Windows Camera App crashes immediately with MFCORE.dll 0xc0000005, but webcam works everywhere else

Question

Windows Camera App crashes immediately with MFCORE.dll 0xc0000005, but webcam works everywhere else

Qusro Qader 5

Screenshot (71)

Screenshot (72)

When I open the Windows Camera App, I get three error codes, one after the other:

first, 0xA00F429E <PageOpenFailed> 0x8007007F appears...
then, after a few seconds, it changes to 0xA00F429F <WindowShowFailed> 0x8007007F...
then, a few seconds after that, it changes to 0xA00F4289 <ActiveCameraUnplugged> 0x8007007F.

The crash is in the same place and of the same nature every time: Faulting module name: MFCORE.dll Exception code 0xc0000005 Fault offset: 0x0000000000017fff.

I first ran into the issue when I opened Windows Camera on July 6th at 10:00 PM. The previous time I had opened Windows Camera was the evening of July 1st. Up until then, Windows Camera had zero problems whatsoever. I had been regularly using Windows Camera throughout June with no issues.

The camera is built-in to my Surface Pro 6 laptop and the hardware has no issues. It was perfectly able to run on Zoom, Teams (it passed every test under test calls), and every browser-based camera I could find. Even the previews under those site permission dialogs worked like charms. The "recording" light turned on with all of these, too - again, just as it used to with Camera. I have no other cameras and have never plugged an external camera into this laptop before.

According to Device Manager, the only device under "Cameras," all the Imaging Devices (which only consist of printers), and all the devices under "Sound, video and game controllers" are all up to date and working properly, and the system could find no updates of any kind for any device (it said all were up to date and had the most updated drivers in use for them all).

I temporarily disabled all antivirus software for several minutes and, during that time, opened and closed the Windows Camera App several times, each time configuring yet one of the other remedies.

I manually uninstalled and reinstalled the Windows Camera App.

I manually Terminated the Windows Camera App and opened it up again.

I checked three times that all camera and microphone permissions were enabled on all fronts related to the Windows Camera App.

In this whole process, I restarted my computer three times.

And it didn't seem to be an update issue, either. My Camera app runs ver. 2026.2605.7.0.

In Command Prompt, I tried running DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and then sfc /scannow as an administrator (the operations were successful), then restarted. The problems remained, and still remains, the same.

I went to Event Viewer and found the Error has Error ID 1000. Specifically:
Faulting module name: MFCORE.dll
Exception code 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x0000000000017fff
The crash is in the same place and of the same nature every time and can be replicated as such every time.

Moved from: Windows for home | Windows 10 | Apps

天翎平行 5 Reputation points

2026-07-12T11:40:49.1833333+00:00

I have the same Surface Pro 6 and the exact same issue.

However, the camera opens fine if I use the older version(2018.826.98.0 – the version number of the built-in Camera app in Windows 10 22H2) of the camera app,but the problem arises as soon as it updates.

Consequently, I’ve had to use Group Policy to disable automatic updates for the Microsoft Store; otherwise, the camera app stops working with the camera after updating.

The highest version of the camera available is 2025.2510.2.0; the subsequent version, 2605.7.0, triggers the error mentioned above.

Consequently, I’ve had to use Group Policy to disable automatic updates for the Microsoft Store; otherwise, the camera app stops working with the camera after updating.

Also, there are already user reviews on the Microsoft Store reporting this exact problem.
Qusro Qader 5 Reputation points

2026-07-14T00:35:14.26+00:00

How did you switch back to version 2025.2510.2.0, Tian Ling? And how do you disable those automatic updates?

Answer recommended by moderator

天翎平行 5

First, uninstall the existing Camera app. If you cannot uninstall it by right-clicking, you can use Dism++'s Appx management section to uninstall Microsoft.WindowsCamera_ (followed by a long string of text). If that still doesn't work, boot into Windows PE or RE to uninstall it. 无标题

Then, open https://store.rg-adguard.net/, and in the URL (Link) field, enter https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9WZDNCRFJBBG. 无标题

Next, download Microsoft.WindowsCamera_2022.2510.2.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle. After downloading and installing it, the downgrade is complete.

