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This registry hack may fix your broken Windows 10 Anniversary Update webcam

You may be able to fix your webcam without uninstalling the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal Freelance Writer
Sarah is a freelance writer and CNET How To blogger. Her main focus is Windows, but she also covers everything from mobile tech to video games to DIY hardware projects. She likes to press buttons and see what happens, so don't let her near any control panels.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal
2 min read

The Windows 10 Anniversary Update has some cool features, but it also -- like all Windows updates -- has some bugs. One major bug has caused many users' webcams to stop working in apps like Microsoft's own Skype video chat. According to Microsoft rep Mike M. on the Windows developer forums, Microsoft is currently working on a fix that should roll out sometime in September. But September is two weeks away -- what if you want to use your webcam before that?

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You have a couple of options. The first -- and probably easiest -- is to uninstall the

Anniversary Update by rolling back to the previous version of Windows 10. You won't be able to access any of the Anniversary Update's cool new features, but you will be able to use your webcam.

The second option is to try this registry hack from Twitter user and engineer Rafael Rivera. A few warnings apply, of course: This fix involves editing the Windows registry, which can be very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. I do not recommend attempting this hack unless you are already comfortable with the registry. Incorrectly editing the registry can cause serious problems -- and even brick your device -- so consider yourself warned. Also, this fix may not work for all users affected by the webcam-breaking bug; it worked for me, but it may not work for you.

Here's how to do it:

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1. Right-click the Start button and click Run.

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2. Type regedit in the Run dialogue box and hit Enter (or click OK) to open the Registry Editor. You may see a User Account Window pop up asking if you want to proceed; click Yes.

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3. In the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows Media Foundation > Platform.

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4. Right-click Platform and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name this DWORD EnableFrameServerMode.

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5. Right-click the DWORD you just created and click Modify.

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6. Make sure the Value data field is set to 0.

7. If you're using a 32-bit version of Windows 10, you're done -- exit the Registry Editor and see if your webcam is fixed. If you're using a 64-bit version of Windows 10, you have one more step: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > WOW6432Node > Microsoft > Windows Media Foundation > Platform and repeat steps 4 through 6.

8. Exit the Registry Editor and see if your webcam is fixed.