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Zoom Microphone Not Working: How to Fix It

Short answer: If people can't hear you on Zoom, you may be muted, have the wrong microphone selected, or have blocked microphone permission.

TL;DR: quick fix

Check that you're not muted in Zoom (microphone icon in the toolbar) and that the host hasn't muted you.
Click the arrow next to Mute/Unmute and pick the correct microphone, or click your profile picture > Settings > Audio to test the mic and raise Input Volume.
Click "Join Audio" if you see it; you may have joined without connecting audio.

Is Zoom down?

Before you change settings, check Zoom Status. If there's an outage, wait it out.

How to fix it: step by step

Check that you're not muted in Zoom (microphone icon in the toolbar) and that the host hasn't muted you.
Click the arrow next to Mute/Unmute and pick the correct microphone, or click your profile picture > Settings > Audio to test the mic and raise Input Volume.
Click "Join Audio" if you see it; you may have joined without connecting audio.
Allow microphone access: Windows Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone, or macOS System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, then enable Zoom.
Close other apps that may be using the microphone (Teams, browsers, recording software).
Update the Zoom app and restart your computer.

FAQ

Why is my Zoom audio echoing?

Usually two devices in the same room are in the meeting with audio on, or speakers are loud. Use headphones or mute the extra device.

More Zoom fixes

Last checked Oct 2026 against the official help page: Zoom Support. Menus can differ by app version; follow the official page if a step doesn't match.