Facial recognition (windows hello) working but suddenly stopped

[Raider1406]

Hi all, My HP  Omnibook ultra Flip 14 (4 months old) facial recognition is no longer working. It first said that the camera was not available but it works in the camera app, then it said that it could not find a camera that works with windows hello despite it working yesterday when I used it. Went through the steps of checking device manager (all working with no errors being listed anywhere), then checked if windows hello facial recognition was installed (it was). I was advised by forums to unstill it under optional features but now it will not reinstall despite multiple attempts.

The facial recognition was working and has always worked but after all the steps I am unsure what to try to get it working again or how to reinstall the facial recognition feature, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Deep_World]

Hi @Raider1406,
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

I Understand your concern and don’t worry let me help you with this.

To better understand the issue, could you please provide a few more details?

• Did this issue start after a Windows update or driver update?
• When you try to set up facial recognition again, do you see any specific error codes or just the “camera not available” message?
• Have you tried removing and re-adding your Windows Hello sign-in option under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options?

Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try in the meantime:

1. Check Camera Privacy Settings
• Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Camera and make sure apps (including Windows Hello) are allowed to use the camera.
2. Update Drivers
• In Device Manager, right-click your camera under Imaging devices and select Update driver → Search automatically for drivers.
• Also check HP Support Assistant for any pending updates specific to your model.
3. Reinstall Windows Hello Face Feature
• Go to Settings > Apps > Optional features.
• If “Windows Hello Face” is missing, click Add a feature, search for it, and reinstall.
• If installation fails, ensure your system is fully updated via Windows Update before retrying.
4. Run Hardware Troubleshooter
• Open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and run the Camera troubleshooter.
5. Reset Windows Hello Setup

• Remove facial recognition under Sign-in options, restart your PC, and then set it up again.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 

Best regards,

Deep_World. 

[AbrahamBinMalak]

I faced a similar issue where Windows Hello suddenly stopped working. Try updating Windows Update, updating the camera driver in Device Manager, or removing and setting up Windows Hello again. This usually fixes it

[Raider1406]

Thank you for the response @Deep_World.

It happened around the time of a "windows preview update (KB5077241) (25200.7922)" installed 9 march 2026, and I am on "windows version 25H2" installed on 3 December 2025. 

It is not allowing me to reset it up with the same error of this "option is unavailable at this time" and "we could not find a camera compatible with Window Hello Face" despite it working less then a week ago. The button to click to set up is also greyed out and unclickable, and no option to remove.

The camera is working within the camera app and for other applications but not for windows hello.

Below are the steps I  have taken that have not worked:
1) Checked the privacy settings and made sure that the camera is working.

2) Gone through Device manager and Settings to make sure the drivers are up to date and installed. Both the "HP 9MP Camera" and "HP IR Camera" drivers are up to date.

3) Uninstalled and reinstalled the facial recognition feature under optional features and restarted to make sure it would take effect with no changes being made. It is currently installed and updated but the feature is still not working.

4) Ran the trouble-shooter specific to windows hello with all results coming clear despite no changes being made and it still not working

5) I have removed the feature, updated and reset it up but to no avail. I have done this multiple times (remove / redstart/ reset) and nothing has worked so far

I am unsure as to if it is a software issue or hardware as nothing has happened in terms of physical damage (body/shell is undamaged and inside the lid with screen and keyboard is undamaged) and there has been nothing to have caused damage to the sensors . 

[Deep_World · Accepted solution]

Hi @Raider1406,
 

Thanks for your response. 

From what you’ve described, the fact that your camera still works in other applications but not with Windows Hello suggests that this is more likely a software or compatibility issue rather than a hardware fault. 

Here are a couple of additional steps you might consider:

• Check for rollback options: Since the issue started right after the preview update, you could try uninstalling that specific update and see if Windows Hello Face becomes available again.
• Verify biometric service status: Open the Services app (services.msc) and ensure that the Windows Biometric Service is running and set to automatic. Sometimes updates can reset service configurations.
• HP drivers: Even though Device Manager shows your HP IR Camera drivers as up to date, it may help to reinstall them directly from HP’s support website for your specific model, as HP drivers can sometimes differ from Windows Update versions.
• Future patches: Because this is a preview update, Microsoft often releases follow-up fixes. Keeping an eye on upcoming cumulative updates may resolve the issue without further intervention.

You’ve done everything right so far, and I want to reassure you that your hardware doesn’t sound damaged. This looks like a software conflict. 

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 

Regards

Deep_World