Install Microsoft Teams on Ubuntu and Fix Camera Not Detected

You need Microsoft Teams for a work meeting or class, you are on Ubuntu, and two problems hit at once. Teams is not as simple to install as on Windows, and when you get it running, it claims you have no camera. Both problems are well understood, and you can solve them without deep Linux knowledge.

Quick Answer

Microsoft no longer offers a native Teams desktop app for Linux, so install Teams as a web app through Chrome or Edge on Ubuntu. If the camera is not detected, allow camera access for the Teams site in the browser, close other apps using the camera, test the webcam in Cheese, and select the correct camera by name in Teams device settings.

The Honest Truth About Teams on Linux Today

Many older guides tell you to download a Teams .deb package from Microsoft. That native Linux app was retired, and downloads on random sites may be outdated or unsafe. The supported route today is the Teams web app, which Microsoft actively maintains and which now includes background effects, together mode, and improved calling.

The web version works well on Ubuntu in Chromium-based browsers. Chrome and Microsoft Edge give the most complete experience, including better screen sharing and notifications. Firefox can join meetings in many cases, but some calling features are limited there, so a Chromium-based browser is the safer choice for work.

You can also install the web app as a standalone app. It gets its own window and launcher icon and feels almost like a native program. That is the setup below, followed by full camera troubleshooting. If your webcam fails in every app, start with our guide to fixing a webcam that is not working on Ubuntu first, then return for the Teams-specific steps.

Step 1: Install Teams as a Web App

1. Open Chrome or Edge and go to the Teams address your work or school gave you, usually through office.com or teams.microsoft.com.
2. Sign in with your work, school, or personal Microsoft account and wait for Teams to load fully. Open the calendar to confirm you are signed in.
3. Open Settings and Devices and check the app can start a test meeting before you install it as an app.
4. In Chrome, click the three-dot menu, find Save and Share or Install options, and choose Install page as app or Create shortcut. In Edge, use Apps, then Install this site as an app.
5. Name it Microsoft Teams, confirm, and pin it to your dock or favorites.
6. Launch Teams from your app launcher from now on. It updates itself whenever the browser updates.

Step 2: Give Teams Permission to Use Your Camera

The most common reason Teams says no camera is detected is simple: the browser was never given permission, or permission was denied once by accident and remembered.

1. Start a test call or open Settings, then Devices, in Teams.
2. If the browser shows a camera prompt near the address bar, choose Allow. If you previously chose Block, click the lock or site settings icon, find Camera, and change it to Allow.
3. In Chrome you can also go to Settings, Privacy and security, Site settings, Camera, and make sure Teams is not in the blocked list.
4. Refresh Teams completely after changing permission. Changes do not always apply to a page already loaded.
5. Return to Teams Settings and Devices, open the Camera dropdown, select your webcam by name, and check the preview.

Microsoft’s own guidance on the official Teams camera troubleshooting page walks through the same permission and device settings inside the app, a useful cross-check after you fix the browser side.

Step 3: Make Sure Ubuntu Can See Your Webcam

If Teams still finds no camera, test whether Ubuntu sees it at all. This splits the problem in half in two minutes.

1. Close Teams, Discord, Zoom, OBS, and browser tabs that might use the camera. Only one app can normally use a webcam at a time.
2. Open Cheese, installed on many Ubuntu systems, or install it with sudo apt install cheese. If Cheese shows your picture, hardware and driver work.
3. If Cheese shows nothing, unplug a USB webcam and plug it into a different port, directly on the computer rather than through a hub.
4. Run ls /dev/video*. A working camera usually appears as /dev/video0.
5. Run lsusb and look for your camera brand. If a USB camera does not appear at all, suspect the cable, port, or camera itself.
6. For a built-in laptop camera, check for a privacy switch, a keyboard function key with a camera icon, or a sliding lens cover. These cause a surprising number of reports.

If no app can see the camera, the problem is not Teams. Fix the hardware level first and reboot after reconnecting the device. Once Cheese works, Teams almost always works after the permission steps.

