Cant access Advanced Camera Settings due to Camera being used in that settings itself

I encountered what appears to be the same issue on Windows 11 Pro 25H2, using an ASUS ProArt P16 (H7606WP) with the internal ASUS FHD webcam.

Symptom

Navigate to:

Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Cameras → [camera]

Opening the camera's settings page automatically starts the live camera preview.

Selecting:

Advanced camera options → Edit

then produces the warning:

“Please close other applications using the camera before changing advanced camera settings.”

As a result, “Allow multiple apps to use camera at the same time” is grayed out and cannot be enabled.

What I verified

I closed applications that had previously accessed the camera and restarted Windows.

I also checked:

Settings → Privacy & security → Camera → Recent activity

At the times the problem occurred, Windows showed Settings itself accessing the camera. Other applications, including Camera and Firefox, showed earlier access times and were not actively accessing it.

I was then able to reproduce the behavior consistently:

1. Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Cameras.
2. At this level, there is no live camera preview.
3. Select the internal camera.
4. The live preview immediately starts.
5. Windows reports that an application is using the camera.
6. Open Advanced camera options → Edit.
7. Windows reports that the camera is already in use and disables the advanced controls.

This appears to create a circular condition: Settings activates the camera while opening the same configuration interface containing controls that require the camera not to be in use.

Workaround that succeeded

The following procedure broke the loop for me:

1. Go to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Cameras → [camera].
2. Disable the camera.
3. Restart Windows while the camera remains disabled.
4. After Windows restarts, return to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Cameras. The camera should still be listed as disabled.
5. Re-enable the camera.
6. Return to the camera's settings page.
7. Open Advanced camera options → Edit.
8. Enable “Allow multiple apps to use camera at the same time.”
9. Select the desired Media type. In my case, I explicitly selected 1920 × 1080 (16:9), 30 fps instead of “Let Windows choose.”
10. Click Apply.

After completing those steps, Windows reported:

“Multiple app camera mode enabled.”

The camera continued functioning normally afterward, and I was able to access the setting that had previously been locked.

Additional observation

I also disabled Windows Studio Effects such as Automatic Framing and Eye Contact while troubleshooting.

Automatic Framing noticeably reduced the perceived image quality of my webcam because it digitally cropped and enlarged the camera image. Turning it off restored the wider native image and produced a noticeably cleaner picture.

This appears to be separate from the Advanced Camera Options lockout, but it may be useful to anyone troubleshooting unexpectedly poor webcam quality at the same time.

Suggested Windows fix

The Camera Settings interface should not create a preview session that prevents the user from changing a setting located within that same interface.

Windows could temporarily release the Settings preview when Advanced camera options → Edit is opened, or permit these settings to be changed when Settings itself is the only active camera client.

Hopefully this workaround helps anyone else caught in the same camera-settings loop.

Leave it to the GenXer to find the backdoor. You're welcome. 😏