Lines or artifacts in Zoom while the camera works elsewhere usually indicate either an app-specific issue or a driver/encoding problem on that device.
Try these steps on Windows 11:
- Test whether the issue is Zoom-specific
- Open Start > Camera and check if the preview shows the same lines.
- Join a call in another app (for example, Microsoft Teams or the web version of Zoom in a browser) and see if the lines appear.
- If the lines only appear in Zoom, focus on Zoom’s video settings and updates.
- If the lines appear in all apps, focus on Windows, drivers, or hardware.
- Check camera privacy and app access
- Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Camera.
- Make sure Camera access is turned on.
- Make sure Let apps access your camera is turned on.
- Ensure Let desktop apps access your camera is turned on, since Zoom is a desktop app.
- Update or roll back the camera driver
- Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
- Expand Cameras and right-click the camera in use.
- Select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers and let Windows install any update, then restart and test Zoom again.
- If the problem started after a recent update, open the camera’s Properties > Driver tab and try Roll Back Driver (if available), then restart and test again.
- Reinstall the camera driver
If updating/rolling back does not help:
- In Device Manager, right-click the camera > Properties > Driver > Uninstall Device.
- Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device and select OK.
- In Device Manager, select Action > Scan for hardware changes to reinstall the camera driver.
- Restart the PC and test Zoom.
- Check for Windows updates
- Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
- Install all updates. If Optional updates (driver updates) are available for the camera, install them.
- Restart the PC and test Zoom again.
- Clean and inspect the camera
- Gently clean the camera lens.
- If using an external camera, try another USB port and, if possible, test the camera on a different computer. If the lines follow the camera to another device and app, the camera hardware may be faulty.
If the camera looks normal in the Windows Camera app and other apps but still shows lines only in Zoom, the issue is likely with Zoom’s video processing on that specific PC. In that case, update Zoom to the latest version, reset Zoom video settings to default, and temporarily disable any video enhancements or background effects in Zoom to see if the lines disappear.
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