Are you having a hard time trying to get video call working on your ThinkPad because Lenovo camera freezes in Zoom app? Here’s how you can get a quick fix to this annoying issue right away.

When you consider communication and its important in the modern world, the place of video calling cannot be understated. For personal use when trying to connect to your loved ones, or getting a meeting done with associates in different parts of the world, video conferencing is the standard of communication.

How to Fix the Issue of Lenovo Camera Freezes in Zoom

Users have reported that an ongoing Zoom call session abruptly stops in between, or fails to launch entirely. Apart from freezing for the Zoom app, the ThinkPad camera does not seem to work for other camera apps either.

Fix #1 – Turn off Privacy Mode

In an attempt to make their laptops more privacy-friendly, Lenovo has a built-in Privacy Mode that prevents the camera from sending out live images. Although the feature does not restrict using most camera apps, it might interfere with the functioning of the Zoom app.

Video Not Working on Lenovo Devices – Zoom Help Center

  1. Click on the Windows icon and search for Lenovo Settings or Lenovo Companion
  2. If none of these apps are installed already on your ThinkPad, download either of them from the Windows Store app.
  3. Inside the app, scroll down to find the Camera icon and click on it.
  4. On the Camera menu, find the Privacy Mode section and toggle off the switch.

Fix #2 – Update the Camera Drivers

If the camera does not seem to work with any other app either, it could point towards the issue of outdated drivers. Moreover, some users have even reported that the Lenovo Camera Freezes in Zoom app after updating it. In this case, you will benefit from rolling back the drivers to an earlier version which worked before a recent update.

Dell Win 7 to Win 10 webcam not connected (Code 45) - Dell Community

  1. Click on the Windows icon and search for Device Manager
  2. From the list of drivers, find the Cameras tab and click on Integrated Webcam option.
  3. Go into the Driver tab, click on Update Driver and Search automatically for drivers from the menu.
  4. Additionally, you can even choose to Roll Back Driver if the Zoom camera issue occurred after installing a driver update recently.

Fix #3 – Edit the Registry

A significant number of users have reported the issue when Lenovo Camera Freezes in Zoom app seems to occur after the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, and is not limited to Lenovo ThinkPad devices alone. A tried and tested method of fixing the issue has to do with modifying the registry files, which should always be done after making a full backup first.

  1. Press the Windows key + R key on the keyboard and type in regedit into the field.
  2. Browse on the sidebar to access the path – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows Media Foundation\Platform
  3. On the right panel, right-click and select DWORD (32-bit) Value from the drop-down menu.
  4. Select the Value name – EnableFrameServerMode and set the Value data – 0 and press the OK button.

Restart the computer, and this should most likely fix all of the webcam issues you have been facing on Zoom.

Final Words

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the strategic shift to online communication became possible due to the Zoom app, which surged in popularity in the past year. Since it has become the default app for socially distanced personal and business communication, it can be disheartening to see the ThinkPad Lenovo Camera Freezes in Zoom app, but the list above should be able to fix it all.