Webcam Shield - Getting Started

Webcam Shield, available in Avast Premium Security and Avast Omni, prevents applications and malware from accessing your PC's webcam without your consent. With Webcam Shield enabled, untrusted applications cannot capture images or videos and send the content outside of your PC to compromise your privacy.

Disable Webcam Shield

Webcam Shield is enabled by default. We recommend always keeping Webcam Shield enabled and only disabling it for temporary troubleshooting purposes.

To disable Webcam Shield:

1. Go to Privacy ▸ Webcam Shield.
2. Click the green (ON) slider so it changes to red (OFF), then specify for how long Webcam Shield will remain disabled.
3. Click OK, Stop to confirm.

Webcam Shield is now disabled. To manually enable it, click the red (OFF) slider so that it changes to green (ON).

Modify Settings

To adjust how Webcam Shield handles applications that attempt to access your webcam:

1. Go to Privacy ▸ Webcam Shield.
2. Click Settings (the gear icon) on the top-right corner.
3. Use the drop-down menu to configure Webcam Shield sensitivity by selecting one of the modes below:
   • Smart mode (selected by default): automatically allows trusted applications to access your webcam. If an untrusted application attempts to access your webcam, a notification appears asking you to allow or block the application. After selecting an option, the application appears on the Blocked & Allowed apps list where you can view its status and select additional actions.
   • Strict mode: notifies you every time any application attempts to access your webcam and allows you to decide if the application is blocked or allowed. After selecting an option, the application appears on the Blocked & Allowed apps list where you can view its status and select additional actions.
   • No mercy mode: automatically blocks all applications that attempt to access your webcam.

Troubleshoot issues

Refer to the information below to troubleshoot common issues:

• Webcam Shield displays pop-ups too frequently: ensure that Webcam Shield sensitivity is set to Smart. If Webcam Shield is set to Strict, Avast notifies you every time any application attempts to access your PC's webcam.
• Your PC's webcam stopped working: ensure that Webcam Shield sensitivity is set to Smart or Strict. If Webcam Shield is set to No Mercy, Avast prevents all applications from accessing your PC's webcam.