low quality camera in Teams Desktop

I struggled with this for many days. My camera app showed perfect resolution, however, my MS Teams video had the worst resolution. It was so unprofessional in meetings. Here's the fix:

Make sure Teams (or any other application) is not accessing the camera.

Go to your 'Settings' and search for 'Manage Cameras'.

Under that, select your camera in the 'Connected Cameras' section. On your camera settings page, scroll down till you find the 'Advanced camera options'. There should be an 'Edit' button there.

In the pop-up, turn on the option 'Allow multiple apps to use camera at the same time'. This will enable the 3rd option ' Media type'. By default this should say 'Let Windows choose'. Change that to the highest resolution, hit 'Apply'... and voila!

Now open the camera in MS Teams and your resolution should be awesome! :)

I have no idea why this setting is so deep in the settings. It's as if it was never meant to be found.

Hi @IBN,

Thank you for posting your question on the Microsoft Q&A forum.

To help me understand and troubleshoot this camera issue with you, could you please provide a few more details? Your answers to the following questions will help us pinpoint whether the problem is with the Teams app or your device.

• Are you using a Microsoft 365 Business account (provided by your company or school) or a personal Microsoft account?
• Are you trying to switch devices, or did you just start using this one?
• If you're on a business account, are any of your colleagues experiencing the same issue?
• Could you describe what you mean by "low quality camera"? Is the video blurry, pixelated, or does it freeze or lag?
• What is the operating system and version of your computer (e.g., Windows 11, macOS Sonoma 14.0)?
• Does your camera work correctly when you open the built-in Camera app on your computer?
• Have you tried using your camera for video calls in other applications (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet)? If so, does it work normally there?
• Have you tried signing in to your Teams account on another device to see if the same issue occurs?

In the meantime, Low camera quality in the Microsoft Teams desktop app is a common issue, often due to the app's limitations, hardware, or settings. Here are some steps you can try to improve it: 

1/ Clearing your Teams cache to see if that helps. You can follow this article: Clear the Teams client cache - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

2/ Check Camera Settings in Teams: 

• Open Teams, click your profile picture, go to Settings > Devices. 
• Ensure the correct camera is selected and test it using the preview. 
• If available, enable "Automatically adjust camera controls" or adjust brightness/soft focus settings for better quality. 

3/ Update Teams and Drivers: 

• Ensure Teams is updated to the latest version (check Settings > About Teams). 
• Update your camera drivers via the manufacturer’s website or Windows Device Manager. 
• Outdated drivers can degrade quality.  

4/ Test Bandwidth: Teams adjust video quality based on bandwidth. Ensure a stable connection (10-20 Mbps recommended). Use a wired Ethernet connection, if possible, to avoid Wi-Fi instability. 

You can refer this case like yours: Can't get 720p on camera with MS Teams desktop - but OK in web app - Microsoft Q&A

5/ Use the Web Version: Many users report better video quality in the Teams web app (teams.microsoft.com) on browsers like Chrome or Edge. This is a common workaround for desktop app issues.  

6/ Adjust Camera Resolution Outside Teams: 

• Teams don’t offer native resolution controls. Use the Windows Camera app (Settings > Devices > Camera > Video Quality) to set a higher resolution (e.g., 1080p at 30fps). 
• Alternatively, use OBS Studio as a virtual camera to manually set resolution and feed it to Teams. 

You can refer this case like yours:  

• Shared camera video quality seems low in Teams meetings. Quite a bit of pixilation. Is there preferred cameras or camera setting to use? - Microsoft Q&A 
• Need improved Video/Camera controls in Teams - Microsoft Q&A

7/ Optimize Hardware and Environment:

• Use a high-quality webcam (e.g., Logitech C920S or Microsoft Modern Webcam) for better resolution (1080p recommended). (Use Microsoft Modern Webcam in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support) 
• Ensure good lighting (bright, even light facing you) and a clean lens to avoid pixelation. Close other resource-heavy apps to free up CPU/GPU resources. 

Note: The Teams desktop app may cap resolution (e.g., 1080p or lower) due to bandwidth or app limitations, unlike Zoom or the Teams web app. If none of this works, consider upgrading your webcam or using the web version as a long-term workaround. 

I know our initial response may not solve the problem right away, but with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. Please feel free to reply with any updates.

I'm looking forward to your response!

If this response has been helpful, we kindly encourage you to mark it as Accepted Answer. Doing so will assist other users with similar questions in finding accurate and timely solutions more easily.

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Hello,

I see you chose the Teams for business tag for your questions, so I assume this is regarding the business version.

For business meetings, admin can actually configure video/audio/screenshare quality. If I remember correctly, the default settings is not at anywhere high, unless the org admin changes that. The purpose of that is to prioritize bandwidth/performance.

In case you are interested in some light reading, here is the link https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/meeting-policies-audio-and-video

Chat with your organization admin and share the link above with them.