This page explains how to resolve the "Unable to Access Camera or Microphone" error sometimes encountered when using the presenter tool after a webcam and/or microphone was in use or is still in use from another device or program.

Ensure that your browser has Allowed Access to the Device(s)

Instructions for Chrome

1. Go to Settings > Advanced > Clear browsing data and Click on ‘CLEAR BROWSING DATA’
2. Go to Settings > Advanced > Reset and Click on ‘RESET’
3. Close the Chrome browser and open new instance of the browser and try again

Instructions for Firefox

1. Go to Menu > History > Clear Recent History… and Click on ‘Clear Now’
2. Close Firefox browser and open new instance of the browser
3. Reload the Present URL. Once the URL is loaded Go to the Firefox Tools menu, choose Page Info and then Permissions. Within the Permission window, find Use the Camera and Use the Microphone and uncheck Use Default. Then choose Allow.

Instructions for Edge

1. Go to Menu > Settings > Clear browsing data > Click on ‘Choose what to clear’ > Click on ‘Clear’
2. Close the browser and open new instance of the browser
3. Reload the Present URL and navigate to Control panel > Webcam option
4. Edge browser will prompt you with a permission popup, Click ‘Yes’

Ensure that no other device has blocked access to the Device(s)

If you were using your camera or webcam with another application recently...

Please ensure that all such applications are closed. For example, if you used Firefox with the presenter tool, and you launch Chrome, both browsers will compete for access to these devices. Many video conferencing applications (Skype, Google Hangouts, etc.) or native software shipped with webcams, may also acquire access to these devices, sometimes without your knowledge.

To troubleshoot and address these issues, try the following steps:

1. Ensure that the application is closed, and not running in the system tray.
2. You may need to "End Task" on Task Manager, or even try rebooting your PC if these other programs are not releasing access to your device.
3. If none of these steps work, try unplugging the device, wait 20 seconds, and re-attach it before re-launching the presenter tool.