How to fix webcam error code 0xA00F4271 (0x80070001) on Windows?

Error 0xA00F4271 <MediaCaptureFailedEvent> appears when the Windows Camera app, or an app like Skype or Teams, loses the webcam's video stream. The first code is the same every time; the code in brackets, such as 0x80070001, tells you why. Start by closing other camera apps and restarting, then roll back or reinstall the camera driver.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What webcam error 0xA00F4271 <MediaCaptureFailedEvent> means

The Windows Camera app shows the error under the heading Something went wrong, followed by a line such as 0xA00F4271<MediaCaptureFailedEvent> (0x80070001). The name says what happened: a media capture, the live video from the camera, failed while the app was using it. It can appear the moment the app opens, or after the camera worked for a while, as in the reader's Skype call above.

The first code, 0xA00F4271, is always the same. It does not say why the stream failed. The second code, in brackets, does. It is a standard Windows error number passed up from the driver or from Media Foundation, the part of Windows that handles video. People search the error as 0xa00f4271, mediacapturefailedevent or media capture failed event, with or without the second code.

Why the camera stream fails with 0xA00F4271

Most often the camera driver is the cause: an update replaced it, or it is damaged or the wrong one. Often another app keeps the camera, or Windows runs short of resources after long use. Less often camera access is blocked in privacy settings or by security software. Rarely the camera itself or its cable is failing.

How to fix webcam error 0xA00F4271 <MediaCaptureFailedEvent>

Fixes 1 and 2 cost a few minutes and need no downloads. Fixes 3 to 5 deal with the camera driver, which is the cause in most cases. Fix 6 is for the Camera app alone, and Fixes 7 and 8 come last because they are general.

Fix 1. Close other camera apps, check the camera switch and restart Windows

5 minutesNo riskEveryone, first. Especially when the camera worked and then failed during a call, or the code in brackets is 0xC00D3704 or 0x800705AA.

Windows lets one app at a time open most webcams. If a call app, a browser tab or a background tool keeps the camera, the next app's stream cannot start. Microsoft's advice for the resource code 0x800705AA is to close apps and restart.

1. Close Skype, Teams, Zoom, browsers and any camera or streaming tools you have open.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Under Apps, select any app that may use the camera and select End task.
3. Check the camera switch: some laptops have a camera key used with Fn, a slider on the side or a small shutter over the lens. Turn it on or open it.
4. Restart Windows with Start > Power > Restart. Waking the PC from sleep is not the same thing.
5. Open Start > Camera before any other app and check whether the preview shows a picture.

Help with closing an app that will not quit: Close a frozen app (Task Manager, Force Quit)

Fix 2. Allow apps and desktop apps to use the camera

3 minutesNo riskSkype, Teams, Zoom or a browser cannot use the camera, or the camera stopped after a Windows update.

Microsoft notes that after a Windows 11 update some apps no longer have access to the camera by default. Desktop apps such as browsers and Teams depend on one extra switch.

1. Open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Camera.
2. Turn on Camera access.
3. Turn on Let apps access your camera, and switch on Camera and any Store app you use in the list below.
4. Turn on Let desktop apps access your camera. You cannot allow single desktop apps; this switch covers them all.
5. Open the app again and start the camera.

Fix 3. Roll back or update the camera driver

10 minutesLow riskThe error began after a Windows or driver update, or the code in brackets is 0x80070001 or 0x80070018.

Both codes mean the driver refused or misread a request from Windows. Microsoft's first step when a camera stops after an update is to roll the driver back, and an update is the step when the driver is simply old.

1. Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
2. Find the camera under Cameras, Imaging devices or Sound, video and game controllers.
3. Right-click it, select Properties and open the Driver tab.
4. If Roll Back Driver is available, select it, choose a reason and select Yes.
5. If it is greyed out, close the window, right-click the camera, select Update driver and then Search automatically for drivers.
6. Restart the PC and open the Camera app.

Full driver steps with Windows 11 screenshots: Update, roll back or reinstall a driver

Fix 4. Reinstall the camera driver and get it from your laptop maker

20 minutesLow riskRollback is not available or did not help, the camera has a warning sign, or the code in brackets is 0x8007001F.

Removing the device and its driver makes Windows detect the camera from scratch. If the generic driver is not enough, the driver from the laptop or camera maker is the one built for your exact model.

