How to fix
Discord green screen – camera not working
on Windows

Hey. Whenever I try to use Discord's camera, there is only a green screen visible. I tried to restart the app and camera, but it did nothing to help the situation. I am using Windows 10.

Discord is a useful app. Since its release, it has gained a good reputation, and millions of users have started using it - despite its primary target audience being the gaming community.[ref en-3] Since the begging of the global pandemic, many users were forced to work from home, and Discord is one of the popular apps, besides Zoom (which has its own privacy violation issues)[ref en-1] and a few others, that is commonly used to text chat, plan work, or make video/audio conferences online.

Unlike in real life, technical difficulties might cause significant issues when trying to work or study from home. Discord green screen is a phenomenon when the camera is not working when using the app, and all users see is a green square instead of a video image. The behavior was observed on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and other platforms and as well affected various types of cameras.

While some people believed that the problem might be caused by a failing camera, it is not the case, as everybody who had to deal with this problem said that the camera worked perfectly fine in any other conditions.

Discord camera not working is only one of the problems that app users had to deal with before. We previously talked about black screen error, sound issues, search function disruptions, and many other errors people encounter while using the app. It is not a huge problem usually, however, because there is always a way to fix the issue.

According to user reports, the issue started abruptly, although some users claimed that the camera was not working from the start. This behavior highly depends on the reasons for the issue. In many cases, it can be attributed to incorrect privacy settings, corrupted files, camera drivers,[ref en-2] and other issues.

Below you will find several methods that should help you fix Discord green screen. Before proceeding, we recommend you try using a PC repair and maintenance utility [d1] - it can fix common Windows issues automatically for you.

1. Check your Privacy settings

Similar to phones, applications on Windows need to have permission to use your camera. Make sure this permission is granted within the Privacy settings:

• Right-click on Start and pick Settings
• On the left side, under App permissions, click Camera
• On the right side of the window, make sure that the camera access for the device is on
• Slide the switch to the on position under Allow apps to access your camera.

  

2. Install all the available Windows updates

Windows updates are necessary to ensure all the bug fixes are applied:

• Type in Updates in Windows search and press Enter
• Click Check for updates on the right
• Wait till Windows downloads and installs updates
• Don't forget to install any optional available updates

  

3. Restart or refresh the app

• Click on the Show hidden icons arrow within your taskbar
• Right-click on Discord icon and select Quit Discord

  

• Now simply launch the app once again
• You can also use Ctrl + R on your keyboard to refresh the app.

4. Close other apps that are using your camera

If you have a habit of running several apps simultaneously, make sure you close any other apps besides Discord that might be using your camera. For example, Skype might be interfering with your camera. If you are not sure, simply do the following:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager
• Under Apps, right-click on each of the entries and select End task

  

• Only leave Discord running.

5. Reinstall camera driver

Camera drivers might get corrupt due to one reason or another. Thus, reinstalling them could help you resolve the situation:

• Right-click on Start and pick Device Manager.
• Locate your camera: expand Imaging devices, Cameras, or Camera, Sound, video and game controllers section
• Right-click on the camera and pick Uninstall device

  

• If the warning prompt shows up, mark the Delete the driver software for this device box
• Click Uninstall
• Reboot your system.

Once the system reboots, you should install the newest available drivers. The best thing to do here is downloading them from your device manufacturer's website, although it might be difficult to find the particular software that is compatible. Thus, we recommend you try using an automatic driver updater [rev id="DriverFix"] instead.

6. Click Camera button on Discord several times

This might be like an unorthodox solution, but it worked for quite many people. Once you see that your camera is showing a greenscreen, simply keep clicking the camera button at the bottom of the window on and off several times (note: needs to be done in quick succession).

7. Reinstall Discord

If nothing above helped you, you should reinstall Discord, as its installation might be corrupt. You can uninstall the app via Control Panel or Apps and Features section.

• Type in Control Panel in Windows search and press Enter
• Go to Programs > Uninstall a program
• Find Discord on the list
• Right-click on the app and select Uninstall

  

• Proceed with on-screen instructions
• Go to the official Discord download page to download and install the app again.

If you can't uninstall discord, check our "How to uninstall Discord" guide that explains how to fully get rid of Discord.