As for disabling Store updates: if you have Windows Pro or higher, run gpedit.msc, then navigate to:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Store

Find and double-click Turn off Automatic Download and Install of updates.

Select Enabled, click Apply, then OK. Restart your computer.

3 Ways to Disable Automatic Updates for Microsoft Store Apps

Clary-N 13,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-16T04:55:07.0666667+00:00

Hi 天翎平行,

Thank you for sharing additional information.
Qusro Qader 5 Reputation points

2026-07-17T23:32:43.03+00:00

That did it. Thank you!
Dave Nottingham 81 Reputation points

2026-07-22T08:07:23.1333333+00:00

Brilliant - had exactly the same problem after the store updated automatically. Thank you :-)

1 additional answer

Your answer

天翎平行 5 Reputation points

2026-07-12T11:40:49.1833333+00:00

I have the same Surface Pro 6 and the exact same issue.

However, the camera opens fine if I use the older version(2018.826.98.0 – the version number of the built-in Camera app in Windows 10 22H2) of the camera app,but the problem arises as soon as it updates.

Consequently, I’ve had to use Group Policy to disable automatic updates for the Microsoft Store; otherwise, the camera app stops working with the camera after updating.

The highest version of the camera available is 2025.2510.2.0; the subsequent version, 2605.7.0, triggers the error mentioned above.

Consequently, I’ve had to use Group Policy to disable automatic updates for the Microsoft Store; otherwise, the camera app stops working with the camera after updating.

Also, there are already user reviews on the Microsoft Store reporting this exact problem.
Qusro Qader 5 Reputation points

2026-07-14T00:35:14.26+00:00

How did you switch back to version 2025.2510.2.0, Tian Ling? And how do you disable those automatic updates?
Clary-N 13,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-16T04:55:07.0666667+00:00

Hi 天翎平行,

Thank you for sharing additional information.
Qusro Qader 5 Reputation points

2026-07-17T23:32:43.03+00:00

That did it. Thank you!
Dave Nottingham 81 Reputation points

2026-07-22T08:07:23.1333333+00:00

Brilliant - had exactly the same problem after the store updated automatically. Thank you :-)

Answer 1

Clary-N 13,440 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Qusro Qader,

Thank you for providing such detailed information and for sharing the troubleshooting you've already completed.

Since the camera continues to work normally in Teams, Zoom, and browser-based camera tests, the hardware itself appears to be functioning correctly. The repeated MFCORE.dll crashes suggest the issue may be limited to the Camera app or related Windows components rather than the camera hardware itself.

As a next step, I recommend opening the Surface app and checking for any firmware or driver updates. The Surface app can sometimes identify Surface-specific issues that do not appear in Device Manager. If any updates are available, install them, restart the device and test the Camera app again.

It would also be helpful to test the Camera app from a new Windows user profile. Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users, select "Add someone else to this PC", then choose "I don't have this person's sign-in information" and "Add a user without a Microsoft account". Create a temporary account, return to Family & other users, select the new account, choose Change account type and set it to Administrator. Sign out of your current account and sign in to the new one. Once Windows finishes setting up the new profile, open the Camera app and see if the issue persists. If the Camera app works normally in the new account, the problem may be related to your current user profile or Camera app data. If the same MFCORE.dll crash occurs there as well, that would point more toward a system-level issue affecting Windows Camera or Media Foundation components.

Since the Camera app was working around July 1 and began failing around July 6, it may also be worth reviewing Windows Update history along with Reliability Monitor for any updates, driver changes, Microsoft Store updates or newly installed software that coincide with when the issue first appeared.

Could you also share your winver information? Press Windows + R, type winver and let me know the Windows version and OS build you're running.

