Quick fix: Open Settings → Privacy & security. For each permission (Camera, Microphone, Location, etc.) listed in the sidebar, click to open. Set system-wide toggle on, then disable/re-enable per-app permissions. Or use Settings → Apps → Installed apps → [app] → Advanced options → Reset to reset all permissions for one app.

An app lost its permission to use the camera, mic, or location. You denied a permission accidentally and want to restore. Or you suspect an app has too many permissions and want to audit. Windows’s per-app permission model lets you reset everything without reinstalling.

Symptom: Want to reset privacy permissions (camera, mic, location, etc.) for one or more apps without uninstalling them.
Affects: Windows 11 (and Windows 10) Privacy settings.
Fix time: ~10 minutes.

What causes this

Windows 11 manages app permissions in two layers: System-wide toggle (e.g., “Camera access” off blocks all apps from camera) and Per-app toggles (each app can be allowed or denied individually). When you click “No” on a permission prompt, that app’s per-app toggle goes off. You can re-enable in Privacy settings without uninstalling.

For UWP/Microsoft Store apps, the Reset button in Advanced options also clears permissions back to defaults.

Method 1: Toggle permissions per app in Privacy settings

For granular control.

Open Settings → Privacy & security.
Scroll to App permissions section. Each permission type is listed: Location, Camera, Microphone, Notifications, Account info, Contacts, Calendar, Phone calls, etc.
Click Camera.
Top toggle: Camera access (system-wide). On = allow apps to access camera; Off = block all apps.
Second toggle: Let apps access your camera. On = individual apps can use camera; Off = all blocked.
Below, per-app toggles for each app that has requested camera. Toggle on/off as needed.
Apps not in the list haven’t requested camera. To grant: launch the app and trigger the request.
Repeat for Microphone, Location, etc.

This is the granular fix.

Method 2: Reset specific UWP app permissions

For Microsoft Store apps.

Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
Find the app. Click the three-dot menu → Advanced options.
Scroll to Reset section. Two options:
- Repair: re-registers the app, preserves data and permissions.
- Reset: clears all app data and permissions. App returns to fresh-install state.
Click Reset. Confirm.
After reset, launch the app. Permission prompts re-appear for each capability the app needs. Accept or deny as desired.
Caveat: Reset clears app login state and local data. You may need to re-sign-in.
This option exists only for UWP/Store apps. Win32 desktop apps (Chrome, Photoshop, etc.) don’t have this dialog — for them, modify permissions via Privacy & security or reinstall.

This is the right path for UWP-specific reset.

Method 3: Reset permissions via PowerShell (admin tool)

For sysadmins or scripted setup.

Open Terminal (Admin).

List apps with their package names:

Get-AppxPackage | Select-Object Name, PackageFullName

Reset a specific UWP app:
```
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsCamera | Reset-AppxPackage
```
Resets the Camera app to fresh state.
For permission registry inspection: permissions are stored under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager. Each capability (microphone, webcam, location) has a subkey.
To delete permission cache and start fresh: stop ConsentService (services.msc → AppX Deployment Service / capability access service), clear cache files, restart.
For corporate IT: Group Policy at Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → App Privacy. Set defaults for all apps (allow, deny, prompt).

This is the right path for IT administrators.

How to verify the fix worked

Open the app. Trigger the feature that needed permission (e.g., open Camera in Teams). Permission either works or prompts — not silently fails.
Settings → Privacy & security → Camera. Confirm app appears in per-app list with desired toggle state.
For reset apps: app launches as if freshly installed; re-sign-in or accept prompts.

If none of these work

If permissions don’t take effect after toggling: App caching old denial: close app entirely (Task Manager → End task) and relaunch. Some apps cache permissions at launch. Per-machine vs. per-user permissions: corporate machines may have machine-wide permissions enforced via Group Policy. Per-user toggle can’t override. For Win32 apps: privacy permissions don’t apply to Win32 desktop apps (Chrome, Discord, OBS) the same way. Win32 apps have direct hardware access. The Privacy & security UI’s per-app toggles affect only UWP apps. For browser-based permissions (websites): each browser has its own permission system. Edge: edge://settings/content. Chrome: chrome://settings/content. For permissions that re-grant themselves: a feature update may reset to defaults. Re-check after updates.

Bottom line: Privacy & security → per-permission category → toggle per-app. For UWP apps, Settings → Apps → Advanced options → Reset clears all permissions and data. Powerful for scripted setup.