Windows Registry Location for Mic and Camera Permissions

Windows manages privacy permissions for hardware devices through specific registry keys, storing lists of allowed and denied applications within the Windows Registry (Regedit). In modern versions of Windows (Windows 10 and Windows 11), access controls for the microphone and webcam are managed by the Capability Access Manager and recorded on both a per-user and system-wide basis.

Registry Paths for Camera (Webcam) Access

The registry tracks webcam permissions under the webcam capability key.

• Packaged (UWP / Microsoft Store) Apps: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\webcam Under this key, each subkey corresponds to the Package Family Name of an installed Microsoft Store application.

• Desktop (Classic Win32) Apps: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\webcam\NonPackaged Subkeys inside NonPackaged represent individual executable paths for classic desktop applications that have requested camera access.

Registry Paths for Microphone Access

Microphone permissions follow the identical structural hierarchy under the microphone capability key.

• Packaged (UWP / Microsoft Store) Apps: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\microphone

• Desktop (Classic Win32) Apps: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\microphone\NonPackaged

System-Wide Defaults

To view machine-level defaults and policies applied to all user profiles, check the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch:

• Camera: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\webcam
• Microphone: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\microphone

Key Values and Data Stored

Within each application’s subkey, Windows stores configuration values that dictate access behavior:

• Value: A string value (REG_SZ) typically set to Allow or Deny, defining whether the specific app has permission to use the hardware.
• LastUsedTimeStart / LastUsedTimeStop: 64-bit integer values (REG_QWORD) storing Windows file time timestamps that track when the application began and stopped using the device.