Recent Windows 11 versions already let you customize quite a lot of webcam settings without downloading any third-party software. You can head to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Cameras and tweak settings like brightness, contrast, sharpness, and other options. Soon, available options will expand to include even more settings.
@PhantomOfEarth on X discovered that the recent Windows 11 Canary builds contain a hidden feature ID that, when enabled, adds the option to change the webcam image resolution. You will be able to let Windows 11 decide the best possible resolution or select the preferred option and frame rate from the list of available variants.
Recent Canary builds include an additional advanced camera option: media type, which lets you choose a specific camera resolution. (ID is disabled by default, 27744+)
— phantomofearth ☃️ (@phantomofearth) December 4, 2024
vivetool /enable /id:52142480 pic.twitter.com/vZxAmv7Rqk
If you are on Windows 11 build 27744 and newer and your system has a webcam, you can try the change yourself using the ViVeTool app:
- Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder.
- Run Command Prompt as Administrator and navigate to the folder containing the ViveTool files with the CD command. For example, CD C:\Vive.
- Type vivetool /enable /id:52142480 and press Enter.
- Restart your computer.
After booting back to the desktop, go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Cameras. Select your webcam and click "Edit." The list of available resolutions will be next to the "Media type" option below the two other recently introduced settings that let multiple apps simultaneously use the webcam and the basic camera mode for troubleshooting.
In case you missed it, earlier this week, Microsoft released a new Canary build with a few improvements for File Explorer, Task Manager, taskbar, and other parts. Also, the company updated the Microsoft Store with a new feature that makes it easier to update Win32 applications.