If your device is still running Windows 10, please note that Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. Devices running Windows 10 no longer receive security or feature updates from Microsoft, which may affect troubleshooting and software compatibility going forward.

Once you've had a chance to try these steps, feel free to share the results along with your winver information and I'll be happy to continue investigating.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Qusro Qader 5 Reputation points

2026-07-10T22:34:39.0466667+00:00

Thank you for responding so quickly, Clary!

First, I’ll answer your questions, then show you some of the other troubleshooting steps I’ve taken since you commented.

First and foremost: My winver is Version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.6466).

After your comment, I went to the Surface App and clicked the “Check for updates” button under “Update your Surface” under “Help & support.” It found one thing to install, so I let it install and then restarted my computer. The problem remained the same.

On the attached screenshot below you can see my Windows Update History. As you can see, the latest updates were all definition updates.

And, of course, I showed my Reliability Monitor in my original post.

So, what about trying it on a new account? I followed your steps exactly; I clicked “Add someone else to this PC,” then entered a name and password and set up security questions, then changed the account type to “Administrator” before signing into the account for the first time.

On the new account, the problem occurred exactly the same way as it did on my own account.

I want to take the moment to mention what I did in the Get Help app. The evening of July 6, when I first encountered the problem, I clicked the blue “Learn more” button in the window of Windows Camera when the “Can’t start your camera” message appeared, and that led me to the “Camera doesn’t work in Windows” page of the Microsoft Support website, and there I clicked the blue “Run the troubleshooter in Get Help” button. That led me to the “Camera problems troubleshooter” page in Get Help, where I answered each of the questions as they loaded one by one. In the end, when prompted to shut down my computer and turn it on again, I did so, and the problem still remained the same. I repeated this multiple times that evening to no avail.

Today, I tried the exact same set of steps with Get Help on the new account, and the problem remained the same and exhibited the same behaviors to a tee.

Below are some steps I took to try and isolate the problem:

Because the problem occurs the same way and appears in Event Viewer with the exact same info every single time (ID 1000, MFCORE.dll, 0xc0000005 access code violation, fault 17fff), it’s clear this is a very reproducible software error. So what I tried to do is capture the moment the crash happens in Process Monitor. I found this within the second the window for Camera changed from the app icon to the “Can’t start your camera” screen (I don't know if it's the event representative of the problem or not; I'd need an expert to tell me if it is):

[Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

I tried attaching the process of opening Camera to WinDbg but could not find 0xc0000005 anywhere after running lots of things.

However, this here was interesting__: I went to check my WER\ReportArchive Folder__, and here was an excerpt from the one dated July 6, 11:12 PM (which would be about 70 minutes after I first began troubleshooting):

LoadedModule[84] Microsoft.CameraApp.Native.dll

LoadedModule[85] MFReadWrite.dll

LoadedModule[87] MFPlat.dll

…

LoadedModule[107] MFCaptureEngine.dll

LoadedModule[108] MFCORE.dll

So, wait, does that mean the crash is occurring after the app loads its Native component and after the Media Foundation process initializes? It seems to me the issue lies within the pipeline. Something is sending invalid data through MFCORE.dll. Would you say that’s what it sounds like, or are there other possibilities?
Qusro Qader 5 Reputation points

2026-07-10T22:35:59.8+00:00

[Sorry, it seems my comment got duplicated. I couldn't find how to delete it, so I just removed the text body for now.]
Clary-N 13,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-11T08:01:45.0866667+00:00
Hi Qusro Qader,

Thank you for the detailed update and for testing those additional steps.

Because the issue persists in a new administrator account and the camera works normally in Teams, Zoom, and browser-based tests, this appears less likely to be a hardware or profile issue and more likely related to the Windows Camera app or underlying Windows components.

