Zoom audio not working?
When Zoom audio is not working, the usual causes are that you have not joined computer audio, you are muted, Zoom is using the wrong speaker or microphone, or your computer is blocking Zoom from the mic. Check those in that order and most calls are fixed in a minute.
If the problem keeps coming back with laptop speakers and a laptop mic, a headset built for Zoom calls gives Zoom one device for both. The steps below work with any headset.
How to fix Zoom audio, step by step
Check the headset connection
Push the cable or USB plug in fully, or unplug it and plug it back in if Zoom does not see the mic. For Bluetooth, make sure the headset is on, charged and paired. Zoom recommends supported USB devices where you can use them.Make sure you are not muted
Look at the Audio icon in the meeting toolbar, and check the headset itself for a mute switch or a mute light. A muted headset looks like a broken one.Pick the right speaker and microphone
In the Zoom desktop app, click your profile picture, then Settings, then the Audio tab. Choose your headset from the Speaker and Microphone drop-downs, test each one, and adjust the Output Volume and Input Volume sliders. If Zoom keeps switching devices on you, why Zoom uses the wrong microphone or speaker covers the causes.Allow Zoom to use the microphone
On Windows, turn on microphone access for apps and for desktop apps in the privacy settings. On a Mac, give the Zoom app microphone permission. Without it, Zoom shows a mic but sends silence.Turn off Windows signal processing
If your voice cuts out or sounds processed on Windows, Zoom suggests trying with Signal processing by Windows audio device drivers turned off in Zoom's advanced audio settings.Test before the next call
Run Zoom's speaker and microphone tests again, or record yourself. If others hear an echo once the sound works, see how to stop echo on Zoom.
If you can hear them but they cannot hear you
One-way audio almost always means the microphone side: the wrong mic is selected, it is muted, or the permission is off. If you keep muting and unmuting to talk, the ways to mute in Zoom, including push-to-talk, can make that easier.