Jenny,
The 13" does not have facial recognition/Windows Hello - it has a fingerprint reader - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop#tech-specs-uid66f1
How do I fix a "camera not compatible with Windows Hello error" in my brand new Microsoft Surface laptop
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(188.79999999999998, 90%, 28%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EJA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jenny Anderson
20
Reputation points
I have a brand new Microsoft Surface Laptop. Out of the box, the camera won't work to sign in with Windows Hello. It says the camera is not compatible with Windows Hello.
Have been through the troubleshooters, updated the drivers in Device Manager, uninstalled and refound them.
Sat with Microsoft support for three hours doing a factory reset. When I turned it on again it still didn't work.
Took it back and the shop where I bought it exchanged it for a new one.
The new one is doing exactly the same thing. Any suggestions or ideas? I feel like I am going around in circles.
Surface | Surface Laptop | Sound and camera
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Barb Bowman 78,585 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator2025-08-13T15:33:01.1266667+00:00 Jenny, which exact Surface Laptop model (and full specs please)? What shop did you purchase it from?
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Jenny Anderson 20 Reputation points
2025-08-14T23:02:50.88+00:00 Hi Barb,
It is a Surface Laptop 13in 1st Ed with Snapdragon purchased at JB Hifi in the ACT (they have been excellent)!Full specs:
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Accepted answer
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Barb Bowman 78,585 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2025-08-15T13:23:01.9266667+00:00 -
Jenny Anderson 20 Reputation points
2025-08-17T20:43:54.88+00:00 Thank you! I must have missed that when working out which one to get.
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2 additional answers
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Jeric 1,685 Reputation points Independent Advisor2025-08-13T14:43:16.33+00:00 Hi Jenny,
If Windows Hello facial recognition isn’t working on your Surface Laptop, first check Device Manager > Cameras to see if an IR camera (Surface Camera Windows Hello) is listed. If only a regular front camera appears, the device may not support facial recognition. Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options to confirm if Windows Hello is available. If it’s grayed out, it could be a hardware or firmware issue. Next, check for updates under Windows Update > Advanced Options > Optional Updates, and install any listed under “Surface Firmware” or “Camera.” Lastly, run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit from Microsoft’s site to check for compatibility issues. Let me know if any of these will work on your end.
Best,
Jeric.-
Jenny Anderson 20 Reputation points
2025-08-14T22:59:28.24+00:00 Thanks Jeric,
There is no IR camera listed and detecting hardware changes doesn't find it. Have tried removing all of the camera drivers and reinstalling them, and the Windows updates.
This is the list of cameras in the Device Manager:
In the sign-in settings I see this:
With respect to updates, the computer installed all of them as part of the set-up. There are no Advanced Updates available that I can see:
Thanks for the suggestions!
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Jeric 1,685 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2025-08-15T13:17:39.5833333+00:00 Hi Jenny,
Since you said that your device is the 1st Edition with Snapdragon. I'm guessing that it was the Surface Laptop, CoPilot+PC 1st Edition, which does not support Windows Hello Face because it lacks an IR camera. Instead, it uses a fingerprint sensor built into the power button for biometric login.