Regarding your question about the WER report, I would be cautious about drawing a firm conclusion from the loaded module list alone. Seeing Microsoft.CameraApp.Native.dll, MFPlat.dll, MFCaptureEngine.dll, and MFCORE.dll loaded before the crash does confirm that the Camera app and parts of the Media Foundation stack are initializing, but it does not necessarily identify which component is responsible for the access violation. A crash in MFCORE.dll can occur because of issues within Media Foundation itself, corrupted system components, a codec, a driver interaction, or invalid data being passed through the pipeline by another component.

I also reviewed the Reliability Monitor screenshot you shared. The summary view helps confirm that several critical events occurred around the time the issue began, but it does not provide enough detail to determine whether the Camera app crash is directly related to MFCORE.dll or another component. If possible, please select the relevant critical event from around July 6 and choose View technical details. A screenshot of those details may provide more useful information about the faulting application, module and exception code.

Since you've already tested in a new administrator account, installed available Surface updates and run the built-in troubleshooting tools without improvement, you may want to consider performing an in-place repair installation of Windows. This process reinstalls Windows while keeping your personal files, applications and settings intact, and can often resolve issues involving built-in Windows components that are not corrected by standard troubleshooting.

To perform an in-place repair on Windows 10:

Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool from Microsoft.

Run the tool and select Upgrade this PC now.

When prompted, choose Keep personal files and apps.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the repair installation.

After the repair is complete, test the Camera app again.

*Disclaimer: Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so.

Please keep me updated on the results.
Qusro Qader 5 Reputation points

2026-07-14T00:33:32.1866667+00:00

Than you again for responding so timely and for being patient these past couple of days, Clary. I saw your comment the day you posted it.

Here is the technical report for the camera crash the first time I encountered the problem:
[Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

I'll consider a Windows in-place install after I try one more thing: Namely, what Tian Ling reported: switching the Windows Camera app back to version 2025.2510.2.0 from 2605.7.0. How would I do that?

Thank you again for your continued attention to this problem!
Clary-N 13,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-14T08:21:38.31+00:00

Since this is a public forum, we will hide your personal identifiable information, and I have sent that image of yours containing your personal identifiable information in a private message so we can work together to resolve the issue. Also, please check your private message in case you want to share another screenshot to avoid leaking your PII by click on the Private Message button as show below

Hi Qusro Qader,

Thank you for sharing the crash report and for the update. The information is helpful, and I can see the Camera app crash is being reported from WindowsCamera.exe.

Since you've already tested the Camera app extensively, including resetting and reinstalling it, I understand why you'd like to try the older Camera app version before proceeding with an in-place repair.

Unfortunately, Microsoft does not currently provide a supported method to roll back Store apps to a specific previous version. If another community member was able to return to version 2025.2510.2.0, they may have had access to an older package from a previous installation or another source, but that isn't something we can officially provide or verify through the forum.

That said, since another user reported success after reverting to the earlier Camera app version, you may consider waiting and seeing whether they share additional details about how they performed the rollback and whether the solution remains effective over time. If their method involves using Group Policy or making other advanced system changes, I would recommend first confirming which edition of Windows 10 you are using, as the Local Group Policy Editor is typically available only in Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education editions. Additionally, please create a system restore point and back up any important files before making any such changes.

If no supported rollback method becomes available and the issue continues, an in-place repair install may be the most practical next step to determine whether the problem is related to the Windows installation itself or to the current Camera app version.
Clary-N 13,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-15T08:08:32.02+00:00

Hi Qusro Qader,

May I know if you have got any chance to check my answer?

I am glad to help if you have any other questions.
Qusro Qader 5 Reputation points

2026-07-17T23:32:12.5133333+00:00

Thank you for being patient these past three days, Clary. And thank you for informing me about the PII issue and for helping to protect my privacy.

My issue has been resolved after performing the steps that Tian Ling had provided. Thank you both for your hard work in helping me to get to the bottom of the issue! I will update you if I continue to have any issues, and I will keep your in-store repair instructions bookmarked in case I need to refer to them again.

Thank you both!