1. In Device Manager, right-click the camera and select Properties, then the Driver tab.
2. Select Uninstall Device, tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device and select OK.
3. Open the Action menu and select Scan for hardware changes. Wait until the camera is listed again.
4. Restart the PC and test the Camera app.
5. If the error stays, open your laptop maker's support page, enter the model and install its newest camera driver and any BIOS or firmware update it lists.

To find your exact model, press Win + R, type msinfo32 and press Enter; it is listed as System Model. One Dell XPS 13 owner reports that the camera worked again for a while after a BIOS update from the maker's support tool, so do not skip the firmware updates there.

Fix 5. Switch a USB webcam to the USB Video Device driver

5 minutesLow riskAn external USB webcam, or the code in brackets is 0x80004001 or 0xC00D36B4 and the maker's driver did not help.

Most USB webcams follow the USB Video Class standard and work with the driver built into Windows. Microsoft suggests this swap when a webcam does not work correctly on its own driver; it delivers standard video formats.

1. Plug the webcam into another USB port first, preferably one directly on the PC, not a hub.
2. In Device Manager, right-click the webcam under Cameras or Imaging devices and select Update driver.
3. Select Browse my computer for drivers.
4. Select Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
5. Select USB Video Device, then Next, then Close.

Fix 6. Repair or reset the Windows Camera app

5 minutesLow riskThe camera works in Teams, Zoom or a browser, and only the Camera app shows 0xA00F4271.

When other apps get video from the same camera, the driver and hardware work. The fault then sits in the Camera app's files or settings, which Repair and Reset replace.

1. Close the Camera app.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Camera, select the three dots and select Advanced options.
3. Select Repair and test the app.
4. If it still fails, select Reset. The app's settings go back to default; photos and videos in Pictures > Camera Roll stay.
5. Open Microsoft Store > Library, select Get updates and let the Camera app update.

On Windows 10 the path is Settings > Apps > Apps & features > Camera > Advanced options. Full steps: How to repair or reset an app in Windows

Fix 7. Install optional driver updates and run the camera troubleshooter

15 minutesNo riskThe fixes above did not help, or Windows has updates waiting.

Microsoft delivers many camera drivers as optional updates, and its troubleshooter checks access and drivers on its own. They are general, so they come after the checks that fit this error.

1. Open Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates.
2. Select Advanced options > Optional updates and install any camera driver listed.
3. Restart the PC.
4. Open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and select Run next to Camera. On Windows 11 it may open in the Get Help app.
5. Follow the troubleshooter, then test the camera.

To check whether a background program grabs the camera at startup, start Windows with Microsoft services only and test once: How to perform a clean boot in Windows

Fix 8. Check the webcam protection in your security software

5 minutesLow riskYour security suite has a webcam or privacy protection feature, and the error remains.

Microsoft says some antivirus programs can block camera access, and lists a separate code, 0xA00F4246, for a camera locked by security software. A block can still surface as a failed stream in some apps.

1. Open your security program and look for a webcam protection or privacy setting.
2. Allow the Camera app and the call app you use, rather than turning protection off.
3. If you want to test, pause protection for a single camera test, then turn it on again: Turn off Microsoft Defender protection for a moment

If 0xA00F4271 is still there

The code in brackets is the most useful detail you have, so write it down each time; it can change between attempts. Then run three short tests to tell a software fault from a hardware one.

1. Test the camera in a second app, such as Teams or a browser webcam test. If it works there, the problem is in the first app.
2. For a USB webcam, try it on another PC. Microsoft suggests this to rule out hardware.
3. Start Windows in safe mode and open the Camera app once, to rule out other programs and drivers: Start Windows or a Mac in Safe Mode

• When it is hardware: the camera disappears from Device Manager after Scan for hardware changes, the picture flickers or breaks into green blocks in every app, or a USB webcam fails on a second PC too. A Dell XPS 13 owner describes exactly this pattern before the camera was no longer detected.
• What to send to support: the full message with both codes, the camera name and driver version from Device Manager, the PC model from msinfo32 and the Windows version from Settings > System > About.
• Who to ask: for a built-in camera, the laptop maker; for a USB webcam, its maker.

