Improve and troubleshoot your Zoom experience

If Zoom appears to distort audio or video, or does not perform in a manner you expect, use the information here to improve your experience, or troubleshoot issues.

Power cycle your modem/router, if possible.
If you’re on a wireless connection:

Confirm that you have a strong signal.
Connect to a 5 GHz network (rather than 2.4 GHz), if possible.
Limit the number of devices connected to your wireless router.
Consider switching to a wired connection.

Ensure that other devices on your network aren’t consuming bandwidth; these could include cloud-connected security cameras, cloud backup solutions, smart TVs, streaming devices, smart hubs, gaming devices, or other cloud or internet-connected devices. You can turn them off, lower the bandwidth they consume by adjusting performance settings, or make other changes that may improve the amount of bandwidth available for Zoom.
If you're using a network-wide VPN, consider disabling it.

Important:

Do not disable any necessary devices that help protect or otherwise secure your network.

Adjust your computer's settings

Restart your Zoom client.
Restart your computer.
Close out of any unneeded programs, especially those that use the internet. This could include office applications, additional browser tabs, or anything that uses system or network resources. Closing out of these items will free more system resources for Zoom to use.
Stop all downloads, uploads, or other unnecessary processes that are using resources.
Ensure that your devices are up to date.
Ensure that your application(s) are up to date, especially the Zoom client.

Adjust Zoom settings

Disable HD Video from your Zoom client:

While not in a call, click the Home tab.
Click the gear icon (Settings).
In the left Navigation pane, click Video.
Uncheck Enable HD.
Click X in the top right corner to close the Settings window.

Disable “Touch up my appearance” from your Zoom client:

While not in a call, click the Home tab.
Click the gear icon (Settings).
In the left Navigation pane, click Video.
Deselect Touch up my appearance.
Click the X in the top right corner to close the Settings window.

Mute your audio when not speaking.
Consider disabling your webcam if it’s not necessary.

Troubleshoot

I can't join my meeting.

If you're unable to join a meeting, check these items:

If you've received any of these messages:

You are on hold: The host has enabled a waiting room; you'll remain on hold until the host admits you into the meeting room.
Room connector is not enabled for this meeting: If you are using videoconferencing equipment to join a meeting hosted by a free Zoom account or an account that doesn't have the room connector enabled, you will receive this error. Connect to the meeting using a desktop or mobile device instead.
Please wait for the host to start this meeting: The Join Before Host feature is not enabled, and the host has not yet joined the meeting. Hosts automatically receive email asking them to join. You will be prompted to join the meeting a short time after the host joins.
Please enter the meeting password: The meeting requires a password; enter the password provided by the meeting host. If you do not know the password, contact the meeting host for assistance.
This meeting does not allow phone dial-in: The host may only have allowed VoIP audio. In this case, if you dial into the general Zoom teleconferencing number and enter the meeting ID, you will hear the message above and the call will disconnect. You will need to join the meeting with a computer or a smartphone app.

I've joined my meeting, but no one else is here.

If you've joined a meeting but don't see other participants:

Confirm with the meeting host that the meeting has begun. If it has, ask for the meeting ID at the top of the host's Zoom window (for example, Zoom Meeting ID: 123-456-7890) and compare that to the meeting ID at the top of yours. If they don't match, you've joined a different meeting. Ask the host for the meeting ID, and join that meeting .
If you're the host, ensure that you haven't enabled a waiting room. If you have, you need to manually admit each participant before they can join your meeting.

I can't hear or talk to people.

If you're unable to hear or talk to people in a meeting:

Check the attendee controls at the bottom of your meeting window. If you see the Join Audio icon on the far left, click it. (If you've already joined your audio, you'll instead see the mute/unmute icon .)
To check whether the issue is related to the Zoom program, see:

How do I join or test my computer audio?
My Audio Is Not Working On The Zoom Mobile App (iPhone, iPad)
Where are my audio settings for iOS? (iPhone, iPad)

If your audio isn't working in the Zoom client outside of the meeting , try troubleshooting the device itself. For instructions, see Troubleshoot audio and video issues on your computer or mobile device.
The host may have allowed only telephony audio. In this case, you will not see the message "join meeting with computer audio". You may still be able to join the meeting with video or via phone .

I want to turn off Zoom's automatic audio adjustments.

For musical content, applied lessons, or other situations where preserving audio quality is important, you can change Zoom's audio settings to minimize automatic adjustments such as gain, extended frequency response, and echo cancellation.

While turning off automatic adjustments can preserve the natural sounds of music, singing, or spoken word, it also requires meeting participants to position their microphones and speakers properly, and to manually adjust their microphone levels. Good conferencing etiquette is also important with these settings; participants should use headphones when possible and mute their microphones when not speaking or playing.

Note:

Network connection also impacts audio quality. Consider disabling video for a better audio experience.

These are advanced features; the instructions below assume you have basic knowledge of Zoom and your computer's audio and video settings.

To turn off automatic audio adjustments:

Log into zoom.us
Select Settings from the menu at the top or left side of the page.
Under "In Meeting (advanced)", make sure these settings are toggled on (blue):

Allow users to select stereo audio in their client settings
Allow users to select original sound in their client settings

Launch your meeting normally.
Each meeting host and participant must then:

From the Zoom client, click the gear icon ( ) in the upper right.
Select Audio from the menu on the left.
Under the microphone settings, uncheck Automatically adjust volume.
Click Advanced in the lower right.
Check Show in-meeting option to "Enable Original Sound" from microphone.
From the drop-down menus under "Audio Processing", set "Suppress Persistent Background Noise" and "Suppress Intermittent Background Noise" to Disable.
Close the settings window.

At the top of the meeting window, a Turn [on/off] Original Sound button will now be visible. Turn original sound on to transmit more natural audio to other participants. Turn it off to restore default settings