screenshot below).