One old check comes from earlier Microsoft camera help: open the camera's Driver Details and look for a file named stream.sys. That help said such a camera was designed before Windows 7 and may need replacing. Microsoft's current camera page no longer lists this check, so treat it as a hint, not a verdict.

How to keep the camera stream from failing again

Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025, so new camera fixes from Microsoft reach it less often. A camera error on Windows 10 is one more reason to check whether the PC can move to Windows 11. If your camera records photos but not video, with the code 0xA00F4293, see our guide on Camera app error 0xA00F4293.

Frequently asked questions

What does 0xA00F4271 <MediaCaptureFailedEvent> mean?

It means the live video from your camera failed while an app, usually the Windows Camera app, was using it. The first code is the same for every case and does not say why. The second code in brackets does: 0x80070001 means the driver refused a request, 0x8007001F that the device stopped working, 0xC00D3704 that the hardware could not start streaming. Run certutil -error with your code in Command Prompt to read its meaning, then pick the fix in the table above.

How do I fix media capture failed event in the Windows 11 Camera app?

Close every app that may use the camera, check the camera switch or shutter, and restart Windows (Fix 1). Then make sure Camera access, Let apps access your camera and Let desktop apps access your camera are on in Settings > Privacy & security > Camera (Fix 2). If the error started after an update, roll back the camera driver (Fix 3); otherwise reinstall it from Device Manager and the laptop maker's site (Fix 4). The steps are the same on Windows 10, with slightly different Settings paths.

Why does my webcam stop with 0xA00F4271 during a Skype or Teams call?

When the camera works at first and then fails mid-call, the driver usually stops delivering frames, or the system runs short of resources. Restart the PC and open only one call app at a time (Fix 1). If it keeps happening, roll back or reinstall the camera driver (Fix 3 and Fix 4). Reinstalling Skype or checking the internet connection, as the reader above did, does not help, because the stream fails before the app sends anything over the network.

What is 0xA00F4271 with 0xC00D36B4 or 0xC00D3704?

Both are Media Foundation codes from the Windows video system. 0xC00D36B4 says the media type is invalid or not supported, so the camera does not deliver the format the app asked for. A driver update, a rollback or the USB Video Device driver usually helps (Fix 3, Fix 5). 0xC00D3704 says the hardware failed to start streaming due to lack of hardware resources. That most often means another app holds the camera, so close it and restart (Fix 1).

What does 0xA00F4271 (0x80004001) mean?

0x80004001 is Windows' Not implemented error. The app asked the camera driver for a function the driver does not offer. That points to the wrong or a too generic driver. Install the camera driver for your exact model from the laptop or webcam maker (Fix 4). For a USB webcam, the opposite can also help: switch it to the standard USB Video Device driver built into Windows (Fix 5), and see which one gives a stable picture.

Is the error more common on Lenovo laptops?

Readers of the old version of this page reported it mostly on Lenovo laptops, and threads on Lenovo's forum describe it on ThinkPad models. We also found it on Dell, HP and home-built PCs with USB webcams, so it is not limited to one brand. The fix does not depend on the brand: driver first, then the maker's newest camera driver and BIOS or firmware update for your exact model from its support page.

Should I turn off my antivirus to fix this webcam error?

Not as a fix. Microsoft says some antivirus programs can block the camera, but it ties that to a separate code, 0xA00F4246. If your security suite has a webcam protection feature, allow the Camera app and your call app there (Fix 8). If you want to test with protection paused, do it for one camera test only and turn protection back on right away. A camera that works only with protection off needs an update or a setting in the security program.

Is my webcam broken if I see 0xA00F4271?

Usually not. In most cases the driver or another app is at fault, and Fixes 1 to 4 end the error. Hardware is likely when the camera disappears from Device Manager even after Scan for hardware changes, when the picture flickers or breaks into green blocks in every app, or when a USB webcam also fails on another PC. A built-in camera then needs the laptop maker's service; a USB webcam can simply be replaced.

I searched in another language. Does this page fit my error?

Yes, if your screen shows 0xA00F4271 or MediaCaptureFailedEvent. The code is the same in every language of Windows; only the text around it is translated. The menu names on this page are in English but sit in the same places in other languages. If your code is a different one, such as 0xA00F4244 for no camera found, search for that exact code, because its first fix is different.