Step 4: Check Privacy Settings, Groups, and Conflicts

Ubuntu Privacy and Packaged Browsers

Open Settings and look for Privacy or Applications. If you installed any related app as a Snap or Flatpak, make sure camera access is on. Web Teams in Chrome is governed mainly by browser permissions, but a packaged browser can add its own layer, so verify both places if your browser came from Snap or Flatpak.

Your User and the Video Group

On some systems camera devices are limited to users in the video group. Check with groups in the Terminal. If video is not listed, add yourself with sudo usermod -aG video $USER, then log out and back in completely. This explains rare cases where a camera works for one account and not another on the same machine.

Hidden Camera Users and Virtual Cameras

A forgotten browser tab with a video site or meeting preview can keep the camera busy. Close the whole browser, reopen only Teams, and test again. Also quit OBS if its virtual camera is running, because Teams sometimes picks the virtual device by default and shows black, which looks like no camera. In Teams device settings, manually pick your real webcam instead of any OBS or virtual entry.

Step 5: Test Properly Inside Teams

1. Go to Settings, then Devices, and confirm speaker, microphone, and camera are each selected by name.
2. Use Make a test call if your version offers it, or start a Meet Now meeting with only yourself.
3. Check the preview is clear and the camera light turns on.
4. Toggle the camera off and on once inside the meeting. This forces Teams to grab the device again and fixes a stale first attempt surprisingly often.
5. Do not worry if your own preview looks mirrored. Teams mirrors your preview like a mirror, but other people see you normally.

For ongoing help, the official Microsoft Teams support hub has current advice for meetings and devices and is worth bookmarking if Teams is your daily work tool.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Installing an old native package from a random site: The retired Linux app gets no proper updates. Use the web app through Chrome or Edge instead.
• Denying the camera prompt once and forgetting: Browsers remember Block. Revisit site settings and change it to Allow manually.
• Testing while Zoom or OBS holds the camera: One app at a time. Quit everything else before judging Teams.
• Choosing the virtual camera by accident: If OBS Virtual Camera is selected you may see black. Pick the physical webcam by name.
• Forcing full features in a limited browser: Use Chrome or Edge for work calls on Ubuntu instead of fighting missing features elsewhere.
• Forgetting the laptop privacy switch: Hardware switches and lens covers override every software setting on built-in cameras.

Conclusion

Installing Teams on Ubuntu is simple once you accept the modern reality: there is no current native app, and the browser-based app installed through Chrome or Edge is the right way to use Teams on Linux. When the camera is not detected, work from the outside in: prove the webcam works in Cheese, free it from other apps, allow it in browser site settings, and select it by name in Teams. That order quickly finds the real cause, whether it is a remembered permission block, a busy camera, a virtual device, or a tiny privacy switch. Do a test call before your real meeting and you will join with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an official Teams app I can install with apt?

Not anymore. Microsoft retired the native Linux desktop app, and the supported method is the Teams web app, optionally installed as a standalone app through Chrome or Edge. Avoid old .deb files on forums, because they are outdated and unreliable.

Teams detects my microphone but not my camera. Why?

Audio and camera have separate browser permissions. Audio was likely allowed while camera was blocked, or another app is holding the camera. Recheck the camera site setting, close other video apps, and refresh Teams fully.

My camera works in Cheese but Teams shows black. What should I try?

Make sure your real webcam is selected in Teams, not a virtual camera. Toggle the camera off and on in a test meeting, check for a blocking browser extension, and try a fresh Chrome profile or Edge to rule out a damaged browser setting.

Can I share my screen in Teams on Ubuntu Wayland?

Yes, in Chrome and Edge sharing uses the Wayland system picker. A system dialog asks which window or screen to share. If sharing fails in one Chromium-based browser, test the other before a big meeting.

Will I need to fix the camera again after every update?

Normally no. Permissions and the installed web app survive updates. If the camera stops after a big update, repeat the quick checks: test in Cheese, confirm permission is still Allow, and reselect the camera in Teams settings.